Software Buying Guide
for residential solar, renewable or home electrification installers.
Table of Contents
Evaluation Metrics
Impact on Day-to-Day Operations
How the mistake can disrupt your team's daily workflows, affecting productivity, task efficiency, and overall operational smoothness.
Upfront Capital Cost
The initial expenses required to purchase, implement, and integrate the software, including setup fees, training, and any immediate upfront costs.
Long-Term Operating Cost
The ongoing expenses over the lifespan of the software, such as maintenance, support, upgrades, and potential costs related to scaling, such as consulting and development.
Strategic Opportunity Cost
The potential gains or competitive advantages missed by opting for a less effective solution, including lost revenue, lost time, or inability to take on growth opportunities.
Terminology Clarification
To avoid any confusion, we thought it’d be a good idea to set the record straight before we dove into it. When we mention “renewables”, “new energy”, and “home electrification” in the context of residential installations, we refer to anything related to solar, EV chargers, battery storage, HVAC, home energy efficiency, etc. Essentially, any installation that contributes to making homes more environmentally friendly and sustainable. That’s it. Now, let’s get started!
State of the Market
The renewable energy sector—whether solar, EV charging, HVAC, home energy efficiency, battery storage, or others—experiences its share of up and down cycles. While any business may need to endure a degree of cost-cutting and downsizing during slower periods, savvy leaders recognize that these slower periods also present a unique opportunity to build and improve critical operational systems.
Investing in software and automation is one of the most effective ways to ensure your operations are prepared to be that engine for growth. In booming markets, this engine allows you to scale faster than the competition and take on more opportunities; in slower markets, it enhances your team’s efficiency and lets you run lean with the team you have while preserving quality and service levels. This positions your company to be ready for the next wave of growth when the market rebounds. Companies across the board are increasingly turning to technology to lead this shift.
Choosing and rolling out new software may seem simple enough, however it is far from trivial. With so many options out there screaming at you with their features and proclaiming they are the best all-encompassing solution, it can be a daunting task for leaders to decide how to move forward. This decision is made even more serious and stressful given all that rides on it namely, the significant time, effort, and money to be spent and the future performance of your team (no pressure!)
That’s why we’ve put together this guide. We mapped out 12 of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen residential renewable companies make when jumping into meetings with our team. These mistakes are also paired with alternative ways of approaching software selection so that you’re not only aware of what to avoid but also how to do it correctly. In a nutshell, we are here to hopefully take some of the stress and confusion out of the process and equip you with simple practical pointers you can use today!
Software Buying Mistakes
1. Fixating on Finding an All-In-One Software
Impact on Day-to-Day Operations
All-in-one software falls under the old adage of jack of all trades, master of none. Your inability to access game-changing functionality to power specific areas of your business leads to many operational inefficiencies, impacting every team’s productivity and workflows.
Upfront Capital Cost
The (false) promise of covering all your needs in one platform may translate to some reduction in initial costs as you reduce the number of tools that need to be onboarded. This is not always the case since often all-in-one software commands a high sticker price.