Insight Solar
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
Insight Solar provides solar management services for clients interested in having a major home project completed on their property. The leadership at Insight Solar has been part of or managed a combined 20,000 installations to date. Additionally, the team has over 30 years of combined solar experience, so they have seen firsthand how a lot of solar companies operate.
Insight Solar has a complex network to connect all aspects of a solar project and provide high level management for each client. The Insight Solar team has developed partnerships with solar-approved banks and local credit unions in conjunction with solar equipment manufacturers and professional installers.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Solar Project Management Services
- Certified in Providing Third-Party Management
- Instant Estimates
Solar Project Management Services
Insight Solar oversees the entirety of the solar projects. Many solar installation companies will simply design and then install a system without taking into consideration current roofing conditions. This is not how Insight Solar conducts operations.
Prior to any work being done, Insight Solar will ensure that the property and roof is in the best condition possible to receive optimal solar output. After looking into roofing and structural issues, Insight Solar will make sure that all moving parts associated with the solar installation process run smoothly, managing the financial, manufacturing, and installation components.
Certified in Providing Third-Party Management
Clients can be hesitant to get another company involved in the solar project as a third-party service. One reassuring aspect of Insight Solar is its certification with Pearl, a well-respected third party certification organization. Pearl is a national firm that has high standards for certification. Only 5 percent of solar contractors obtain this certification and the standards are based on the following components:
- Financial stability
- Workmanship quality
- Installation expertise
- Customer service
For clients interested in using a third party service like Insight Solar, it is comforting to know that the service has been analyzed and proven effective.
Instant Estimates
Clients interested in what solar can do for their property can get a ballpark idea from Insight Solar almost instantly. Insight Solar provides an estimate tool to clients through its online platform.
Prospective solar clients will simply input some key information and get a generalized idea of how much solar will cost versus how much it will save over the course of the solar system’s lifetime. This estimate can help clients determine whether or not solar is even a good option for their particular property.
Most solar companies will require an on-site visit to provide this type of information and will always suggest solar be installed regardless of what the savings information states.
The Bad
- Third-Party Service
- Undisclosed Equipment Information
- No Warranty Information
Third-Party Service
Insight Solar does not offer the typical services seen in the solar industry. Most solar companies offer sales, production, or installation services. Insight Solar does not offer any of these. Instead, Insight Solar works as a project manager for the entirety of the solar process connecting clients with companies that manufacture solar projects and contractors that are qualified to install those systems.
However, many clients do not need this type of service as many solar installation companies will offer all of these services and provide them through the in-house staff.
Undisclosed Equipment Information
While Insight Solar claims to have high level relationships with solar manufacturers, the company has failed to disclose who those manufacturers are and what brands the company specifically has access to for equipment purposes. The equipment can be a huge selling point for many clients, and there is no way to determine what equipment Insight Solar clients will have access to because that information is not publicly shared.
Most solar installation companies will disclose what manufacturers they are tied to or certified installers for. Insight Solar does not provide this information to prospective clients.
No Warranty Information
Since Insight Solar does not directly provide the equipment or the work done on the property, the company itself does not appear to offer any sort of warranties to its clients. This is concerning as solar is a substantial financial investment. To provide clients with security needed during the purchasing process, most solar installation companies will provide two types of warranties to its clients: equipment and workmanship.
The equipment warranty will cover repairs and replacements and is typically provided through the solar manufacturer. These warranties are generally 25 years in length. Then the installation company will provide a workmanship warranty, which generally lasts 10 years, and covers any issues stemming from the installation process. Insight Solar does not provide manufacturing or installation services so these warranties are unavailable directly through the company.
The Bottom Line
Insight Solar is a third-party solar management service operating and serving the state of Massachusetts. Due to the number of moving parts associated with each solar installation, Insight Solar has taken the burden off of the client by providing solar project management solutions. Insight Solar is a Pearl Certified company, meaning it is certified to provide third-party services within the solar industry. Interested clients can take advantage of the instant estimate tool Insight Solar provides to clients online through its website.
While there are a number of networking and management services offered by Insight Solar that may appeal to clients, there are limitations customers should be aware of as well. For starters, Insight Solar truly is a middleman service. The company does not employ in-house installers or contractors. It does not offer independent financing either. It strictly connects these providers with the client. Due to its service limitations, Insight Solar does not provide equipment or warranty information as it is at the mercy of manufacturers and solar installation companies to provide these details.
Taking into consideration all that Insight Solar has to offer, clients should be hesitant to enlist the help of Insight Solar. There are other companies within the industry operating in Massachusetts that can handle the entirety of a solar project from start to finish without having to work through a third-party service.
