How to Get Solar Leads

Plenty of solar installers have bought leads at some point.

And many tell the same story.

The homeowner barely remembers filling in a form. Three other companies already called. Half the numbers don’t pick up.

You paid for a race, not a lead.

There’s a slower way that works better over time: leads that come from people who trust you.

Why bought solar leads disappoint

It’s not that every lead company is bad. It’s how the model works:

• The same lead is often sold to several installers at once
• Many come from a “see if you qualify for free solar” ad — not a real plan to buy
• By the time you reach out, someone else already did
• You can’t always tell how the homeowner agreed to be contacted

That last one matters.

Calls and texts to homeowners fall under strict federal rules (the TCPA), and the Do Not Call Registry applies to sales calls. If a lead’s consent is shaky, the risk is yours.

So buy leads only if you must. Then build these instead.

step 1Be the installer people can check

Homeowners have heard solar horror stories. Before they reply to anyone, they look you up.

Make what they find reassuring:

• A Google Business Profile with a solar category as your main category and your real address
• Photos of real installs — clean conduit runs, tidy roofs, your crew, not stock images
• Reviews that talk about the install, the permit wait and what happened after
• Your license number on your site and your ads — in California, the state requires it
• A plain page called “What happens after you sign” — every step, honestly

That last page answers the question many homeowners are afraid to ask: will these people disappear after install?

step 2Partner with roofers

You shouldn’t put panels on a roof that needs replacing in five years.

Roofers see those roofs every day. And some of their reroof customers are already thinking about solar.

That makes roofers your best partner — and you theirs.

Start with a list:

Then write to each one with an offer that helps them, not just you:

Referrals both ways. That’s a partnership that lasts.

step 3Work with home builders

In California, the state energy code has required solar on most new single-family homes since 2020.

So builders there need a solar installer for most homes they build. Elsewhere, some builders offer solar as an upgrade.

Either way, one builder means many installs from one relationship.

Here’s that outreach when your AI team does it:

Builder outreachWorking

Find home builders with active communities around Bakersfield and offer them a solar installer who works on their schedule.

Find builders with homes under construction14/14

Found 14 builders with active communities — 6 large, 8 small. I put the small ones first, since they’re easier to reach.

I wrote a short note to each: installs on their schedule, our own permits, and photos for their file. Want me to send the first 7?

Bakersfield builders — 14 contacts.csvSpreadsheet

Tell your agent what to do…

step 4Get referrals from the trades next door

Other trades meet homeowners who are already spending money on their house:

• Electricians — panel upgrades and EV chargers often come before solar
• HVAC companies — a homeowner switching to a heat pump is thinking about power bills
• Battery and generator installers — outage worries lead to solar questions
• Home inspectors — buyers of older homes ask about roofs and bills
• Real estate agents — buyers ask what happens to solar when a home sells

Offer each one what you offered the roofers: send us your customers, and we’ll send you ours.

step 5Answer the questions homeowners really search

Homeowners research solar for weeks before they talk to anyone.

Be the installer who answers their questions honestly — on your own website:

• How long do permits and utility approval take in our county?
• What happens if I need a new roof later?
• What happens to solar when I sell my house?
• Do I need a battery?
• Is there still a federal tax credit for homeowners?

Answer that last one carefully.

The IRS says the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit isn’t available for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Say so plainly — and explain what still affects their price.

One honest page beats a hundred “save thousands!” ads. Homeowners remember who told them the truth.

step 6Turn every install into the next one

The best solar ad is a neighbor’s roof — and a neighbor who’s happy with it.

Ask every customer for a Google review after the system is on. Then make it easy for their neighbors to reach you:

That’s it. No gift cards for reviews — Google removes those.

Just a customer who’d recommend you, and an easy way to do it.

step 7Follow up with partners until they send the first one

Most roofers and builders won’t answer your first email.

They already get pitched. They’re on roofs.

So follow up — briefly, with something useful each time:

1. Day 0First email

   One detail about them, one offer that helps them.

2. Day 7Short bump

   “Happy to send two references from roofers we already work with.”

3. Day 30Something useful

   “We just sent a homeowner with an old roof to a roofer. Want to be on that list?”

4. Day 90Still here

   “Next time a customer asks you about solar, feel free to forward them to me.”

Then stop.

What to do this week

1. 01
   Fix your Google profile

   Solar category, real photos, reviews, license number.

2. 02
   Write “what happens after you sign”

   Every step, honestly.

3. 03
   Make a list of 30 roofers

   Reroofs, ratings, one detail, contact.

4. 04
   Send 10 partner emails a day

   Roofers first, then builders and electricians.

5. 05
   Ask every finished customer for a review

   Same words, after the system is on.

Or hand the lists, the emails and the follow-ups to your AI team — and spend the week on installs.

For the work around each sale — months of follow-up, honest answers, permit tracking — read AI for solar installers.

Questions