To compete in the fast-paced solar energy industry, high-performance tools, systems, and technology can help your business create accurate solar and storage proposals that stand out from the crowd, and offer the most value for your customers.
This was the topic of our recent webinar, The Blueprint for Success: Designing High-Performance Solar + Storage Systems.
While the name is a bit long, the content is tight. Below, we’ll show off 3 simple steps to design and sell optimal solar and storage systems for your customers with future-proof, time-saving strategies and tools. After you’re done reading, check out the whole webinar on-demand for even more insights.
Know solar storage trends
As a solar expert presenting homeowners with buying options, staying ahead of industry trends is important to establish trust and provide context on why storage is becoming increasingly popular. By being at the forefront of industry developments, your continuous education and enthusiasm for solar storage can help inform and excite your leads about the value of a battery backup system.
For example, homeowners may be intrigued to know that the amount of storage installed on the US grid effectively doubled in 2023 and that the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) estimates that 30% of home solar systems will include batteries by the year 2027.
This rapid growth in storage adoption is driven by many factors, including:
- Increased cost-effectiveness: Battery storage prices have dropped 85% in the last 10 years. Alongside continuous advancements in efficiency, lifespan, and performance, solar storage systems are now more cost-effective than ever before.
- Growing interest in backup power: From extreme weather events and grid blackout concerns to increased electricity rates and net metering policy adjustments, more and more homeowners are becoming interested in backup batteries to achieve a variety of benefits.
- Federal and local tax credits: The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act extended the federal tax credit for solar battery storage purchases through 2035. Some utilities and municipalities also offer incentives for home batteries, and staying up to date with opportunities in your service area can help differentiate your business.
Showcase the diverse value of solar + storage
Companies selling solar storage must be able to seamlessly incorporate batteries into customer designs and contracts with attention to detail at every step. To quickly and accurately express the benefits of solar batteries in custom proposals, Sales Mode lets you calculate precise project metrics in seconds that showcase exactly how battery integration can help meet a homeowner’s specific energy goals.
Back up power & peace of mind
As a society, a stable energy supply ensures health, wealth, and security, while outages can compromise this at home. Although gas generators remain a traditional solution for residential backup power, it’s important to show customers that battery storage can provide an easy alternative with less noise, fewer onsite emissions, and seamless integration with home solar panels.
To help choose the right battery for your customers’ peace of mind, you can create a home consumption profile in Aurora, choose your storage set-up, and instantly calculate the number of hours or days a system will power essentials and appliances without grid electricity.
Expanded energy controls & financial opportunities
When selling solar storage, it’s your role to help homeowners understand all of a battery system’s potential benefits. Whether your customers’ goals are environmental or financial, strategic battery charging and discharging can optimize the performance and value of a home solar and storage system.
For instance, you can mention to customers that charging batteries with excess solar during the day can enable more self-consumption at night when powering home appliances, EV chargers, and other systems with battery energy in place of utility power.
With many states updating and reconsidering the value of the solar customers export to the grid within evolving local net metering policies, solar storage is also becoming more attractive to homeowners — and at times more profitable — than panels alone. Especially in service areas with time-of-use billing, Aurora makes it easy to display exactly how self-consumption or strategic energy sharing can reduce utility spending and increase system ROI.
Customize to meet homeowner goals
Finally, whether your next customer is looking for a full-home energy system, a small bit of backup power, or something in between, finding the perfect battery solution is crucial in helping homeowners meet their energy goals.
To demonstrate exactly how various battery options will affect your customers’ systems’ day-to-day operation, financial metrics, and lifetime carbon offset, Aurora software makes it easy to create fast and accurate custom solar and storage proposals. Check out the tour below to see how Aurora can help you sell more storage.
Powered by robust design software, our detailed library of batteries, and built-in tools for sizing, pricing, and performance, Aurora software is designed for a seamless journey from lead to close, with all project customizations automatically adjusted in system prices, performance projections, and details throughout your proposal.
Even further, our experts are here for you after the sale, with stamped and permit-ready solar and storage plan sets for efficient project fulfillment.
Bottom line
Creating fast and accurate custom solar and storage systems is critical to competing in today’s evolving residential market. By coming prepared with the latest technology, staying ahead of industry trends, and showcasing the many benefits batteries can deliver in your proposal, you can position yourself as an expert with the perfect solution to meet your customers’ energy goals every time.
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