CASE STUDY · COMMERCIAL SOLAR INSTALLER · 4 MIN READ
Green Home Co: Turning Up Prepared to Commercial Solar Surveys, and Sizing Them Honestly
- Green Home Co has been going
- 5 years
- Green Home Co has been going
- working with our team at interview
- About 3 months
- working with our team at interview
- the system sizes, roughly
- 30 to 50kW
- the system sizes, roughly
In short
Andrew is one of the directors of Green Home Co, which has been going for about five years and started as electricians before moving into renewables. He sells and installs, and the business is building up to commercial work. About three months in, his systems were mostly 30 to 50 kilowatts. He told us what used to go wrong at visits, how he prepares now, and two jobs where he advised the customer to have less than they first thought.
From electricians to commercial solar
Andrew is "one of the directors of the Green Home Co", and also "a salesman installer. So I do everything." The business has been going for about five years. It "Used to be just normal electricians" before moving into renewables, and Andrew has been "enjoying the journey building ourselves up to the commercial sector now."
What went wrong at visits before
For Andrew, the hardest part of the job is "actually setting up a meeting, getting someone who's actually looking for solar". Before, he had turned up to visits with "not having any interest whatsoever", and some where the customer did not even know he was coming.
Now the customers are expecting him, and expecting someone who knows the subject. In his words, it feels as though "the customers are being vetted for actually proper installers to go there".
you can tell as soon as you get there that these people are interested.
How he prepares for a survey
Andrew goes in with leaflets about the business and a rough proposal already drawn up from the lead's details:
I've been going in with rough proposals, they can already see that you knew what you're talking about and well prepared
The rest, he says, is walking in confident, explaining who he is, and having the answers to their questions to hand. A rough design before the visit is quicker with the right tools: our solar design software guide compares the options, and the commercial solar survey checklist covers what to confirm on the day.
Two jobs where he advised less
- 1
The roof that was not all theirs
One site looked like about 30 kilowatts. Talking it through, the customer said not all of that roof space was his. Andrew emailed him the next day showing his actual roof space, and the system came out at about 15 kilowatts: "he was really happy and. Because I'm not trying to push something on him that isn't not useful to him."
- 2
The battery they would not use
On another, the business was there most of the day with not much load in the evening, and the roof could supply the whole unit. Andrew did not push storage: "rather than me trying to push 30 kilowatt hours worth of battery storage on them, things like that. They're never gonna use".
His view: "People like to be honest". Our guide to how to sell commercial solar covers taking a business from survey to proposal.
The call after each survey
After each visit the team rings Andrew to ask how it went, and whether the roof matched the information from the qualification call. He picked that out as a difference from other companies: "that callback, but how did it go?"
Asked if the performance-based approach would scale for a business like his: "Yeah, definitely." You only pay for appointments that are actually attended, and any that aren't viable we replace. Would he recommend us? "I definitely to other companies. Not in my area though, because you might give them my job".
The full interview is in the video above. TNW Marketing's own write-up of Andrew's interview is on tnwmarketing.com. More installers talk about their leads in our case studies and on the reviews page.
Green Home Co case study: FAQ
Who is Green Home Co?
A business that has been going for about five years. Its directors were electricians before moving into renewables, and it is building up to commercial solar. Andrew is one of the directors and also sells and installs.
What size systems did Green Home Co quote?
Roughly 30 to 50 kilowatts, in Andrew's words. One came out at about 15 kilowatts once he found that not all of the roof space was the customer's.
How does Andrew prepare for a commercial solar survey?
He goes in with leaflets about the business and a rough proposal, walks in confident and explains who he is, so the customer can see he knows what he is talking about.
Would Green Home Co recommend the team behind Solar Surveys UK?
Yes, to other companies, though, as Andrew joked, "Not in my area though, because you might give them my job".
Related guides
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- Become a solar installer
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- All case studies
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