For a company that makes its money from homeowners buying solar panels, Evergreen Solar Inc. has a seemingly contradictory philosophy. “We don’t sell solar,” said co-owner Brian Fabiano.
The employees who walk potential customers through the ins and outs of sun-powered energy for their homes aren’t referred to as salespeople. Instead, they’re called “solar pros.”
That’s because Fabiano and co-owner Patrick Bartley don’t think they need slick marketing or pushy sales tactics to convince people to put solar panels on their roofs or lawns. The product sells itself, once customers understand how it works.
Their job is helping people understand.
“Even today, it’s like explaining a foreign concept,” Fabiano said. “People really don’t understand it. To be fair, it is fairly complex.”
Fabiano and Bartley, half-brothers who share the same father, can relate. They spent the first few months in business grappling with unfamiliar science, engineering and financing terms.
Fabiano was a partner in a home security company while Bartley was an analyst for a company that sold vacuums and blenders. Their foray into the solar industry was born out of casual conversations during a weeklong trip to Yosemite National Park.
“We were both really passionate about renewable energy,” Bartley said. “Over the course of the trip, solar just kept coming up. By the time we left, we decided to start our own solar business.”
The idea took root quickly. They put together a business plan in a month, launching the two-man operation out of Bartley’s Lincoln apartment soon after.
The learning curve was steep, initially. But rising electric bills and cultural shifts in attitudes toward renewable energy fueled the company’s growth.
“Rhode Island’s high electricity costs make it very easy to show a homeowner that this is saving money,” Fabiano said. “When you put solar next to what you would pay the electric company, it pales in comparison.”
Especially now. Hours after Rhode Island Energy announced hikes in winter electric rates, potential customers flooded Evergreen Solar’s phone lines in a panic.
Of course, not every solar hopeful is a good candidate. After walking potential customers through the basics of what home solar panels entail – the timeline, the cost, how long before they would see savings – Evergreen analyzes the property through software that uses shade mapping to show how much electricity homeowners could get through solar, and how that compares to their energy needs.
A home that doesn’t get much sun, or an apartment or condominium in which the owner does not have control of the outside infrastructure, is not a good fit.
Neither Fabiano nor Bartley have solar panels on their homes. Fabiano owns a condo and Bartley lives in an apartment.
“It’s sad because we want every home to be able to do it,” Fabiano said.
But he’s not interested in selling something that doesn’t benefit the customer. Really, he’s not interested in selling at all. Evergreen eschews door-knocking in favor of online-only marketing, although it also advertises by participating in animal rescue charity and fundraising events.
