Thoughts on Solar

As we noted last week, solar giant, SunPower has filed for bankruptcy, the victim of high interest rates and the overall solar industry slowdown caused in part by the idiocy that is NEM 3.0.

So where should potential SunPower clients go, now that SunPower is no longer around?  Obviously, one option would be to go with another large solar company, but be sure to check out their reviews - some of these outfits have lousy customer service (we know because we keep getting calls from disgruntled customers trying to get someone from one of those companies in particular to return their calls) and high cancellation rates, which is an indicator of some very high pressure sales tactics.  Ugh.

But allow me to make the case for the opposite end of the scale: the small, local, “long-tail” solar companies, like Run on Sun. Let’s look at some Pros and Cons. 

First the Pros:

• Because we are local, our reputation in the community is everything. If we fail to deliver, it becomes widely reported and then we are done!
• To maintain that reputation, we need to provide outstanding customer service - we return phone calls, we respond to emails, we keep you up to date.
• Since we aren’t dealing with a giant backlog of projects, we can take the time to do your job right, with excellent attention to details.

That all sounds great, but there must be Cons as well, right?  And the answer is yes, but really  just one!

Cons:

• Price - a small company with limited purchasing volume cannot compete on price, unless they are giving a “low ball quote” - which sadly happens.

An analogy that I like to make is the difference between a Mom and Pop hardware store and Home Depot.  HD will have everything you need for cheap(ish), if you can find it, and good luck finding someone who can actually answer your questions.  The M&P store will have fewer items and will probably be more expensive, but the people running the store know their inventory like the back of their hand, and can answer whatever question you can throw their way.  Plus, their is the feel good aspect of supporting local businesses!

So - for the sake of argument - let’s assume that I have convinced you to at least check out a local company or two.  How do you pick the right one?  Here’s some pointers:

• How long have they been in business?  Longer established business have had to manage the ups and downs of the “solar coaster” and still survive.
• Check out their reviews!  Be wary of copycat reviews - actual reviews should reveal the personality of the reviewer.
• Are they NABCEP certified?  That is the gold standard in the industry.  Hard to get, costly to maintain (recertification every three years and educational credits required), but a real plus for a potential client.
• Are they certified by the equipment manufacturers they use?  Both REC (solar panels) and Enphase have a path for getting certified.

Run on Sun stacks up well in all of those indicators.  We have been in business continuously since 2006 - we turn 18 next month! We have 32 Google reviews with a 4.9 out of 5 ranking. Our founder and CEO, Jim Jenal, has been NABCEP certified since 2010, and Run on Sun is a certified installer for both REC and Enphase!

If you were talking to SunPower, give us a call, we would love to help you out!