Most addresses
Georgia Power
- Average home rate (2024)
- 15.49¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder)
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- 11,208
Commercial solar · Savannah, GA
Commercial solar in Savannah, GA
Commercial solar in Savannah is sized to daytime load: a business on Georgia Power at an average 15.5¢ per kWh uses most of its output on site, which is where the value is.
Why the numbers favour business · as of August 2026
Georgia Power credits exported power at about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder) against about 13¢ per kWh rate, so the value sits in consuming your own production. A Savannah business that runs through daylight hours self-consumes most of what it generates, which is exactly what the current RNR Instantaneous Netting structure rewards. That is a structural advantage over a typical home.
Looking for a solar company in Savannah? See solar companies in Savannah: our local team, costs and a free assessment.
Free roof and bill assessment
Takes under a minute. No pressure, and no guaranteed-savings math.
30+ yrscombined team experience
~450combined experienced installs
Lifetimefull-system + roof-penetration warranty
StatewideSC-based crews, callbacks within the hour
Local commercial reality
The commercial picture in Savannah
Savannah commercial work splits into two projects with little in common. Downtown frontages sit under the same historic review as the houses, so roof-mounted equipment visible from the public right of way becomes a Certificate of Appropriateness question before it is an engineering one, and older masonry buildings need a structural assessment before anyone discusses array size. Out toward the port and West Chatham the stock is modern low-slope membrane, where the roof is straightforward and the electrical service is the constraint.
The programme rules differ from residential in a way that matters. Georgia Power’s renewable programme takes commercial projects up to 250 kW AC with an interconnection fee, and larger projects follow a different route entirely. That threshold, rather than roof area, is often what decides the shape of a commercial design here.
Load profile decides the rest. With exports at roughly 7.22 cents against about 13 retail, a building that consumes its own production converts it at nearly double the value of one that exports. So we read interval data rather than assuming a nine-to-five profile: a restaurant peaking at seven in the evening and a warehouse peaking at noon are different economic cases on identical roofs.
Written for Savannah specifically.
How we work
Engineering first for Savannah buildings
We start from interval data and the Georgia Power tariff, then check roof structure and service capacity against coastal wind loading before quoting a size.
How we scope a building
Engineering first, sales second
- 01
Load profile and bill analysis
Your Georgia Power interval data and tariff, read before anything is sized.
- 02
Roof, structure and electrical review
Low-slope membrane, standing-seam metal or ballasted, plus service capacity and switchgear. Coastal. Salt air and hurricane wind loading both apply, so attachment spacing, fastener specification and roof-penetration detailing are more demanding here than inland, and the correct hardware costs more than the catalogue default. This is the same engineering we do in Charleston, and every penetration is backed by our lifetime roof-penetration warranty.
- 03
Permits and interconnection
Building and electrical permits with plan review, structural sign-off, and Georgia Power interconnection.
- 04
Install, commission, monitor
Sequenced around your operations, then Chatham County inspection and monitoring handover.
Commercial systems carry our lifetime full-system and roof-penetration warranty alongside manufacturer coverage, so one contractor stands behind the roof and the array.
Savannah specifics
What commercial work involves here
The constraints that actually shape a Savannah commercial design.
- 01
Coastal wind loading
Coastal. Salt air and hurricane wind loading both apply, so attachment spacing, fastener specification and roof-penetration detailing are more demanding here than inland, and the correct hardware costs more than the catalogue default. This is the same engineering we do in Charleston, and every penetration is backed by our lifetime roof-penetration warranty.
- 02
Interconnection timing
Georgia Power approval precedes energising, and the queue rather than the install usually sets your date.
- 03
Architectural review
Savannah has two different historic review bodies and which one you face depends on your address. The Historic District Board of Review handles the Downtown Historic Overlay District; the Historic Preservation Commission handles the Victorian, Streetcar and Cuyler-Brownville districts. Any exterior change visible from the public right of way, lanes included, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and rooftop solar downtown is genuinely petitioned rather than waved through. A Certificate of Appropriateness is not a building permit, and a project inside the districts needs both.
Tax
Where we stop and your CPA starts
We build and document a Savannah system for your CPA; Georgia commercial tax treatment depends on your entity, so it is theirs to call.
Permits and approvals
What approval takes in Savannah
6 approvals for a Savannah system. We file every one.
- 01A building permit and a separate electrical permit
- 02A Certificate of Appropriateness before the work, where any exterior change is visible from the public right of way inside a historic district. This is separate from, and additional to, the building permit
- 03A pre-application conference with Metropolitan Planning Commission staff where the petition goes to a board rather than to staff review
- 04Permits from the City of Savannah for addresses inside city limits, or from the Chatham County Office of Building Safety and Regulatory Services for unincorporated addresses, which does not accept applications by fax or email
- 05An additional electrical permit where battery storage is included
- 06Interconnection approval from Georgia Power, whose residential renewable programme caps systems at 10 kW AC
Local factors
What shapes commercial solar in Savannah
- 01
Shade around Savannah sites
The squares and the streets around them carry some of the heaviest mature live oak canopy of any city we work in, and it is protected. Out in West Chatham the newer subdivisions are substantially more open, which is a real difference in production between two addresses fifteen minutes apart.
