Why COVID-19 is Not Stopping Our Customers From Going Solar

Homeowners Still Going Solar During COVID-19 Crisis As Industry Rebounds

At the beginning of 2020 the solar industry boasted 250,000 American jobs and was projecting 300,000 jobs by June of this year. For years now, Solar has been growing more jobs in our country than the coal, oil and gas industries combined and has been the fastest-growing industry overall. On a personal note, I have seen the company I work for, Solar Energy World, more than triple the size of our workforce since I was hired in 2012. 

Unfortunately, the current health crisis has caused a temporary slow down in solar’s growth.  There is good news, however.  Thousands of Americans are still going solar and the industry is still moving forward.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, since COVID-19 hit, the solar sector has lost 65,000 jobs. This has effectively erased five years of job gains.  In fact, the solar industry which was leading job growth in America for years is now losing jobs at a faster rate than any other business sector. Nevertheless, solar has been excluded from receiving any federal relief. Despite all of this, the Solar Industry is projected to rebound and possibly do better than it did pre-COVID-19. 

Our company is already rebounding . We have been continuing operations and are still signing up new customers every day by making careful adjustments to how we communicate with potential and current customers and how we facilitate installations.  We now see an upward trend in new sales and expect installations to continue to grow as our country reopens for business.

More Americans are Interested in Going Solar Than Ever Before

“We started looking into solar to reduce our environmental impact… Now, we literally do not pay a utility bill all year long.”,  Paul Waxman, Solar Energy World customer.

One of the reasons the solar industry is not going to stay down for long is because homeowners’ interest in going solar is still very strong.   According to a Pew Research study, More than four in ten homeowners were considering going solar at the end of 2019. The same study found “Amid increased concern about global climate change, most U.S. adults prioritize developing alternative energy sources for the country such as solar or wind power rather than increasing U.S. exploration and production of fossil fuels (77% vs. 22%).” Once this crisis winds down, and people are feeling more secure, energy experts predict a faster than expected rebound for solar.

But why are thousands of homeowners across the USA going solar right now, instead of waiting until this crisis has passed? I cannot speak for the entire industry, but I know why Solar Energy World continues to sign up new customers every day.

Top 3 Reasons why Solar Energy World’s Customers Are Signing up for Solar Now 

1. You can literally pay $0 for Solar Panels and Installation to lock in a lower electricity rate than utility.  If you choose our Solar Lease or PPA  (Power Purchase Agreement) you will save on energy costs as soon as your system is operational. Michael Bordi, a customer of ours  from Blackwood, New Jersey summed it up this way, “Going solar for no cost to save on energy costs right away is a no-brainer.”  Carl Seaver of Tom’s River, New Jersey raves about how he paid zero to go solar and is now seeing amazing savings on his utility costs.
   
2. It costs a homeowner more to do nothing. Every month you put off going solar is another month the utility company takes more of your hard-earned money with absolutely no return on your investment. Once you go solar, depending on which financial option you choose, you will save 20-100% on your utility costs – and if you purchase your system, you can actually earn income from the energy it produces through SRECs. Plus you can get money back from your utility through net-metering. As one of our Maryland customers, Robyn Knopf Needel said, “Each year we get a check from BGE for the excess energy we produce – can’t beat that!” 
   
3. You will be doing the right thing for our country, your community and for future generations. When you switch to solar, you help the US economy by supporting and creating more green jobs. Many of our customers, like Fran Schlusemann of Lakewood Ranch, Florida cite helping the economy as one of the reasons for why they went solar. Many others say they chose to go solar mainly to decrease their dependence on dirty energy so they could help protect the environment for their children and grandchildren. Jack and Trina Daniels, our customers from New Port Richey, Florida spoke about the world they wanted to leave behind for the grandchildren in a video we shot of them recently.  Jack told us, “We went solar to reduce our energy costs and our environmental impact.”  

Based on the industry data, and our customers’ feedback, it’s clear that the solar industry isn’t going away and that more homeowners will continue to make the switch to solar every day. Homeowners are still going Solar During COVID-19 and you can too.

Simply fill out the form below to learn if you qualify for solar. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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