Path-Q Solar

Should a landlord size solar for tenants' current electricity use or expected future use?

Answer

Use current measured use as the baseline and add only well-supported future changes, such as known equipment, occupancy, or building upgrades. Compare a current-load design with a documented future-load design rather than relying on an uncertain maximum forecast.

Key points

  • Tenant turnover and behavior can change consumption substantially.
  • Common-area loads should be separated from tenant-controlled loads where relevant.
  • Future electrification, HVAC changes, or appliance upgrades may justify a higher design scenario.
  • The ownership, metering, and allocation arrangement affects which loads the system is intended to serve.

What it depends on

  • Current tenant consumption and occupancy
  • Lease structure and responsibility for electricity
  • Planned renovations or equipment changes
  • Metering, roof capacity, and intended allocation of solar output

Risks and trade-offs

  • Sizing to an optimistic future load can create excess capacity if tenants or plans change.
  • Sizing only to current use can miss foreseeable electrification or occupancy increases.
  • The economic value may differ between common-area and tenant loads.

Information you may need

  • Historical bills or interval data by meter
  • Occupancy and tenant turnover expectations
  • Planned renovations and equipment replacements
  • Metering and solar-output allocation structure

Your next step

What to do next

Build current, committed-future, and conservative scenarios, then compare the system sizes and value under the property's metering and ownership arrangement.

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