Sungevity and zulily Work Together to Make Your Little Sunshine A Star

Renu Mathias, Associate Vice President of Affinity Marketing at Sungevity, and her son Taj.

The decision to install home solar is usually made by the adults in a household, but we’re making children the stars of our 2015 campaign, “See Solar Differently.” Why? Because children are the reason solar energy matters.

An old saying goes: We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. Wouldn’t we rather return a planet to our kids that has plentiful clean air and water, a stable atmosphere, and that is powered by clean energy?

A recent survey* of U.S. parents commissioned by Sungevity indicates the answer to that question is a resounding “Yes!” The majority of parents surveyed (67%) want solar to be the world’s primary energy source when their children grow up. In fact, most are planning to take matters into their own hands: 81% of parents plan to live in a solar-powered home.

So to find our next star to headline Sungevity’s Back to School campaign this fall, we are running a casting call contest with zulily, mom’s favorite retailer. We’re looking for kids 0-12 that have that certain shiny quality that sets them apart from the rest.

If you think your kid has what it takes, go on and show us how they shine! Entering is simple. Just go to www.zulily.com/Sungevity-contest and follow the on-screen instructions to complete your entry and submit a photo of your child.

The grand prize winner will receive a family photoshoot, a mini makeover and a $500 zulily gift card!

The contest launches Wednesday, 4/22 in honor of Earth Day and ends Saturday, 4/25. Click here for the official contest rules. Sungevity is a global solar energy provider focused on making it easy and affordable for homeowners to benefit from solar power. See solar differently at www.sungevity.com.

* The Sungevity Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 U.S. parents with children in the home between March 18-March 25, 2015 using an email invitation and online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. parent population.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by this sample. To learn more about Sungevity’s Solar Survey, please contact Cory Shaw at cshaw@sungevity.com.

Hello, New Mexico and Vermont

It’s official: we now can help homeowners in New Mexico and Vermont switch to solar and have some fun along the way.

Adding New Mexico and Vermont expands our footprint to 12 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C. We also serve the Netherlands and Australia.

The expansion coincides with growing momentum for solar power in the United States. The number of solar panel installations in the country surged 73% to a record 1.3 GW in the first quarter of 2014, according to GTM Research and SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association). According to US Solar Market Insights analysis, residential installations have outpaced commercial for the first time since 2002. A separate GTM Research report ranked Sungevity among the top three residential solar installers in the U.S.

New Mexico and Vermont were both identified as markets with an active interest in and opportunity for residential solar energy solutions. New Mexico ranks #10 among U.S. states in the number of solar-powered houses, reflecting residents’ receptivity to solar-based energy. Vermont is experiencing above-average electricity rates, a streamlined permitting process for rooftop solar, and a new policy increasing the net metering cap from 4% to 15% of a utility’s peak load, which enables solar customers to receive more credit for energy they send back to the grid.

“From the beginning, we have called this a rooftop revolution, and the growth we’ve seen in the industry, as well as for our company, bears witness to this. In delivering homeowners a hassle-free way to estimate, design and install a solar solution for their home, we have ultimately doubled our own sales,” said Andrew Birch, Sungevity’s Chief Executive Officer. “Bringing our services to New Mexico and Vermont furthers our mission of strategically increasing our footprint to help homeowners get relief from rising energy costs while simultaneously reducing reliance on fossil fuels.”

Homeowners in New Mexico and Vermont can now request a Sungevity iQuote by filling out an online form at http://www.sungevity.com/get-your-iquote. Sierra Club members in both states who purchase solar installations from Sungevity can earn a $750 discount for themselves, as well as a $750 donation to the Sierra Club through its participation in the Sungevity.org cause marketing initiative. The Sierra Club is one of nearly 115 nonprofits participating in the Sungevity.org program, which has donated more than $1.5 million to nonprofit partners since its inception three years ago in return for referring business to their members.

“Our partnership with Sungevity allows our members to take personal action toward a cleaner planet while doing something good for themselves too,” said Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director. “Home solar is good for everyone, and we couldn’t be happier to expand our partnership into these two new states.”

James and the Giant…Cupcake?

…And then…Just like magic…Our office was bombarded with cupcakes.

 

 

And we affirmed that all is right with the world.

 

Office consensus?  The cupcakes were mind-blowing.  The sea salt caramel cupcakes, in particular, were so delectable that a few of us were on the verge of tears.  James & the Giant Cupcake, we will be coming back for more!

 

A big sprinkle covered thank you to our special friends across the bridge who somehow knew that these were JUST what we needed on a long and cold December afternoon.

 

 

 

Green Gift Monday

What’s in your treasure box?

 

That’s the question of the moment.

 

You know what I’m talking about: that box of special trinkets you’ve been adding to since you were a child.

 

I’m betting there are some classroom photos from elementary school, maybe a lanyard that your BFF made you at 6^th grade camp, a homemade coupon book from a younger sibling, ticket stubs from a Pink Floyd laser light show, a love note from your first significant other, your Boy Scout or Girl Scout sash loaded up with patches, a scorecard from the day the Red Sox overcame their 86 year losing streak and won the World Series, a photo of the woman you gave a Kiva loan to, and maybe even some pressed flowers from a special event like a quince or a wedding.

