How Mpower Solar Cut Change Orders by 80% and Doubled Site Survey Capacity

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Overview


Mpower Solar is a family-owned solar installation company based in Brooklyn, serving homeowners throughout New York City. With a focus on flat-roof and tilted-roof solutions, Mpower Solar specializes in designing systems that maximize energy generation in dense urban environments. Their team is known for its commitment to customer service, offering personalized support, flexible financing options, and a 25-year warranty. In a region where building codes are complex and fire setback requirements are strict, Mpower Solar’s mission is to reduce carbon footprints while delivering accurate, reliable solar installations that save homeowners money.

  • 80%

    Fewer change orders. Reduced change orders from 50% to under 10%.

  • 3X

    Polished proposals can be made in under 10 minutes, compared to 30+ minutes with previous tool.

  • 4X

    Faster site surveys. Site surveys took 2 hours before and now only take 30 – 60 min.

  • 45

    Minutes saved per project in pre-sales design phase by streamlining proposals and a CRM integration.


The Challenge: Complex Projects, Manual Work, and Delayed Turnarounds

Operating in New York City presents a unique set of challenges, from dense urban landscapes and flat rooftops to complex fire codes and design approval requirements. For Mpower Solar, accuracy and efficiency weren’t just nice to have – they were essential.

Before switching to Aurora Solar, Mpower Solar relied on a limited tool that couldn’t support 3D modeling or showcase complex tilt-mounted or canopy systems, which is common in NYC’s flat-roof architecture. This made it difficult to clearly communicate system designs to customers, often leading to confusion, misalignment, and slower sales cycles.

Mpower Solar also struggled with inefficient workflows. Designers were forced to move between tools for proposals and site assessments, which added 20+ minutes per project and led to high error rates due to manual data entry. Their team often cloned projects and manually re-entered homeowner information into their CRM, HubSpot – a process that introduced human error into nearly half of all projects.

Change orders were frequent and affected nearly 50% of all projects. In fact, it required a dedicated team (splitting up the design team) just to manage revisions. Site assessments, meanwhile, took up to two hours each and limited the team to just three per day. Repeat visits due to missing measurements added $150 per re-survey and delayed installations.

Key challenges included:

  • Limited Visualization Capabilities: Their previous tool couldn’t model or display tilt and canopy systems in 3D, making it hard for customers to visualize their installations.
  • Inefficient Workflows and Manual Errors: Switching between tools introduced delays and increased the risk of data entry errors – estimated at 50%.
  • Frequent Change Orders: Without accurate imagery or roof data, the team faced a 40–50% change order rate.
  • Manual CRM Data Entry: Projects had to be manually synced to HubSpot, increasing time per project and error risk.
  • Capped Site Survey Capacity: Lengthy surveys limited capacity to 3 visits/day and led to costly rework.

The Solution: A Unified, Efficient Platform

Mpower Solar adopted Aurora Solar across its sales and design workflows, bringing everything under a single, integrated platform. Immediately, Aurora’s 3D modeling capabilities allowed the team to visualize complex canopy and tilt‑mounted systems (common on New York City rooftops) with an accuracy and clarity their previous tool couldn’t match. That visual clarity not only set realistic expectations for homeowners, it also helped speed up decisions.

Those design insights feed directly into the sales process. With Aurora AI, representatives can build polished, accurate proposals in under 10 minutes, compared with more than 30 minutes using their old software, and adjust them on the fly during a live meeting. That responsiveness eliminates the need for follow‑up appointments, transforms the customer experience and helps reps close more deals, faster.

Aurora’s outputs also ease the way for external approvals. Because Mpower Solar’s design documentation is consistently formatted and data‑accurate, submissions to state agencies and local utilities are trusted and processed with fewer questions or revisions, keeping projects on track.

On the operations side, the same level of accuracy delivers major efficiency gains. Precise roof modeling has cut change orders from roughly half of all projects to under 10%, freeing designers from endless revision cycles. With an 80% reduction in change orders, Mpower Solar no longer needs the dedicated revision team that once absorbed much of their capacity, allowing designers to focus on new projects instead of rework. Additionally, site surveys that once took up to two hours now take 30–60 minutes. With reliable remote imagery and measurements, the team can schedule twice as many surveys per day, and costly repeat visits are now rare. Underlying these improvements are the tools and integrations Mpower Solar uses every day: digital rulers and auto‑placed fire pathways that simplify New York City code compliance; high‑resolution EagleView imagery that validates data before anyone visits the roof; and a direct connection between Aurora and HubSpot that automates project creation, turning a 20‑minute manual task into a seamless, error‑free process.

Being able to instantly adjust designs during a customer meeting—without booking another appointment—has helped us close more deals. It’s fast, flexible, and builds confidence on the spot.

Hamilton R.

Mpower Solar


Results and ROI

MetricBefore AuroraAfter AuroraImpact
Proposal Creation~30 min< 10 min3X faster
Change Order Rate50%< 10%80% fewer change orders
Site Surveys2 hours30 – 60 min4x faster, 2x more per day
Manual CRM Data Entry20+ min/project0 minFully automated
Manual Error Rate50%0%Eliminated human error

Why Aurora?

Mpower Solar needed a platform they could trust to support them across every stage of the solar workflow. By combining accurate design capabilities, automated workflows, and integrated project tools, Aurora helped Mpower Solar build a more efficient and scalable operation. Reps can now confidently sell with accurate, fast proposals, while designers can handle complex projects without bottlenecks or rework. Everyone from sales to ops benefits from a reliable system that works consistently.

  • Automates workflows: From AI-driven design to CRM integration, Aurora eliminates manual steps that once slowed the team down.
  • Scales operations: Faster surveys, reduced rework, and higher proposal volume without adding headcount.
  • Empowers through expertise: From sales reps to senior designers, every team member can now create and present accurate, code-compliant designs with confidence.

In a city as demanding as New York, Mpower Solar found a platform that could meet their high bar for accuracy, speed, and customer experience, without compromise.

Before Aurora, we had a team dedicated just to handling change orders. Now our designers have more capacity and can focus on more impactful work. With better imagery and design accuracy, we’ve gone from a 40–50% change order rate to under 10%

Hamilton R.

Mpower Solar


Conclusion

Aurora Solar has become central to Mpower Solar’s operations – streamlining design, accelerating sales, and improving accuracy across the board.

“I’ve used Aurora since the beginning of my career, and I couldn’t imagine doing solar design without it. The speed, the accuracy, and the transparency – there’s just nothing else like it.” – Hamilton R., Senior Designer

Mpower Solar is a clear example of how the right platform and strategy streamlines operations — cutting proposal time in half, reducing site survey costs, and increasing capacity across the board.

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