Sacramento Commercial Solar Case Study: Rolling Hills Church Thrilled With Choice of Sunworks

Rolling Hills Church of Sacramento partnered withSunworksin order to convert their sprawling campus to solar power, after years of research and consideration from the executive staff. Previously, Rolling Hills Church was locked into PGE's tiered pricing. With an incredibly full schedule of weekly activities booked throughout the church facilities, they noticed an unsettling and persistent trend toward higher energy bills.

Eric Bergen, Rolling Hills' Executive Pastor, said, 'Energy costs kept going up and up, [it was] going to be an escalating trend.'

When it comes to financial matters, Pastor Bergen said the 'goal isn't to spend money on energy and electricity, it's to have money to do ministry in our community.' The Rolling Hills Church staff knew they had to take action, and get their costs under control. So, they turned to Sunworks and they are thrilled with the results.

Commercial Solar Solutions

There are plenty of options to choose from when looking into Sacramento commercial solar providers, so finding the right company that could meet the demands of Rolling Hills' impressive property was paramount.

The Director of Facilities at Rolling Hills, Mark Kerner, detailed their massive energy needs, saying Rolling Hills is 'a seven-day-a-week operation, with events both morning, day and night scheduled five days a week. [Including] special events Fridays and Saturdays. Generally speaking, there is someone using the building thirteen hours a day, five days a week.' To top it off, Kerner said, 'Sunday is our biggest draw, we use about four hundred thousand kilowatts. Lights, air conditioning, both buildings full.'

Initially, there were concerns as to whether solar would be able to provide the required energy at a cost-effective price, especially to meet such high demands. In fact, while in the past ten years electricity rates have gone up 10%, the price of completing acommercial photovoltaic projecthas plummeted by more than 45% in just half that time. As a result, the solar industry wasprojected to grow 119% in 2016alone.

After working with the team at Sunworks to review their goals and discuss concerns, Rolling Hills was ready to confidently make the switch. 'It just made so much sense,' Mark Kerner said about the collaboration and the impending energy bill savings. 'We'd have the ability to take the dollars that we were spending anyway, and repurpose them. It's a win-win.'

Pastor Eric Bergen concurred, 'I'd rather spend a dollar going external to help a family in need with food, or some kids who need after school sporting programs, rather than spending it on electric bills.'

Be it a mega-church like Rolling Hills, a grocery chain, or a tech company with a large office building, reinvesting money previously allocated to paying bills back into the business is just one of the many benefits of going solar.

Cost and Savings

The total cost of Rolling Hills commercial solar project came in at $459,301.00. In the first year alone, Rolling Hills was thrilled to experience savings of $96,962.00 on their energy bill.

Throughout the life of their Sunworks warranty, Rolling Hills is projected to save an estimated$276,001.00.Sunworks 25-year warrantyis guaranteed with every project, covers necessary system diagnostics, repairs or replacement of any malfunctioning parts installed by Sunworks, and roof repairs in the unlikely event of roof penetration during installation. While the individual products Sunworks uses come with their own manufacturer warranties, Sunworks 25-year warranty extends beyond the life of those traditional product warranties in many cases. This commitment to service is just one of the reasons Sunworks is the Sacramento area's leader in the commercial solar industry.

The Sunworks team worked closely with the executives at Rolling Hills to finalize all the specifics of their system, and Mark Kerner couldn't be happier with the results. 'What Sunworks' engineering team was able to put together, because of our tiering, and the way PGE bills,' Kerner said, 'we were actually able to downsize our system but get maximum performance.'

Rolling Hills' solar array generated 332,322 KWH during its first year of operation.PGE billstheir customers in a three-tiered system, and for organizations or companies like Rolling Hills with massive energy needs, the cost easily jumps to the maximum 200% of the baseline cost. Once a solar system is up and running, Net Energy Metering (NEM) kicks in, allowing the amount of energy used to be offset by the amount of energy produced, reducing the yearly energy bill even further.

Solar savings don't stop there. Federal and state tax breaks and incentive programs are also available to Sacramento commercial solar power customers.

