For years there has been talk about the nation trying to break its dependence on foreign oil. With gas prices near or above the three dollar mark for the last few years there are more and more people becoming interested in electric cars. The need for alternative forms of energy reaches far beyond the automobile industry though.
In a down economy like the United States is currently locked in businesses cannot just look to more customers to make or increase profits. They have to figure out how to decrease their bottom line instead.
For the self storage industry that means cutting costs. One of the larger expenses, or at least one of the expenses that can be reduced is the amount of energy a facility uses. More and more customers are interested in climate controlled units for their belongings. Keeping units at the right temperature takes a lot of energy and hence costs money.
Rather than risk chasing customers off with high prices some self storage facilities are turning to solar energy. Clayton’s Self Storage in New Jersey recently partnered with Dynamic Solar to do just that completing installation on the rooftops of four of Clayton’s facilities recently.
"After being approached by many firms, we were impressed with Dynamic Solar's professionalism and competitive value. Dynamic provided great advice on financial returns, delivered detailed technical information and equipment options, and had expert installation teams complete our projects on budget. We are thrilled with our systems that are offsetting nearly all of our facilities' electricity needs," said Paul Casaccio and Ralph Clayton of Clayton's Self Storage.
The use of solar energy by self storage companies is nothing new. Another company in New Jersey, Access Self Storage, announced their intention to install 4,500 solar panels at their facilities last summer. With the money that they will save through cheaper energy bills and the available tax credits they think that the panels will pay for themselves within the next couple years.
“By installing solar panels we’re making a financial commitment that’s good for the environment and makes fiscal sense,” explained Access president James Greco. “These systems will help with the fight against global warming and reduce our dependency on foreign oil.”
Early in 2010 there was another pair of facilities that announced the installation of solar panels, Thornwood Self Storage of Thornwood, New York, and English Creek Self Storage of Egg Harbor, New Jersey.
"When you can do something that makes economic sense and support the environment, that's always good," English Creek's owner, Nick Droboniku said.
Sources Used:
“Dynamic Solar Announces 1.1 Megawatt Solar Installations.” PRNewswire; 15 February 2011.
“Self Storage Facilities Add to Growing Green Trend with Rooftop Solar Panels.” Self Storage Industry News; 26 April 2010.
“New Jersey Self Storage Facility Goes Green with Solar Energy” Self Storage Industry News; 17 June 2010.