System Activation

Net Energy Metering (NEM) Application

During the Final Consultation you will likely have the homeowner sign the NEM application for the corresponding design they agree to. As soon as the installation and inspection are complete we are able to submit the NEM application to the local utility. Once submitted, the utility may take a few days up to a few weeks to approve the application. As soon as the NEM application is approved we will receive permission to operate (PTO) from the utility company and the homeowner will begin being billed by the utility company under the NEM rate plan. 

Understanding Net Energy Metering

Net Energy Metering (NEM) is a billing process that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the power grid. NEM allows utility customers who generate electricity to use the electricity anytime, instead of only when it is generated. This means that a homeowner can generate power during the day from a PV system and get kWh credited to them for their use. Credits are totaled each month by the utility. 

Net Energy Metering is performed on a 12-month billing cycle and there is an annual true-up. Your annual true-up bill depends on when your net metering cycle begins and

ends. Typically, the utility will send a statement each month with a projected total if the 12-month cycle ended at that month. These statements will show you how much energy is consumed and how much energy is generated. The amount generated will be subtracted from the amount consumed and that will be your net consumption or generation for that month.

Maintaining Customer Relations

In any business it’s important to maintain a relationship with your customers. The best way to avoid starting from scratch each week is to attain leads from existing clients by ensuring they continue to have a phenomenal experience with their PV system - this is extremely important because their experience is a reflection of you and X Company. Solar is still thought of as a new and exciting initiative for homeowners. When people pass by their homes they will ask about it. Make sure your homeowner will mention you and talk well of you by taking good and consistent care of them.

The key way to establish this longstanding relationship is to make sure every time you install a customer that you make an event in your calendar that recurs every 30 days to follow up and check in on your customer. You want to ask about how their experience is going and find out if they have any questions and answer them. Before contacting them you should look at their SolarEdge dashboard to see how their system is performing and determine how much they are actually saving compared to the electric bills you collected at the Qualified Lead - knowing this information you should break this down for them when checking in on them which will further make them feel they made a great decision by going solar. You should also fish for referrals. Ask them if any of their neighbors without solar have asked them about their experience or commented about it, or maybe they know someone that should go solar - get the names, email, phone, and address of these people. As a best practice, doing check-ins in person over a free coffee will likely yield you many more referrals and establish greater rapport than you could have ever gotten over the phone. This is the secret to building a successful career in many industries, and ours is no different.