Path-Q Solar
How should a landlord handle solar sizing when different tenants have separate utility accounts?
Answer
Start by analyzing each tenant account and the landlord's own loads separately. Whether one solar system can offset multiple tenant accounts depends on the electrical configuration, account relationships, utility billing arrangement, and applicable rules; otherwise, the system may need to serve common loads or use a permitted allocation mechanism.
Key points
- Tenant bills should not be combined without preserving each account's load timing and terms.
- Common-area loads may be easier to associate with a system than separately billed tenant loads.
- Lease structure and responsibility for energy costs affect the economic benefit.
- Vacancy, tenant turnover, and future tenant mix should be included in sizing scenarios.
What it depends on
- Metering and electrical topology
- Tenant and landlord account ownership
- Lease terms and energy-cost responsibility
- Utility allocation, interconnection, and billing rules
Risks and trade-offs
- A system may reduce building energy use without directly reducing the installing party's bill.
- Tenant turnover can change load profiles and the value of a fixed system.
- Assuming tenant accounts can be credited together without confirmation may invalidate the business case.
Information you may need
- Bills and interval data for each account
- Meter and service diagram
- Lease provisions about utilities and improvements
- Expected occupancy and tenant turnover
Your next step
What to do next
Obtain a meter-by-meter feasibility review and confirm how solar credits or benefits could legally and contractually be assigned.
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Some details may depend on your location, installer, utility, incentives, regulations, or specific property.
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