EnergySage

EnergySage questions and answers

What problem is EnergySage trying to solve?

Buying a solar energy system can be a daunting process, but EnergySage is making it easier. Locating clear information about the price and quality of your solar energy options can take a lot of work, and unbiased sources of information are few and far between. Once you receive quotes from several installers, it’s hard to accurately compare multiple proposals at once. EnergySage is tackling all of these problems with its Solar Marketplace. The EnergySage Solar Marketplace provides consumers with access to vetted installers, free research, insights on solar power and a powerful comparison-shopping tool. Through this combination of information, pre-screened installers and comparison-shopping, homeowners utilizing EnergySage typically pay up to 20% less than market averages for the installation of their solar energy system. Additionally, EnergySage helps homeowners identify their best financing option among various loans, leases and power purchase agreements (PPAs).

What sets EnergySage apart from the competition?

EnergySage is the only independent and unbiased comparison-shopping website for solar energy systems and financing options. The company provides consumers with access to hundreds of vetted solar installers and financiers across the country. Moreover, the team conducts, aggregates and disseminates independent research about solar energy to consumers. EnergySage has received backing from both the U.S. Department of Energy and State of New York because it brings much-needed transparency to the solar market and gives consumers the power of information and choice.

What needs does your company fulfill, and how does EnergySage fulfill those needs better than your competition?

Consumers face a multitude of challenges when they try to buy solar. They receive multiple quotes from different installers, for various financing options, in different formats and at different times. Prices vary widely without explanation, and quality is hard to gauge. EnergySage provides a simple online solution for consumers to comparison-shop across multiple solar installers and financing options. The company also provides free, unbiased information about solar technology throughout the buying process. No other company offers all of these benefits to consumers in one easy-to-use platform.

How does EnergySage measure success?

Every time a homeowner or commercial property owner is able to buy the right solar energy system for their needs through the EnergySage website, that’s a success!

What’s the most common misconception consumers have about the solar energy industry and EnergySage?

Most people assume that purchasing a solar energy system is going to be expensive and complicated, no matter how they do it. It’s EnergySage’s mission to make this process easy and affordable. When consumers shop through EnergySage, they save up to 20% of the cost of their solar energy system just by comparison shopping. Consumers who can’t or don’t want to make an upfront investment in their solar system can access several $0-down loan and lease options as well. Homeowners interested in purchasing their system outright tend to save thousands of dollars by comparison shopping in the EnergySage Solar Marketplace.

Given that EnergySage provides consumers with so much for free, we often receive questions about how we make money. The whole process is quite simple: while consumers pay nothing to participate in the Solar Marketplace, the winning solar installer provides us with a small commission. This comparison-shopping model is akin to how an airline pays Kayak or Expedia after you book a flight. Unlike other solar websites that have an exclusive partnership with one installer, our model of partnering with hundreds of installers across the country allows us to remain completely neutral and unbiased. Again, this is why the U.S. Department of Energy backs us.

How has the solar energy industry changed in the last 5 years?

The solar industry has changed radically in the past few years. Adoption rates of solar energy are skyrocketing across the country. Prices for solar equipment have fallen over 80%, while prices for electricity are rising at a rate faster than inflation in almost every state. Meanwhile, property owners are becoming increasingly interested in saving money while finding cost-effective ways to benefit the environment. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), more solar was installed in the last 18 months than the previous 30 years combined. Yet, despite all this growth, solar energy systems are still being sold in the same “pushy” way they were when the industry was just developing. EnergySage is here to change that!

What is something you wish every consumer knew about EnergySage?

Purchasing a solar energy system through EnergySage will save consumers up to 20% on the total cost of their purchase, as compared to getting a quote directly from an individual installer. This isn’t a result of special deals with installers, or discounts from manufacturers. It’s simply because we’ve created an online platform that allows for effective comparison-shopping: installers know that they are competing for your business. Applying this approach has been proven to lower prices in other industries, such as air travel and insurance, and we’re the only one that provides this for solar power.

Has EnergySage received any awards or recognition your customers would like to know about?

EnergySage’s innovative approach to bringing the best practices of online comparison-shopping to solar power has earned the company two SunShot awards from the U.S. Department of Energy, and a grant from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

How has EnergySage grown or evolved?

Since the EnergySage Solar Marketplace was launched 2012, we’ve grown exponentially and expanded operations from one state to nationwide coverage. Several million consumers have used the website to research solar, and thousands more have used it for solar comparison-shopping.