Green Lightning Energy was founded by Jason Plant and Kadin Burns when both of their mothers received excessively expensive estimates from large name-brand solar providers. Our parents wanted the financial advantages and the positive environmental impact that solar energy held, but excessively high prices prevented them from accessing that value. We believed that we could get them a better deal by offering the same high quality solutions, at reasonable prices. We were right, and now, we offer that same value to every homeowner we serve.
Ever since our founding, Green Lightning Energy has been on a mission to make clean energy affordable for the everyday homeowner. We do not inflate our prices, so despite using the same high quality systems as the largest solar brands, our prices always come in $5,000 to $20,000 lower. If a competitor does present a lower price than us (which has not happened yet!), we are happy to match the price of a competitor for equivalent systems. On average, we save homeowners 10% to 50% per residential project; our current record in residential savings is $30,000. We offer free estimates, speedy and responsive service, financing options, and the most cutting-edge solar technologies in the industry. You can trust us to give you the best solar systems, and for the best price.
Below, we've provided a breakdown of the quality of our systems and how we are able to provide the pricing that we do.
The Quality
We source our materials from the best manufacturers in the world. Our preferred solar panel manufacturer is Q Cells, which designs its solar panels in Germany, manufactures them in Canada, and finishes them in the United States. Q Cells offers a 25-year warranty on their solar panels and due to their half-cell technology, Q Cells panels have among the highest energy efficiencies of any commercially available solar panels. Q Cells is internationally acclaimed, having won numerous prestigious awards for their industry-leading technology and business innovation including their 8th Consecutive PVEL Top Performer Accolade, numerous EUPD Research Awards, an Intersolar Award in Photovoltaics, a Module Manufacturing Innovation award at Solar Industry Awards 2015, and Best CSR Company Award from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia. Due to its superior technology which has meaningfully contributed to solar becoming more affordable than fossil fuels, Q Cells has become the most widely used solar manufacturer in the United States.
Every solar installation we complete uses a relatively new solar technology called optimizers, which connect to the backs of solar panels to significantly improve the power and energy efficiency of the overall solar system. We also use inverters, which are a necessary component of every solar system that convert the DC (direct current) energy produced by solar panels into usable AC (alternating current) energy. Our preferred manufacturer for optimizers and inverters is SolarEdge, which is another industry-leading solar materials manufacturer. SolarEdge's technology is not only known for its exceptional durability and functionality, but for being easy to use due to its mobile app that allows homeowners to track their energy usage and the health of their solar system. SolarEdge offers a 25-year warranty on their optimizers, a 12-year warranty on their inverters, and a 10-year warranty on their batteries. Like Q Cells, SolarEdge is internationally acclaimed, having won Solar + Power Awards in the Smart Energy Management Category for its grid services and virtual power plant solution, Cleanie Awards in the Large Company category for its leading role in the cleantech industry, the New Product of the Year Award for its EV-charging single-phase inverter in the Energy category, an Edison Award in the Renewable Energy Category for its HD-Wave inverter technology, an Intersolar Award in Photovoltaic, and an Intersolar 2012 Innovation Award for its next-generation power optimizer featuring the new IndOP™ technology.
The hardware we use to mount our solar installations is made by a company called IronRidge. We use IronRidge for their extremely durable hardware, their appealing design, and their 25-year warranty. IronRidge designs every component of mounting hardware necessary to complete a solar installation, making performance problems due to incompatibility of parts a non-issue.
Our installations are headed by a Master Electrician with over 15 years of experience as an electrician and over 10 years of experience in solar. This service comes with a 15-year workmanship warranty that covers any damages associated with improper installation. The team of electricians that complete our installations have finished hundreds of prior installations, commercial and residential alike.
Why We Can Price Lower Than Other Installers
Many of our customers ask us: "if you really have the same or better quality materials and service as other installers, why are you able to offer such low prices?" Conversely, when we founded Green Lightning Energy we asked ourselves why prices are so high to begin with. Through some light investigatory work and speaking with others in the industry, we have found the answer.
Most of the solar companies that dominate the New Hampshire market are at least 10 years old and have built their businesses on outdated operational models that are no longer necessary now that the solar business ecosystem has developed more. For example, many of the larger solar installers have their own warehouses despite the fact that materials distributors today will store all of the necessary inventory needed for their customers and deliver it on-site within 24 hours notice. The extra costs incurred by these companies for their warehouses, as well as for the vehicles and personnel necessary to deliver solar supplies, are passed down to customers in the form of higher prices. Larger solar installers have also invested heavily in hiring in-house teams, as opposed to relying on readily available expert electrician firms to fill extra demand. Just as in every industry, demand for solar fluctuates significantly from year to year and in years where demand is lower, solar companies are left with a difficult decision: lay off a significant portion of their workforce to reduce expenses or simply charge higher prices to their customers. Perhaps understandably, solar companies in New Hampshire have overwhelmingly chose the latter, further exacerbating the elevated prices of residential solar. Aside from this issue, even in times of high demand for solar, larger installers are still going to be pricier simply because it requires a larger workforce to maintain these companies. Small companies, for example, do not need large HR departments, administrative workforces, in-house accounting and finance teams, etc. This is why Green Lightning Energy is decidedly small, and why we have kept our operations lean and agile. We leverage distributors who eliminate our need for warehouses or delivery vehicles, we work with expert electrician firms who have completed hundreds of installations, and we have found ways to automate or outsource functions of our operations such as accounting, HR, and marketing/design so that we can afford to give our customers the best prices possible, without compromising on quality.
But what about the smaller solar installers that weren't founded 10+ years ago? Wouldn't they be able to charge competitive rates? The answer is yes, but unfortunately many of these firms have decided to still charge similar rates to the large companies and pocket the extra profits they make by not having the same cost structures as the large installers. Most charge just enough that they can be cheaper than the large incumbents, but still pocket enormous profits at the expense of the homeowners. There is not necessarily anything wrong with making a profit; every business must make a profit to survive and grow. We have just chosen a different path than other solar installers. We believe that if we give homeowners great prices and great quality systems, we could open up a whole new market of people who previously may not have been able to access solar energy. Thus, we can turn solar into a low-cost, high-volume business. We believe that this win-win outcome will help us grow as a company, and more importantly, help our customers get the best possible deal on their solar installations.
We hope you will join us in making clean energy affordable for everyday homeowners! If you are interested in learning more about what a Green Lightning Energy solar system could mean for you and your home, please click the button below to sign up for a free estimate.
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