Page 24 - North American Clean Energy March April 2016

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solar energy
Accelerating Customer Acquisition
Helping installers spend less time on the
phone and more time on the roof
Across the United States, the solar energy market is expected to grow by as much as 60 percent in 2016, with a healthy portion of that coming from residential installations. And, according to GTM research, the nation’s share of expected global PV demand between 2015 and 2020 has increased from an average of 10 percent to 15 percent with the recent extension of the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC).
While current policy initiatives and technological advancements in the solar supply chain are working in tandem to ramp up residential solar installations worldwide, there is still work to be done in order to reach peak adoption.
For some, it’s the lingering myth that only the wealthy and the environmental diehards are going solar. However, studies show on average, solar PV systems return two to four times their cost in saved electricity bills, and installations typically pay for themselves entirely within just seven to 15 years. If a homeowner lives in a state with solid incentives, such as California, this payback period can be as short as two to four years.
But what about those homeowners who want to go solar, and just aren’t sure where to begin? Add to that an ever-expanding array of options and stress of cold calls from solar companies, it’s easy to give up on the idea entirely. For this group, the solar adoption process feels a little too much like walking onto a car lot. ey might be more interested in information gathering and test drives than committing to a same-day purchase, but they’re immediately surrounded by pushy salespeople practically screaming, “Buy, buy, buy!” before they’ve had a chance to really research their options.
Today, smart online platforms are bridging the divide between homeowner and installer by empowering the customer from day one. ese dynamic tools o er homeowners the opportunity to vet their options for adopting solar from the comfort of their couches, the e-commerce experience many consumers have come to expect. Homeowners can quickly input monthly electricity use and billing information to calculate the economic bene ts of
Something very new under the sun.
by Kathir Kuppan
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24 MARCH/APRIL 2016 nacleanenergy.com