Strategies to “Future Proof” your Solar Business

We are are navigating uncharted waters as an industry, and uncertainty about policy and other market drivers makes it challenging to plan for success. There is good news. We are used to weathering the ‘solar coaster’ and have learned a few things. 

HeatSpring hosted a webinar discussion this summer between the solar and storage community and strategists from all corners of the industry to shed some light on the state of the market, and offer concrete tactics for growth. Here are some of the opportunities we discussed:

Including O&M as a core offering. Amanda Bybee, CEO with the Amicus O&M Cooperative built a strong case for including service and O&M as an offering for your customers. In addition to diversifying your sources of revenue, maintaining the ever-growing inventory of existing solar and storage systems can be a ‘policy proof’ line of business, and a recurring source of revenue. Amanda also pointed out that service is a way to provide advancement opportunities for team members who want to progress in their careers, but prefer to stay in the field. 

“This is a way to look at diversifying your company within an existing area of expertise,” Amanda stated, since reputable firms already perform service activities in the course of their business. Amanda also touched on identifying your target market (geography, sector, etc.), and changing your accounting systems to accommodate this line of business.

Proactively planning for life ‘post-ITC.’ Brandon Herman with Renu Energy Solutions provided an EPC’s perspective on how they are proactively strategizing to address uncertainties in the solar market. Renu is already well positioned, having residential, commercial and O&M lines of business operating in multiple states, with geographical expansion already planned. Further diversifying their lines of business (for instance, proactively promoting ESS to existing solar only resi customers), leaning into community purchase (Solarize) and municipal and state programs (look for those with proactive decarbonization goals), and exploring alternative funding mechanisms are all strategies they employ. Echoing Amanda’s messaging around O&M, Renu is working on a subscription model to create a recurring revenue stream.

“We are really trying to leverage the skill set and in-house expertise we have,” Brandon stated, with EV charging, electrical upgrades, HVAC, roofing, and smart home products all on the table as future opportunities. 

Heat pump installation. Speaking of state (and utility) programs, JJ Sawicki, a Project Manager for TRC Companies working on NYSERDA-funded programs, shared opportunities to add heat pump installation to your offerings. He included resources to support businesses in getting started and an example of how the NY Clean Heat program works with contractors. Although employee upskilling and other investments are needed to take advantage of this trend, there are strong indicators in the northeast and other markets that this will continue to be an opportunity, with states, manufacturers, and utilities investing heavily in increased market penetration for heat pump technology.

Rethinking marketing strategies. Barrie Hanlon with Mayo Web Design and Marketing Services works with solar companies on marketing strategies. In her current discussions with solar companies, she is advising they leverage the urgency of the new ITC deadline to conduct residential solar campaigns, while starting to shift outreach language from incentive to values-based marketing. She is also advising businesses to diversify, while leaning into digital marketing to build a base for 2026 work. 

Brian Hayden with HeatSpring wrapped up the proceedings with a reminder that “your greatest assets are those customers who trust you. Go about selling what they want to buy.” Our live attendees expressed their desire to see more of this type of programming. Look for more opportunities to learn about these and other topics designed to help you succeed in the months ahead. 

Interested in learning more about these topics today? You can view the FREE recording of the webinar or presenter slides, here.