Wilmington Franchise Owner Reduces Energy Use and Cuts Costs with RMLD Solar Rebate

Adam Quinn is an RMLD customer, second generation Dunkin’ franchisee, and owner of a small shopping center in Wilmington where his Dunkin is located. When the opportunity to purchase the Dunkin’ building arose, Quinn made the decision to buy the building with the hopes of being able to pass it on to his sons one day. After the purchase, Quinn began to explore installing solar panels on the building. He found that adding solar could be a great investment that would add value to the property, lower his energy bills, and reduce the carbon footprint of his business operations. In Quinn’s words, the ‘cherry on top’ was learning that RMLD offered a solar installation rebate that could be combined with available federal incentives. Quinn was able to take advantage of the RMLD solar rebate to reduce the cost of installing solar at his business. The RMLD solar rebate offers up to $60,000* in incentives for qualifying commercial or industrial solar installations.

Before laying out a blueprint, he needed to run the numbers to see if this would be a viable project. He asked fellow franchisees who had installed solar panels on their businesses for contractor recommendations and requested quotes on the project. Once he narrowed down his options, he consulted an accountant to calculate the potential payback period. Quinn selected ReVision Energy for his solar project, which included 68 kW of panels installed on the roof of his shopping center. He was able to work with the RMLD energy programs team to seamlessly apply his rebate and take advantage of the installation savings. After just two months of panel energy, Quinn was able to cut his energy bills by 35 percent. 

Quinn’s project also qualified for the federal Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). This credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the income taxes that a company would otherwise pay the federal government. The ITC is based on the amount of investment in solar property ^{[1] [2]}. 

Quinn also leveraged a 5-year Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) for solar projects ^[3]. MACRS will allow Quinn to recover the capitalized cost of certain assets over time. He also secured a business loan for the project, with tax-deductible interest. With energy savings, incentives, and credits, Quinn could have a return on his solar investment within seven years. 

After seeing what a good investment this solar project was, Quinn decided to pursue a 49kW solar installation, at his Habit Burger restaurant in Wilmington. The construction process was relatively seamless with almost no interruptions to the daily operations of his business. The largest inconvenience was having to turn off the power a couple of short times, but he was able to preschedule these interruptions. Quinn found the RMLD rebate process easy to navigate, and the RMLD energy programs team to be responsive and helpful. With the ease and potential of his first project, Quinn was eager to pursue this second opportunity. 

Overall, Quinn is very happy with his decision to install solar at his businesses. What made the decision simple for him was the ability of the project to fulfill his financial needs as a business owner while also contributing to the production of clean energy.

"Working with RMLD on my solar rebate was smooth and seamless. It really made the difference in being able to move forward with project. The cost savings were key ... but the support from the energy programs team through the process was what really sold me."

- Adam Quinn, RMLD Commercial Customer