Thoughts on Solar

I like to think there are many ways in which Run on Sun stands out in the ever growing sea of solar contractors. But there is one particular feature which every client seems to comment on - our non-sales approach. I can’t count the number of times I have sat down at a kitchen table to discuss how solar works and whether it makes sense for that home, to hear remarks on how different the experience is compared to other solar pitches they’ve heard. The thing is, when someone from Run on Sun comes to your home to do a solar assessment, that person is not a sales person. We don’t have outside sales agents and we definitely don’t employ any “hard sell” tactics. As a small company, every employee is a solar professional who has taken the time to educate themselves on the intricacies of the industry. And perhaps more importantly, every Run on Sun employee truly takes pride in helping people go solar, for the right reasons.

Explaining more than selling

Some people might argue over what exactly are “the right reasons". The bottom line is this: we believe solar is an amazing solution to many problems the world faces today. From reducing the carbon emissions and water use over traditional power sources, and increasing the number of jobs with a living wage that cannot be outsourced, to providing property owners with huge savings over time — going solar is a great thing to do. But we can only accomplish growing this great solution if we do it ethically. The solar industry will only suffer by putting solar on spaces that aren’t good candidates and cause financial strain or debt for clients that would have been better off without solar.

In fact, our goal when we walk into a solar assessment is not to get a contract signed. Rather, the goal is to assess the solar potential accurately and make sure the client feels they have any and all questions answered about the process of going solar. And for clients who turn out to be great solar candidates, obviously we aim to help them save money, achieve some energy independence, increase the value of their property, and enjoy the peace of mind that using green energy provides! 

During an assessment we work with clients to determine what the best solar system would be to meet their real energy needs as well as what would be their best possible investment. Then we take the time to explain exactly how we made the determinations that we did. Sometimes, as some of our Yelp! Reviewers have shared, that assessment leads to the unfortunate conclusion that solar is a poor investment for the client and we make sure to explain why. Perhaps external factors make the upfront cost too high such as re-roofing or electrical panel upgrades, or maybe the shade of that lovely oak tree would make any solar output too limited. Maybe your usage needs are just too low to justify all of the fixed costs to install. In these cases, the sad reality is that there are solar companies who would gladly install a system anyways and lock you into a contract which could cost you incredible amounts of money with little to no return. 

As consumers ourselves, we’d rather make our own educated decisions especially regarding large purchases and investments. Being pressured into something is seriously a turn off. If you are influenced more by hard sales tactics, we likely won’t be the ones putting solar on your roof as there are plenty of other companies who have motivated salesmen knocking on your door. But at least we can go home feeling good about the work we do every day.

So if you’re interested in going solar but the thought of dealing with salesmen is revolting, never fear! Run on Sun would be happy to walk you through the process today.