- 02
Who has to approve it
Savannah has two different historic review bodies and which one you face depends on your address. The Historic District Board of Review handles the Downtown Historic Overlay District; the Historic Preservation Commission handles the Victorian, Streetcar and Cuyler-Brownville districts. Any exterior change visible from the public right of way, lanes included, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and rooftop solar downtown is genuinely petitioned rather than waved through. A Certificate of Appropriateness is not a building permit, and a project inside the districts needs both.
- 03
Weather and outages
Long hot summers with cooling load peaking in the same hours the roof produces hardest, and a genuine hurricane exposure. Storm outages here are a real planning input rather than a sales line.
Your utility decides payback
Commercial solar in Savannah: what your utility pays
Georgia Power and Canoochee EMC split Savannah street by street. We read yours off your bill first.
Some addresses
Canoochee EMC
- Average home rate (2024)
- 13.98¢/kWh
- Paid for exported solar
- Set by the co-op; we confirm it per account
- Net-metered home solar, utility-wide
- 194
For comparison: Georgia average 14.08¢ · U.S. average 16.48¢. Georgia had 18,612 net-metered home solar systems at the end of 2024.
Rates: US EIA Form EIA-861, 2024 averages incl. fixed charges, not tariffs. Export terms as of August 2026.
Savannah sun, month by month
Commercial solar in Savannah, month by month
About 14,010 kWh a year from a south-facing roof with no shade. May is the strongest month at about 1,337 kWh and December the weakest at about 903 kWh.
Your roof will differ. The squares and the streets around them carry some of the heaviest mature live oak canopy of any city we work in, and it is protected.
Estimate: NASA POWER sun data for Savannah, PVWatts model, south-facing, no shade.
Our work
Real systems our crews have installed
Our own job photos, not stock or renders. Coastal.
Off-GridOff-grid lake cabinGround-tilt metal roof array
ResidentialFull black-on-blackPoolside single-story home
CommercialCommercial rooftopTilt-mounted rooftop system
ResidentialStanding-seam metal roofLakeside multi-facet install
ResidentialDetached garage arrayFarmhouse-style home
ResidentialShingle rooftop arrayBackyard-facing slope
Photo locations are not published.
Free assessment · Savannah, GA
Get a straight answer for your Savannah roof
We read your bill, confirm your Georgia Power export terms, and tell you what your roof in Chatham County will actually carry, and say so if it will not pay.
- Most addresses here are on Georgia Power, but Canoochee EMC serves parts of Chatham County outside the city. We confirm yours from your bill before we quote anything
- A building permit and a separate electrical permit: we pull it and manage the inspections
- Savannah has two different historic review bodies and which one you face depends on your address.
Prefer to talk? (843) 310-1128
Savannah commercial solar FAQ
Questions from Savannah business owners
Does commercial solar make more sense than residential in Savannah?
Often yes, for a structural reason. Georgia Power credits exported power at about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder) against about 13¢ per kWh, so the value is in consuming your own production. A business that operates through daylight hours self-consumes most of what it generates, which is precisely what the current RNR Instantaneous Netting structure rewards.
What permits does a commercial system need in Chatham County?
A building permit and an electrical permit, with standard plan review for systems of roughly 10 kW and above, which covers essentially all commercial work. Coastal. Salt air and hurricane wind loading both apply, so attachment spacing, fastener specification and roof-penetration detailing are more demanding here than inland, and the correct hardware costs more than the catalogue default. This is the same engineering we do in Charleston, and every penetration is backed by our lifetime roof-penetration warranty. Georgia Power interconnection approval is required before energising.
How big is a typical commercial solar system in Savannah?
It is sized to the building's daytime load rather than to the roof. Each kW here makes about 1,475 kWh a year unshaded, so a 50 kW array makes roughly 73,700 kWh. Georgia Power households paid about 15.5¢ per kWh on average in 2024.
Does commercial solar in Savannah need its own permits?
Yes. A building permit and a separate electrical permit; A Certificate of Appropriateness before the work, where any exterior change is visible from the public right of way inside a historic district. This is separate from, and additional to, the building permit. We pull all of it through Chatham County.
What does commercial solar in Savannah pay on Georgia Power?
Georgia Power households paid about 15.5¢ per kWh on average in 2024. A 100 kW array in Savannah makes roughly 147,000 kWh a year; the share used on site is worth the retail rate, exports earn about 7.22¢ per kWh (a 3.2188¢ avoided-cost rate plus a 4¢ adder).
Nearby
Commercial solar near Savannah
Free, no-pressure assessment
Find out what your Savannah building can carry
We will read your interval data and tariff, review your roof structure and service capacity, and give you an honest scope, with no guaranteed-savings math.
Mon–Sat, 10am–6:30pm ET · We typically follow up within the hour.