Originally published on CleanTechnica.
The US Solar Energy Industries Association has launched a nationwide consumer education campaign in an effort to inform and protect solar consumers with the fundamentals of solar, while also further simplifying the process of choosing to go solar.
Announced on Wednesday, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the country’s solar industry trade association, launched a nationwide effort to educate and protect solar consumers including a series of new disclosure forms to help consumers compare and better understand the solar offers available to them from competing solar companies. These forms will aim to provide solar customers with a better understanding of the fundamentals of solar, helping them to ask the right questions, empower them to compare competing solar company offers, and know what they should expect from their solar system over the life of the system.
The disclosure forms will be accompanied by further educational material that the SEIA is providing to a range of state bodies, including governors, attorneys general, state consumer advocates, public utility commissions, solar companies, financial institutions, lead generators, federal agencies, and other allied organizations across all 50 states. In addition to the provision of these resources, the SEIA is also intending a media campaign so that consumers will not only have access to these materials, but also know they exist in the first place.
“We’ve been developing top-of-the-line resources for years — now it’s about spreading the word and getting these resources into the hands of people who need it,” said SEIA’s president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Solar is still a new power choice for millions of Americans, and it’s critical that we cultivate a well-informed customer base. By doing their homework and making use of these tools, consumers and stakeholders alike will feel confident and comfortable in the decision to go solar.”
Everything is available to consumers free of charge through SEIA’s consumer protection portal, including consumer guides for going solar in both English and Spanish, guides for community solar and land leasing, and information for both consumers and industry. The SEIA hopes to continually evolve these resources and to provide more and improved tools for consumers as the solar industry continues to evolve.
“The Better Business Bureau supports SEIA’s efforts to provide accountability and transparency that will help strengthen the industry and increase trust in the marketplace,” said Mary Power, CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “The disclosure forms released this week demonstrate SEIA’s commitment to building a strong industry while ensuring greater consumer protection.”
“Using these resources benefits everyone — consumers, solar companies and financial institutions,” said Nick Mack, General Counsel of Spruce Finance and co-chair of the SEIA Consumer Protection Committee. “We feel strongly that solar companies across America, large and small, should be using these tools today.”
Reprinted with permission.
