Why the roof isn’t the limit
Net metering exists to offset your own use, not to create a power plant. C.R.S. 40-2-124 lets customers of covered retail utilities size up to 200% of expected annual consumption, and some utility documents cite a tighter limit — confirm the cap with your utility before sizing. Either way, a facility that uses little power ends up with a correspondingly small system.
Excess credits carry forward, and under the statute a year-end surplus can be cashed out at the utility’s average hourly incremental cost, which is typically below the retail rate you’d otherwise avoid. Deliberately oversizing within the cap therefore pays back slowly.
Climate-controlled units change everything
Climate-controlled buildings run HVAC through hot Front Range summers and sometimes heat in winter. Their loads can be many times those of drive-up units, which raises the cap and puts more of the roof to work. We size from your actual meter data by building.
Metal roofs, snow and multiple meters
Many facilities use standing-seam or through-fastened metal roofs. Standing seam allows clamp-on mounting without penetrations. Through-fastened panels need careful sealing, and on either type snow sliding off arrays toward drive aisles and doors needs planning. If buildings are on separate meters, only the meter connected to the array benefits.
Other ways to use the roof
Owners sometimes ask about leasing roof space to a community solar garden developer, which is a separate program with its own rules and subscriber requirements. That isn’t a service we provide, but we can tell you whether your roof and structure are suitable for solar in general.
Adding Level 2 chargers or electrifying the office raises load and can justify a bit more solar within the cap.
FAQ
Questions we hear
Can I cover all my storage buildings with solar and sell the power?
Not through net metering. For covered retail utilities, Colorado law caps systems at up to 200% of expected annual consumption, and some utility documents cite less. Year-end surplus credits cash out at the utility’s incremental-cost rate, typically below retail.
How big a system would a drive-up storage facility need?
Often small — sometimes enough to cover lighting, gates and the office on one meter. We size from twelve months of bills rather than roof area.
Are climate-controlled units a better fit for solar?
Usually yes. HVAC loads run during sunny summer afternoons, which raises annual consumption and puts more solar output to use on site.
What about snow sliding off panels onto customers’ doors?
It’s a real issue on metal roofs. We lay out arrays and snow guards so slides don’t land in drive aisles or in front of unit doors.