A weekday load curve that follows the sun
Office demand rises in the morning, holds through midday and falls off after 6 pm, with low weekends. Nearly all solar output lands during occupied hours, so very little is exported. Weekend production is the exception; under net metering those kWh are banked as credit rather than lost.
Hybrid work has lowered some offices’ loads and shifted their peaks. We model from your actual interval data where available, not from pre-2020 assumptions about a full building.
Small roof, big building: carports and realistic sizing
On a multi-story office the rooftop array may offset only a small share of annual use. That can still be worthwhile, but it’s important to see the real number before you decide. Surface parking lots change the picture: solar carports add capacity, shade cars in summer and give some protection from hail, though they cost more per watt than rooftop racking because of the steel and foundations.
Energize Denver and Building Performance Colorado
Denver’s Energize Denver ordinance requires commercial and multifamily buildings of 25,000 square feet and larger to benchmark energy use and meet performance targets, with smaller buildings between 5,000 and 24,999 square feet facing lighting and efficiency requirements. Statewide, Building Performance Colorado applies to buildings of 50,000 square feet and up, with interim targets for 2026 and final targets for 2030. Targets, timelines and compliance pathways have been revised over time, so confirm your obligations directly with the City of Denver or the Colorado Energy Office.
Whether and how on-site solar counts toward a target depends on the program and the compliance pathway you choose. Solar is rarely the whole answer; efficiency and electrification usually carry more of the load. We can size an array to fit alongside that plan and give your energy consultant production estimates to work with.
Taxes, depreciation and timing
As of September 2026, an office array owned by a taxable business generally must be placed in service by the end of 2027 for the §48E credit, unless construction began by July 4, 2026. Bonus depreciation at 100% has been restored. Rules on sourcing from foreign entities of concern also apply to newer projects. Ask your CPA how these interact for your entity before you commit.
FAQ
Questions we hear
How much of my office building’s power can rooftop solar cover?
For a one-story office, often a large share. For a multi-story building, usually much less, because roof area doesn’t grow with floor count. We’ll show the actual percentage from your roof layout and bills rather than a rule of thumb.
Does rooftop solar count toward my Energize Denver target?
It may help, depending on the compliance pathway, but program rules change. Confirm with the City of Denver’s Energize Denver team or your compliance consultant, and treat solar as one part of a plan that usually includes efficiency upgrades.
Are solar carports worth it over an office parking lot?
They cost more per watt than roof arrays but can add far more capacity than a crowded roof. Shade and partial hail protection for tenants’ cars are a real side benefit. Whether it pencils out depends on your load and financing.
We lease our office floors. Who would own the system?
Usually the building owner, who then recovers value through operating-expense pass-throughs or reduced common-area costs. The lease language decides this, so involve your property manager and attorney early.
Can a battery keep our office running in an outage?
A battery can carry critical circuits — servers, network, some lighting — for a limited time. Backing up a whole office with HVAC is a much larger system. We size to the loads you actually need to keep alive.