Research suggests that a strong predictor of a household going solar is engagement among the family. Solar salespeople should identify and support the “solar champion” as the family works through the details of understanding the new product, found the study.
Researchers from Ohio State University and Southern Illinois University have found that households, versus individuals, make solar purchasing decisions happen. Because buying solar is so confusing, the family member driving the project, or the solar “champion” often gets exhausted. Solar companies need to support this person to keep the sale from falling apart, said the report.
The family-centric role was further cemented by the finding that engaged family disagreement on solar also positively predicted adoption.
The researchers, Nicole Sintov, Kristin Hurst, and Naseem H. Dillman-Hasso, posit in “Family dynamics are a missing piece in understanding residential solar adoption,” published in nature energy, that looking at couples and families — versus just individuals within the households — can help solar salespeople better predict deals that close. The work spanned interviews with 39 couples and surveys of 394 households including 126 solar adopters and 268 “lost customers” who contacted an installer, completed an inspection, or applied for permits but never bought.
