September 2020
Member Spotlight
In 2020, SECC will be recognizing a member each month, providing an organizational profile and highlighting the member's accomplishments and output in the smart energy space.
About EnergySage
EnergySage is the leading online comparison-shopping marketplace for rooftop solar, energy storage, community solar and financing. Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, EnergySage.com has grown into the most visited website in the industry: more than 10 million consumers trust EnergySage to learn about and shop for solar each year. Central to the EnergySage mission is empowering consumers to make confident energy decisions, through objective education and transparency. In 2019, the company sent over $5 billion in solar installation requests to its network of 500+ pre-screened solar installation companies.
Consumer-First Solar Resources
The portfolio of digital tools, which EnergySage provides directly as free public resources as well as through utility partners, includes articles and videos, step-by-step guides to the solar shopping process, a solar calculator and a comparison-shopping marketplace. It takes customers just moments to register their property to receive individualized quotes, which are delivered online from vetted local contractors in a standardized format. Phone numbers are not required, and each customer is assigned a dedicated, vendor-neutral advisor to support them through the decision-making process. The tools are designed to support customers through the entire buyer’s journey – regardless of their stage. For example, EnergySage has articles, videos and infographics tailored for those that have just begun considering solar, equipment buyer’s guides for those focused on technology, and optional phone support from dedicated advisors for those that have lots of questions.
EnergySage regularly performs consumer research and user testing to identify opportunities to optimize the platform. Recent additions include integrating Google Project Sunroof data into the calculator, adding detailed storage quotes in the Marketplace and launching a brand-new product – a Community Solar Marketplace in partnership with Central Hudson.
Award-Winning Partnerships
EnergySage works to bring these resources to consumers across the country through partnerships with utilities that include tailored solutions and programming. These are quick-to-launch solutions, from customized educational content to a white-labeled calculator displayed on the utility’s website and tailored Marketplace experience.
EnergySage’s suite of offerings for utility partners are easily customizable to different utility service territories’ needs, from modeling different rate structures in the solar calculator to integrating geographic or utility-specific incentives into the Marketplace experience. The Marketplace can be integrated into a range of utility marketplaces, leverage single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, integrate customer data (including PII) and more. EnergySage’s in-house content, marketing and design teams support utility partners with customer communications as needed. Real-time performance metric dashboards ensure utility partners have regular access to program data.
EnergySage has partnered with utilities including National Grid, Eversource, Central Hudson and Avangrid. In addition, EnergySage powers solutions for state agencies, including the Connecticut Green Bank’s statewide website gosolarct.com, and community choice aggregators, such as Clean Power Alliance (California’s largest). Utility commissions from coast to coast also point to EnergySage resources.
These partner programs garner strong customer engagement, high customer satisfaction and have even been recognized by the SECC: National Grid received the 2020 Best Practices Award for Consumer Engagement for the first-of-its-kind online solar marketplace, which is powered by EnergySage.
Many Ways to Partner with EnergySage
As customers look to their utility for guidance on solar and storage, utilities look to EnergySage for help serving as the trusted advisor. The EnergySage formula of unbiased information, transparency and choice helps consumers make empowered solar decisions, and the customizability ensures programs meet the needs of utility partners.
To learn more about how EnergySage can help you become your customers’ solar and storage guide, click here or contact Tess O’Brien at tess@energysage.com or (617) 934-1048.
