4 Must-Try Strategies Residential Installers Can Use To Find New Solar Customers

Many people are installing solar panels on their roofs. Even though many people have done this, the solar boom is just getting started. This is because new goals have been set to help reduce carbon emissions. These new goals will help support even more people installing residential solar panels in the United States.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in Q3 2021, there was an average of one solar installation on every 600 households in the United States. However, this number is expected to grow as the country looks to meet aggressive decarbonization goals. Analysts predict that there will be 12% growth in the residential solar market during 2022.

Even though the forecast predicts that residential solar will do well, installers should not wait for customers to come to them. Unfortunately, lead lists, referrals and inbound marketing often take too long to work and they might not have the most updated information.

Installers can use these four strategies to find new customers for solar panels.

#1. Harness Data

You can use data from local property apps to get information about people who might be interested in buying solar panels. These apps can tell you things like how much income people make, how much they own in their house, what kind of roof they have, and how much sunlight their house gets. With this information, solar panel installers can focus on people who are most likely to want solar panels installed on their roofs.

Similar to using owned content collateral to market the installation company, you can also gather useful customer data through blogs and social media posts. This involves tracking how many visitors you get and where they are from. You can also use this data to update your customer persona profiles.

#2. Update customer persona profiles

Meanwhile, the way homeowners think about and understand rooftop solar is changing. Installers need to update their pitches so they are tailored to specific groups of people. Not all solar customers are the same, and different people have different reasons for wanting to go solar. It is important to understand individual customer motivations instead of using a one-size-fits-all pitch.

Some examples of customer persona profiles include:

1. People who want to be energy independent: These people might want to add solar panels and storage, or even set up an electric car charger.
2. Money-smart homeowner looking to save money on energy bills: This customer doesn't care about the environment or energy independence, but is interested in saving money.
3. People who care about climate change think about ways to reduce their carbon footprint. They might not worry as much about the cost of things.

The demographics of people who are buying solar panels is changing. The first people to buy solar panels were from upper-middle class and upper class families, but a new study found that the difference in income levels between those groups is shrinking.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that although people with higher incomes are more likely to adopt solar panels, this trend is gradually changing. Now, many low-to-moderate income households are adopting solar panels. This could provide new opportunities for solar panel installers who have traditionally focused on wealthier neighborhoods.

#3. Get involved in local homeowner communities

Many homeowners associations (HOAs) have rules that stop people from installing solar panels on their roofs. Texas recently passed a law that says HOAs can't have these rules. This means that there are lots of potential customers for solar power in Texas and other states like it.

Many communities and Home Owners Associations have their own websites or newsletters. Find out how you can get your company listed on these, and use them as a way to introduce yourself to the community.

In addition, consider sponsoring community-wide events, such as block parties, festivals or picnics. These are great ways to get your company's name out there, meet local residents, and give back to the community all at the same time!

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