Anatomy of a Solar Ad...

Anatomy of a Solar Ad…

I was scrolling through social media and came across a post in a solar leads group by someone who is actually trying to get solar customers with their post. (Kind of funny- posting in a group that is about lead generation for solar companies trying to get someone to buy solar, no?)

Love the hustle, but when they’re trying too hard and tell lies and half-truths…

Let’s get into it. The post in all of it’s glory:

“Hi all! I just wanted to introduce myself and share what I do for work. It might just benefit you! My name is XXXX and I’ve been working in Solar since January 2023. I’ve learned so much about this wonderful product. Some you are probably think “Oh no another Solar sales person.” I totally understand. The Solar Industry is so big now with many people knocking at homeowners doors, selling them a promise that they can’t keep. I know for a fact our company keeps their promises and we have so many benefits for your home. If you take the time to really read this. You will understand why our company is so awesome.  You will be saving a BUNCH of money on your electric bill. We all know NV Energy is charging an arm and a leg for rent at certain times of the month. Going Solar completely gets rid of your electric bill and it’s the same payment each month. On top of that the government will give you 6-12k back on a tax incentive depending on your home. You’ve probably heard this before but I’ve got something even better to share. If you are someone who needs your landscaping,roof,ac,and any item in your house that you’d like to replace such as TVs and Fridges ext. You can tie that all in with Solar and THERE IS NO DOWNPAYMENT. We do 7-10 day installs and we are a 5 star review company. You guys seriously need to get on this because you will save a TON of money. Trust me I bet you’re tired of people knocking at your door aswell. I will buy you a no soliciting sign of your choice when you buy Solar through me   (I’m being serious though) Think about all these benefits I had mentioned, this really is the time to get it because your electric bill is only going to go up. If you have read this all the way through… thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to even read this. Please message me if you’re interested in this  “

And a follow on post:

“Think about it, you’ll be paying NV energy the entire time and you don’t own NV energy when you pay into it. Depending on how much your electricity bill is, you will probably be paying the same price for solar panels in the end. Why do that when you can add on other projects for your home through solar while getting money from the government? NV Energy’s bills are only raising in price. You could be paying a monthly electric bill that’s that stays the same each month. We offer a great service for home owners that want to save money fixing up their home and also save a ton of money on their electric bill. ”

There is a lot to unpack in this one, I am not sure where to start but I think for brevity I will just skip to the important concepts to watch out for as a consumer…

1. Going solar may completely replace your electric bill, then again, it may not. There are too many variables such as available space for panels, access to direct sunlight (shading), average usage of electricity, local utility policies regarding net metering, and more.
2. Tax benefits are not guaranteed. Making a blanket statement that the government will give 6-12K back (and then trying to modify it with the ‘depending on the home’ line) is naive at best and downright deceptive at worst.
3. Every sales crew and company in existence since the dawn of time claims they keep all their promises and are better than all the others who don’t. The more a company has to say they are ‘honest’ the less believable it becomes…
4. 7-10 day installs. I’d love to see it. Not sure about Nevada where they are but getting TEP approvals and Country Permits lined up first and then inspections and reviews done at the end adds time/delay to the process here in Tucson. (Delay, I might add, that is designed to keep homeowners protected from shoddy work- this isn’t a ‘want it so bad you get it bad’ kind of product…)
5. “Adding landscaping, roof, ac, and any item in your house you’d like to replace such as TVs and Fridges ext.”  Ok, a couple of things here.

A. Financing- if they can get all those items wrapped into financing, great. Just beware normal financial concepts surrounding those types of loans.
B. Tax incentives- Be VERY careful here. Some bad actors will try to convince you to wrap all those other costs into the cost of the solar power system and try to claim your tax incentive will be bigger. (Adding the roofing or cutting down a tree to support shade free panel install types of costs might be eligible for a tax credit. Separate tax incentives exist for energy efficient appliances. I’m pretty skeptical that TVs are though…)

6. Doubling down in the second post about adding on other projects and getting money from the government screams ‘shady’ to me, how about you?

Lol, since this was in a solar lead gen group, there were some solar pro’s who chimed in, one of which made me giggle:

“We tie in peoples extra projects but y’all savage for tying in tv’s and stuff.”

Like I said earlier- Love the hustle.
(But I sure do hate the bah-loh-ney!)

The truths as I see it Rooftop Solar:

- can be viable, it depends.
- can reduce electric bills, it depends.
- tax incentives are available, there’s rules.
- might be combined with other repairs (like roofing), it depends.
- might make financial sense, again- it depends.
- might represent an upgrade to the home, lol- it depends.

At the end of the day, a homeowner needs to make their own decisions about rooftop solar power systems and if it is right for them and their home. There are too many variables to be able to say anything other than:

It makes sense to look into it. (Note- that doesn’t mean it makes sense to get it…)

If you are looking into rooftop solar for your home, click here to be notified when I release Tucson Solar Insider Desk Guide for Buying Solar.

Be Good!
Curtis