Rebates and Tax Credits

Thanks to theSolar Investment Tax Credit(ITC), commercial solar projects that begin construction through the end of 2019 are eligible for a 30% dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Because this 30% tax break won't be around forever, any organizations or companies looking to invest in a solar system of their own should seriously consider making the switch. The ITC will gradually begin to decrease, dropping to 26% in 2020, and down to 22% in 2022. Finally, after 2023, the commercial tax credit will permanently decrease and level off at 10%.

On the California state level,Senate Bill 871, which was set to expire in 2016, but has since been extended through 20205, exempts 'active solar energy systems' from increasing the value of a property, inflating property taxes.

Because there are so many ways to save with solar power, most businesses are able to achieve anafter tax-return of 15-25%. Still, filing all of the correct paperwork on both local and federal levels can be puzzling. This is why Sunworks offers theirRebate and Incentives Managementprogram as part of their service. Finding and taking advantage of all possible deductions can yield a huge payoff in the end. Companies are often able to offset the system cost by as much as 50-70%.

Installation Made Easy

With every major commercial solar installation project, there are specific demands and a timeline that need to be considered. From beginning to end, Mark Kerner of Rolling Hills Church was impressed by the responsibility and professionalism he encountered at Sunworks. From their initial investigations into the company, to working with the design team, all the way to installation and clean-up, Sunworks made it their priority to follow through on everything they said they would do.

A top priority for Rolling Hills was focused around their Sunday ceremonies. 'They needed to not have a footprint, everything needs to be clean, they need to be gone,' Kerner said, requesting that the Sunworks team vacate and leave the place in prime condition, 'and they've done a great job with that.'

The transition from traditional electricity to solar power was surprisingly smooth. Most importantly, it didn't interfere with the busiest day at Rolling Hills - something any business or organization can appreciate.

Sunworks PowerPay Referrals

For large companies or organizations like Rolling Hills, Sunworks Powerpay Referral program is a great opportunity from which they can easily benefit. Not only is Rolling Hills able to share their positive experience switching to solar power, and help others to lower their own energy costs, but they can also reap financial benefits if they refer members to work with Sunworks. For every referred customer Sunworks receives from Rolling Hills, Sunworks will credit $1000 back to Rolling Hills.

Shirley Montalvo, Affiliate Marketing Director of the PowerPay Referrals Division at Sunworks, said, 'Giving back to the community is something that I've always wanted to do. I'm so passionate about this project because we get to give back to the church,' by helping them invest even more of their funds into the community and the programs aimed at enriching their members lives.

'It's been our mission at Sunworks to educate and support our community,' Montalvo said. 'Through our PowerPay Referral program, we're able to do both.'

There may be some worry about 'selling' something to a member or an employee for personal or institutional financial gain. But, knowing that the product and results from Sunworks are top-notch and that solar is an environmentally responsible alternative, promoting solar power is, like Mark Kerner said about Rolling Hills' partnership with Sunworks, a win-win for everybody involved.

Community First Mindset

In addition to the direct financial benefits that come with switching to solar, Rolling Hills Pastor Eric Bergen was excited about another aspect of solar power. 'We'd like to be an example in our community for the value of solar energy and being environmentally conscious because we all need to be taking care of our planet and the resources here, as well as the people in our community.'

They can literally practice what they preach at Rolling Hills when it comes to being stewards for the planet, thanks to their partnership with Sunworks.

For other large Sacramento companies or organizations, switching to commercial solar power helps meet government-mandated greenhouse gas emission targets by reducing their overall carbon footprint. Going solar can provide great publicity as well; by choosing a 'green' power source, you will be branding your company as environmentally responsible, increasing consumer likability and maybe even attracting more loyal customers.

The Smart Solar Solution

Switching to solar power reduces utility operational costs from day one, helps guard against rising energy rates in the future, and drastically reduces the environmental impact a company or organization has on the planet. It's the smart choice for any company with an eye towards their future.

Rolling Hills Church of Sacramento made the switch to solar power by partnering withSunworks. One year later they are already experiencing dramatic financial savings, and couldn't be more excited about reinvesting in their community.

Want to know more? It would be a pleasure to answer any questions you may have. Contact Sunworks today to get started.