Publish Date: March 21st, 2023

So, you’ve gone solar and now you want to tell all your friends and family about the ways they can benefit, but you’re not sure where to start. Or maybe you get asked about your solar system and aren’t sure how to answer your neighbors’ very specific solar questions. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We chatted with Namaste Solar customers who have referred people as well as some of our solar experts to give you some talking points about becoming powered by the sun.

Do I Bring it Up?

Since solar is a visible addition to your roof, it’s a natural conversation starter. People see it so they start to ask questions about how much money you’re saving, who installed your system, or the benefits of having solar. Other times, you might want to bring it up yourself. In that case, just asking people what they think about solar or if they’ve ever considered installing solar is the best route to go. That way you can gauge how they’re feeling about it before you dive in any further.

Keep it Simple!

You don’t need to be a solar expert to talk about solar. You went through the process and had the experience of putting solar on your roof – talk about that! How did you choose an installer? How has it been watching your meter run backwards? What motivated you to go solar in the first place? What are the personal and environmental benefits you’ve felt?

“Usually, once people are asking about it, they are already interested in solar so it’s more asking who they should hire to install it,” said Lauren C., a Namaste Solar customer with solar on her home who has referred multiple people to go solar. “When talking about having solar, we usually say we don’t even think about it being up on our roof, but it allows us to have a benefit to the environment that we believe in, and it allows us to save money on our electric bills. Plus, we also have an electric vehicle that we can power through solar.”

Solar can seem like a big step and a huge investment up front and that can seem daunting to some people. But Lauren puts it simply, “There are a lot of things we invest in for our homes that don’t always give back to us financially. So, the fact that we can do something that helps the environment and is also an investment for us (even if it’s a long-term investment) still makes sense!”

Leave the Technical Questions to the Experts

We know solar can be complicated so you shouldn’t expect to have all the answers to every question you get asked. For example, most people really want to know how much solar costs, but that can be so specific to each home based on energy usage, roof layout, and other factors.

Becky A., another Namaste Solar customer, told us that she often gets asked about how solar can benefit you financially and how net metering works. These topics can feel challenging to explain easily. When thinking about how solar benefits you financially, we like to compare it to renting vs owning a home. When you own your electricity production you are no longer paying an external entity; you now own your power and can build equity with your system just like a home!

And net metering is the ability to sell the excess power you generate back to the grid. When you install solar panels on your home, your utility company will come swap your meter for a net meter that can run backwards. Any time you are using more energy than you are producing, the meter will run forward. Any time you are producing more energy than you are using, the meter will run backwards.

Don’t feel like you need to have an answer to every question. You can leave all the technical stuff and the complex questions to the experts by letting people know who you recommend they reach out to. Namaste Solar is happy to be the company you point people to, especially when they have hard-hitting questions. We have non-commissioned solar advisors who focus on an educational approach – no heavy-handed sales pitch. We’ll provide a free quote so your friend or neighbor can see exactly what solar would look like on their home, and we’ll be super transparent about letting potential customers know why (or why not) solar would be a good fit for them.

Back Yourself Up with Resources

Our final tip is to keep a few resources top of mind that you can share with friends and family. We’ve made a handy resource library that answers many frequently asked questions, including solar buying guides that explains the process of both residential and commercial solar. Plus, we’ve got a very convincing blog (in our humble opinion) about the top four advantages of solar!

The Namaste Solar Referral Program

We've seen that one of the biggest reasons why someone makes the switch to solar is because they know someone else who did. By sharing your experience, you can encourage someone else to make a difference too! That's why we created our solar referral program. We'll send you $250 in gratitude when a homeowner you refer goes solar with us, plus they will get a $250 bonus of their own.