New SEIA standards aim to improve solar sales, installations for customers

To minimize deceit among solar salespeople, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) on Monday released two new industry standards designed to ensure transparent, ethical solar sales practices and raise the bar for the safety and durability of rooftop solar and storage installations.

“These groundbreaking standards reflect the solar and storage industry’s commitment to ensuring every customer has a great experience going solar,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “We’ve heard customers loud and clear about what they want to see from the solar industry. Going solar with a SEIA-certified installer will give customers the confidence they need to make the best decision for their family.”

As an American National Standards Institute-accredited standards developer, SEIA has been convening numerous stakeholders to develop a suite of standards that proactively and responsibly manage the industry’s growth.

Currently, SEIA is developing 11 industry-wide standards, including standards on supply chain traceability and decommissioning.

SEIA is taking public comments on the two new standards it released yesterday, Standard 401 and Standard 201 .

Standard 401 outlines training requirements for solar salespeople in an effort to establish ethical sales practices and ensure solar customers have a thorough understanding of their investment before committing. Companies and salespeople trained under this standard will provide customers with comprehensive and clear disclosure of costs, key contract terms, and technology information.

Standard 401 adds transparency to the solar sales process and equips solar installers and salespeople with the knowledge they need to ethically sell solar and energy storage, says SEIA, and the standard includes answers to common customer questions.

The standard also provides clear direction on how solar salespeople can accurately provide personalized savings estimates, which SEIA says is one of the most persuasive selling points for many solar customers.

Once published, a certified third party will evaluate whether a company or individual has met the requirements of Standard 401, the association says.

Meanwhile, Standard 201 aims to enhance the safety and quality of residential solar and storage installations by creating a new baseline for how residential and small commercial solar and storage systems are installed.

Standard 201 covers electrical and fire safety, distribution grid connections, and various weather and environmental conditions, according to SEIA, which says companies will receive a third-party audit of their written practices and field installations, helping to ensure safe installations and create a better experience for solar customers throughout the life of their system.

Such standards are necessary as some state attorneys general (AGs) have sued bad actors in the solar industry.

The Nebraska AG, for example, filed a lawsuit against Everlight Solar in May for unlawful door-to-door sales tactics and misleading consumers while selling solar panel systems.

Everlight’s salespeople made deceptive representations about the potential cost savings associated with solar panels, according to the AG, who said Everlight misled customers into falsely thinking that purchasing solar panels would eventually eliminate their electric bills or that customers would generate enough power to receive a reimbursement check.

Everlight also used misleading savings models that omitted information and data that could have resulted in projections showing consumers spending more on panels than they would save, the AG said.

Additionally, Everlight’s salespeople also engaged in prohibited solicitation tactics that the Nebraska AG deemed aggressive and intrusive, such as ignoring “no solicitation” signs and knocking on doors outside of permitted solicitation hours.

The Minnesota AG in March sued four solar-lending companies for deceiving consumers into taking out loans based on the companies’ false promises of low interest and disguised hidden fees on more than 5,000 solar-panel purchases in Minnesota.

Most of the hidden fees increased the costs that borrowers incurred by between 15 percent and 30 percent, for a total of $35 million, the AG said.

Minnesota’s lawsuit alleges the lenders violated state laws against deceptive trade practices, deceptive lending, and illegally high rates of interest.

In March 2023, the AG of Connecticut sued Vision Solar LLC, alleging the company used high-pressure sales tactics, made several misrepresentations, reported numerous delays, and conducted unpermitted work that left consumers with systems that could not be connected to the grid as promised.

Subsequently, Vision Solar filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 28, 2023.

The post New SEIA standards aim to improve solar sales, installations for customers appeared first on Daily Energy Insider .