One of the most common objections we hear from factory owners is:

“We’d love to go solar, but we can’t afford the upfront cost.”

The good news? You don’t need to.

In fact, the smartest way to go solar today doesn’t involve touching your company’s cash reserves at all.

With cash positive asset finance or solar rental, you can unlock instant energy savings without spending a penny upfront – and without adding risk to your balance sheet.

Let’s explore how these two funding options work – and why they’ve made solar more accessible than ever.

Option 1: Cash positive asset Finance – Own the System, Use Someone Else’s Capital

Cash positive asset finance is the go-to strategy for businesses that want to own their solar system without paying for it upfront.

Here’s how it works:

✅ A specialist solar funder pays for your system in full

✅ You make fixed monthly repayments over 5-year

✅ The repayments are less than the energy savings

✅ You remain cash positive from day one

Example…

✅ Electricity Spend: £25,000/month

✅ Solar Saving (70%): £17,500/month

✅ Finance Repayment: ~£13,000/month

✅ Net Cash Flow: +£4,500/month from day one

✅ Post-Finance Ownership: Full £17,500/month saving after 5 years

✅ Total Net Gain (25 years): Over £5 million

Option 2: Solar Rental – Save Without Owning or Financing

Prefer even more flexibility?

Solar rental lets you access energy savings without ownership, debt, or asset depreciation.

With rental:

✅ You pay a fixed monthly rental fee

✅ The provider installs, insures, and maintains the system

✅ You receive a guaranteed discount on your energy

✅ There’s no capital outlay and no finance agreement involved

Example…

✅ Electricity Spend: £25,000/month

✅ Rental Saving (approx. 35%): £8,750/month

✅ Net Cash Flow: +£8,750/month

✅ Zero Risk: No maintenance, no insurance, no liability

✅ 25-Year Savings: Over £2.6 million

This is perfect for businesses who:

✅ Own or long term lease their building

✅ Want off balance sheet solutions

✅ Prefer service based procurement

✅ Don’t want to manage solar assets

Both Are Cash Positive from Day One

Whether you choose asset finance or rental, the model is the same:

✅ No upfront cost

✅ No drain on cash flow

✅ Savings from the first month

✅ Massive long-term benefit

And with energy prices rising year after year, the value of these savings only grows.

Which One’s Right for You?

❓Choose Asset Finance if you want ownership, tax benefits, and the largest long-term savings

❓Choose Rental if you want flexibility, simplicity, minimal involvement, with substantial long-term savings

Either way, you’re no longer blocked by capital constraints.

Final Thought: No Capital? No Problem

If your factory is spending £10k, £25k, £50k or more a month on electricity, you’re sitting on a golden opportunity.

Don’t let capital cost be the reason you delay!

Because today’s finance and rental options make it possible to generate long-term profits from your roof – using someone else’s money immediately.