Day 92 - Solar Sunrise

Working with contractors over the years of home improvement projects, you start to get a feel about what is authentic and what is nothing more than a sales pitch. Our first solar company “visit” felt a little like the latter. Companies have their slogans, their catchphrases, and their techniques to try and reel in a customer. Yet, you sometimes can look past the shtick and really connect with the company to see if a working relationship was a possibility and benefited both sides of the transaction. Sometimes, you feel  the pressure to purchase and a lack of inauthenticity from the get go. While this salesman did his best to build rapport and his presentation was informative, a few red flags flew high. First off, the initial presentation was a virtual one. With technology so easily accessible, I understand why businesses choose to go the virtual route. However, when the transaction is at this higher expense and the project deals specifically with utilizing the outdoors, a virtual “meeting” just doesn't cut it. Secondly, when we asked about having someone come see our site in person, the salesman mentioned that this was definitely a possibility, but only after a contract was signed and a downpayment was received. This left a sour taste in our mouths and turned us off to working with this company, despite an impressive slideshow presentation.

That being said, the meeting wasn't a complete waste of our time. The salesman was able to view our property using online maps. He used that information to give us details and a timeline for an initial plan along with a quote. His plan was adamant we should put the panels on the house rather than the barn. He felt that despite the trees around the house, the value of limited direct sunlight outweighed the value of constant indirect sunlight. Though we knew it would be very unlikely we would move forward with this company, the education we received was important. We now had a better understanding of how solar systems work, a quote we could use to compare with others, and most importantly, a more solid understanding that solidified our desire to add solar to the farm.