Solar Energy for Ace Hardware in Hollister, CA
Ace Hardware Morgan Hill was looking a reduce operating costs at both the Hollister and Morgan Hill locations.
Project Details
Objectives
Ace Hardware Morgan Hill was looking a reduce operating costs at both the Hollister and Morgan Hill locations. They wanted the roofs evaluated as part of the solar project. It was important or them to work with a company that knew both roofing and solar.
About the Client
As the local Ace Hardware stores, they are member of the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry. Hollister and Morgan Hill Ace Hardware locations have been serving the two Counties for many years. They are all committed to being “the Helpful Place” by offering thier customers knowledgeable advice, helpful service and quality products.
- Client Name: Ace Hardware
- Project Location: Hollister, CA
- Services Provided: Solar Energy + Roofing
- Industry: Retail
Challenges
The roofs at both ACE locations where both carefully evaluated and it was determined that they were not in good enough condition to add solar. Since the projects were both being financed, we needed a strong financing vehicle that would help keep the solar and roofing projects financially feasible. The electric bills were abnormally high for the size of the operations and the given loads so we had to figure out why and pinpoint the equipment that was contributing to ACE’s high electric bills.
Simmitri’s Energy Solution
Simmitri provided a custom tailored feasibility study along with short term and long term financials for different roof and and solar options. We also discovered that the HVAC units were past the end of their rated life and were very inefficient. We modeled what it would look like with new HVAC units and was able to reduce the size of the solar system thereby freeing up money to pay for the new HVAC units, which boosted ACE’s return on investment (ROI). Ultimately, it made most sense to use 20 year silicone coating system for the Morgan Hill location and a 25 year TPO system at the Hollister location. We used a “elevated” solar racking system that streamlines future roof maintenance without having to remove the solar panel system, allowing for significant savings and convenience of future maintenance costs.