Making It Easy
RC: What’s the key to selling this?
BK: We had success early on because we set out to make it as easy as possible for people. We’re saying, Trust us with this process and we will walk you through it. We will hire the electrician. We will help you fill out the tax paperwork, the Focus on Energy application.
RC: Who’s the customer?
BK: We have two kinds of customers. One has a relatively new roof and is simply looking at the energy production. At that point we do a site assessment and give them an accurate cost of payback. We also have people who call us up for roofing, and when we go out we see that it’s a good solar site. I automatically ask if they’re interested in solar, and if they are, you can sell them a completed roof with that solar array on metal panels.
RC: So if someone is replacing a roof with the intention of having you install solar, they have to replace whatever the roof is with standing seam metal?
BK: Just because you put standing seam metal under the solar array doesn’t mean you need to cover the rest of the roof with standing seam. You can have a mix of asphalt, stone-coated steel shingles, slate, clay tile, or anything else. It’s something you work through with the customer. It depends on the age, condition, and type of roof and the desire of the customer for aesthetic completeness.
RC: Is the buying decision contingent on payback time?
BK: It varies. We have homeowners who are the real green type. You can estimate a 15- or 16-year payback and they’ll say, “Let’s put this up. It’s good for the environment.” I just did that yesterday. Others will say unless the payback is 12 years or less, no way am I interested. Many customers are people who will be looking to retire in 10 years. So mid-50s is a good demographic to think about.
Investing in Something New
RC: Why do you think so few roofers have done this?
BK: I think other roofing companies hesitate for probably the same reason we did. We’re good at roofing, and this is something new. It’s a way to augment that business. We got involved because of my exposure at the International Roofing Expo. We’ve sold six roofs we would not have sold otherwise. They chose us because we could do solar as well. That said, I think the roofing contractor interested in solar is best served by a vendor with a system and who can walk you through the return-on-investment equation.
RC: What kind of investment was this for your company?
BK: The investment amounts to the salary of the person we hired to manage this for us. There really isn’t an inventory investment. The biggest investment is in education and being able to dedicate some time to learning. Many roofers right now are scratching and digging for work. They don’t have time to be diverted into an area that may not pay off.
RC: How do you market it?
BK: We do it a couple ways: home shows in our area as well as a call-in show on local radio where I interact with the talk show host. We discuss paybacks. That’s what has driven the lead engine. The project I sold yesterday came about as a result of publicity.
RC: Who installs it?
BK: Our crews do, but we use an electrician certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners.
RC: How many solar installations do you think you’ll do in 2010?
BK: Our goal this year is 20, and we are well on the way. It seems that there is a flurry of activity at the end of the year because of tax credits. What I’m hearing now from some people is that they’re saying they want to do this but they’ll do it in October or November because they won’t get the tax credit until 2011. My guess is that the first half of the year will be a harder swim.
?For questions about solar installations and roofing, email bob.kulp@kulproof.com.