Navigating the solar Wild West

Stewart Lanier walks through his garden, phone in hand, looking at his solar energy monitoring app, Enphase. It’s another 85° day in Worcester, which means his central air conditioning will be running all day. Still, Stewart can rest easy knowing his newly installed solar panels will cover 75% of the electricity cost.

Stewart’s solar journey started in 2021 when he signed up for a community solar project. Not satisfied with the program, he knew he wanted a solar energy solution that offered better savings. 

“Solar farms can be confusing in understanding how it’s actually working for you,” he explained. “You’re paying for when you’re producing electricity and not when you’re using it.” 

At the time, a tree was (literally) blocking his chances of switching to solar. But fast forward to the spring of 2024; the same tree had become a potential hazard, and was finally being removed. 

“There was a very tall tree next to our house, which prevented us from qualifying for solar panels at the time,” he said. “But when we decided it was time to take the tree down to prevent it from falling into our neighbor's property–we qualified!”

With all potential obstructions out of the way, Stewart was finally able to resume his mission to go solar.

“I was inspired to switch to solar because of environmental concerns,” Stewart explained. “I was watching its economics in recent years and even in recent months, and it was starting to make sense. It just looked like it was becoming more affordable to go solar.”

Deciding to invest in solar was the easy part. Finding a reliable installer was tricky: 

“The solar panel industry seems a bit like the Wild West,” Stewart said. “In a neighborhood like this, we probably had five different people come and knock on our door over two years. And because I was starting to get interested, I got a proposal for one of them, and it was clear that these folks were really good with sales. I wasn't confident that they would be good at delivering.”

Instead, Stewart decided to do his own research, and landed on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ website, where he discovered EnergySage. 

“Mass.gov had a link to EnergySage, and when I looked it over, I saw that they weren’t working on commission. It was clear EnergySage wouldn’t be a part of a sales bid,” Stewart said. 

Stewart signed up with EnergySage and connected with Energy Advisor Peter House. Unlike the door-to-door salespeople, EnergySage Energy Advisors don't work for installation companies. Rather, they serve as trusted experts whom consumers can rely on for unbiased information. 

“My energy advisor, Peter House, was really good,” Stewart said. “Once we had five bids inside the portal, I met with him, and he coached me on what to look for. Peter was very neutral. He wasn’t steering me towards anybody. He was really there to help me make my decision.” 

“Stewart was great to work with,” Peter said. “Throughout our meetings, I could tell he was doing his homework and learning as much as he could about how solar could work for him. He asked all the right questions and was thorough. I enjoyed working with Stewart and helping him move forward with the installer that was the best fit for his project.”

Stewart received five quotes from vetted installers on the EnergySage Marketplace platform.

“Another thing I really appreciated was that EnergySage had standard criteria for who could be in the [installer] program and who could submit bids. So I was pretty confident that the folks I was looking at had the basic credibility,” he added. 

Stewart ultimately chose Viridis Energy, one of New England’s top solar companies.

“I was looking at what amount of electricity folks were proposing, and I think some were lowballing to be price competitive,” Stewart explained. “But I was specifically interested in having more capacity than we’re currently using, so I would feel more comfortable adding on electric usage in the future.”

Ultimately, Stewart hired Viridis to install a 5.53 kW solar panel system on his home:

• System size: 5.53 kW

• Panels: Qcells Q.TRON BLK M-G2+ 425W

• Inverter: Enphase IQ8+ micro inverters

“The conversation starts with what the customer wants,” Jereme Erlandson from Viridis said. “Stewart said he wanted to produce around 130% and we were able to use his available [roof] space.”

Since switching to solar energy, one of the most significant changes in Stewart’s day-to-day life is the newfound sense of relief when using everyday necessities. 

“I look at my Enphase app about 12 times a day to see how much electricity I’m using and how much of it is being covered by the solar panels,” he explained. “It’s making me more relaxed about how much we use our central air conditioning.”

“It’s having the confidence in this very competitive–and in some cases sleazy– market that folks are vetting solar installers. It just raises the confidence level. Since switching to solar panels, we feel responsible, and it has changed and improved our energy usage habits.”