Queensland Medical Centre Solar System Case Study

Reducing Companies Power Bills in Queensland

OTI Power has recently completed the install of a commercial solar panel system at a medical centre in Queensland.

The savings that the company has received after just a few months of being turned on are impressive. Here is an overview of the project:

Considering energy savings options

The medical centre operates seven days a week and is open for an average of 9 hours per day. With the continued rise in electricity pricing affecting their bottom line, the medical centre approached OTI Power to discuss their options to reduce their energy costs. The owner of the medical centre had used OTI Power previously to install solar panels at his residential property and after seeing the benefits that solar had provided to his residential property, he trusted OTI Power to present the best options to save his company money.

To start the process, OTI Power obtained copies of the medical centre’s current power bills and was able to identify very quickly a number of ways that the centre could benefit from their services. ‘We predicted some impressive numbers immediately, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding.’ Paul Blake, OTI Power Director.

The company’s latest power bill showed that the medical centre had paid $6,972.83 for electricity in the 90-day period prior. This amount was higher than other commercial buildings of a similar size due to the fact that they were fully operational seven days per week.

Choosing the best solar system

Immediately following the analysis of the power bill, OTI Power representatives visited the site to review the options that were available for the install of solar panels. During this site visit, OTI Power surveyed the roof space and mapped out the most suitable design and configuration for panels. It was suggested that a Norwegian engineered 80Kw Solar System using 240x REC- 335w Twin Peak panels with a Solar Edge Optimised Monitoring System be installed.

Fast solar system Installation

The total installation time for this project was just four days with only the one power supply disruption to the business. The electricity outage was scheduled outside of operating hours to minimise the impact on the medical centre. 

OTI Power managed the install team and the staff and management of the centre commented that the team had no impact on the operation of the company throughout the installation process.

Installation complete!

With the installation completed, the medical centre was now given the tools and the training to watch their new solar panels live in action. At a glance, they could see exactly how much: 

• Electricity was being produced
• Electricity that the building was consuming
• Electricity that they were exporting back to the grid
• Electricity that they were drawing from the grid

Then, fantastic solar energy savings arrived in the mail!

After 30 days they received their first power bill of $1,289.34 – this was a massive saving of 55% from the previous 30-day period. 

But that was not the end of it

OTI Power had not finished yet.

The OTI Power team made further suggestions to assist the medical company in getting the account even lower. A request was sent to Energex for a Tariff review in order to bring the centre to a standard kWh billing cycle. OTI Power also recommended that the company that supplies their balance of power be changed in order to maximise their solar returns. These changes resulted in further a reduction of their energy bill with the next account being $1,097.89 CREDIT owed to the medical centre.

Solar system comparison of investment vs savings

The total investment from the medical centre for this project was $85,679.00. With a turnaround in power charges of approximately $7,900.00 per quarter, the return on investment of this system will be just under 3 years. 

OTI Power’s head office is at Sanctuary Cove. The team service numerous areas including Hope Island, Coomera, Runaway Bay and Pacific Pines.