5 ways SolarEdge monitoring can make you more money

1. Referrals. Do you know what is the top cost reduction target for many installers in the U.S.?  It’s not modules, and it’s not inverters.  It’s customer acquisition. Many top installers estimate that customer acquisition represents between $0.40 to $0.90/Wdc[1]^,[2]. That’s as much as the modules! One of the best ways to lower this hidden expense is by using referrals. But how do homeowners talk about their PV and refer your business? Simple, put the PV in the palm of customers’ hands. With SolarEdge, you give homeowners visibility into their systems’ performance and energize their desire to share. When sharing on Facebook and Twitter, homeowners can tell all of their contacts about their systems.  Then when those contacts ask “Who did your installation?” you can let the referrals flow in!

2.  Service (AKA: Referrals part 2). Now that your referrals are in the palm of customers’ hands, let’s make sure they are advocates and not critics. With online review sites like Yelp, SolarReviews.com, and SolarPanelTalk.com, the word is getting out. Are you a 5-star or 3-star performer? According to Act-On, a leader in market research, in a recent study, about four of every five buyers start the process with a web search. Making sure that you stand out as one of the top-tier installers will be critical to closing future business.

Here is a good example of a review:

Generate more business and increase fans of solar PV by providing outstanding service. By setting up automatic alerts, you will know if something goes wrong with an installation before the homeowner does. Why not WOW them with outstanding service by showing up to fix an issue they didn’t even know that they had?!

3. Service fees. Are you paying money for monitoring equipment or subscription fees? SolarEdge offers free monitoring for 25 years. SolarEdge inverters come from the factory with Ethernet connectivity enabling a simple cable connection to the monitoring portal. A cellular connection is an option as well for an additional charge. Either way, SolarEdge offers a subscription-free way to monitor systems or your fleet’s performance down to the module level.

4. RMA savings. How do you process module renewable meter adapters (RMAs)? Flashing PV modules (solar flash tests, or sun simulator tests, measure the output performance of a solar PV module) is costly and time consuming. With SolarEdge monitoring, you have a consistent source of module information to help you quickly process RMAs.

5.  Gifts: If these four points aren’t enough, SolarEdge maintains an Alliance program. Think of this as a frequent flier program for monitoring. Collect 15 points for every kW that you install of SolarEdge and register on the SolarEdge cloud-based monitoring platform. You can redeem your accumulated points for a number of attractive gifts. If you want to know more about the program, email us at alliance@solaredge.com.

This article was originally published by Michael Rogerson, marketing director NA, on solaredge.us. 

Solar Power World