 

You know what I bet is NOT in that box of treasures?  That Hungry Hungry Hippos game you BEGGED for.  The Debbie Gibson cassette tape you NEEEEDED.  Your first Pet Rock.  A necktie.  Tickle Me Elmo.

 

The things that are truly worth treasuring are the things that money can’t buy.  They are memories, experiences, things people made for you, things that fill up your heart, and things that replenish your soul.

 

I challenge you this holiday season to fill up someone’s treasure box instead of adding to their clutter and the piles of stuff that weigh them down.  This challenge officially begins on November 28^th, which is not just Cyber Monday, but also Green Gift Monday.

The Nature Conservancy created Green Gift Monday in 2010 to raise awareness for green gifting options and to provide ideas like making a charitable donation, purchasing eco-friendly gifts, or making homemade gifts.  You can also give the gift of an experience, which could be anything from season tickets to the opera, membership to a museum, a year’s worth of music via a cloud-based subscription service, or a few sessions with a life coach.

 

As part of your green gifting you can choose to support Sungevity’s Every Child Has a Light program, which provides solar light to rural schools in Zambia, allowing children to study after sundown.  For just $22 you can buy a light and join the critical fight against energy poverty.

 

Join the Green Gift Monday movement by signing The Nature Conservancy’s pledge to give green this year and then share some of your own green gift ideas.

Sungevity Goes International: Welkom Zonline!

Big news today: we announced our international expansion.  And what better country to expand into than one known for gouda cheese, chocolate sprinkles on bread (hagelslag), tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes?  That’s right Holland, I’m talking about you.

 

Welcome to the Sungevity family, Zonline!

Good looking bunch, eh?

 

Zonline, which roughly translates to “sunshine online,” is a Dutch solar start-up.  With this partnership Sungevity becomes the first US residential solar company to go overseas.  I think that’s worth a collectively shouted, “SHINE ON!, don’t you?

 

If you’ve spent any time in the Netherlands you might be curious about why we chose that particular market; Holland certainly isn’t the sunniest place in Europe.  What Holland does have, however, is the continent’s second-highest electricity rates.  Ack!  Additionally, Holland puts our model to test in a country without any solar subsidies.  Did I mention that people from the Netherlands love orange?  That wasn’t necessarily a driving factor behind the partnership, but it sure didn’t hurt 🙂

 

So how did we get to this point?  It’s been a long journey, but here is the story of how it all began: penguin suits, oil giants, and all.

 

 

No matter how big a tree you become, you should never forget your roots, be they American, Australian, Scottish, or Dutch. . .

 

 

Save the Delaware River

Going solar is bigger than just saving money each month on your utility bill.  Going solar is about being part of the solution.  It’s about standing up for what’s right and leading a desperately needed change in our energy portfolio.

 

On Nov. 21st the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) will vote on fracking regulations, that will allow thousands of gas wells to be drilled in the Delaware River Basin — the largest unfiltered drinking water supply in the world.  Join Mark Ruffalo in Trenton, NJ on Nov 21st to tell Obama, Wall Street, and the DRBC that our health and our lives are not collateral damage for the oil & gas industry.  Help stand up for New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

Visit the Water Defense website for additional details on the event.

For more information on fracking or how Mark Ruffalo is involved with Sungevity, check out our blog post from July 11th.

Occupy Oakland. . . and its Rooftops!

Jerry Brown, Governor of California, says:

 

Where there is a sufficient social movement of self-reliant communities, there can be political change. There must be political change

 

Whether you’re part of the 99% or the 1%. . .

 

Whether you support or denounce the Occupy movement. . .

 

Whether you welcome change or eschew it. . .

 

You’re watching the birth of a movement.

 

What started out as Occupy Wall Street has become Occupy Chicago, Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Delaware, and closest to home for us at Sungevity, Occupy Oakland.  Occupy is omnipresent, but what you might not have heard about is a bit of a morph in the movement that is scheduled to take place on November 20th.

 

November 20, 2011 is the official kick-off of Occupy Rooftops (or #OccupyRooftops if you’re into hashtaggery).

Disclaimer: Physically occupying an actual rooftop not required

 

Occupy Rooftops doesn’t separate the over-taxed from the under-taxed and it doesn’t involve camping out in city centers or blocking off ports.  Occupy Rooftops kicks off with people like yourself identifying buildings that you would like to see go solar and then taking a photo in front of them.  Maybe you would like to see your community center go sunny side up.  Perhaps your local taqueria would look better with shimmering panels perched up on its roof.  Would your place of worship run smoother if it was being run on solar?  The sky is the limit.  Quite literally. If you want to join forces with other folks in your community, check out the Occupy Rooftops Meetups that are already happening — or plan one of your own.

 

The great news is that after you submit your photo to theteam@solarmosaic.com and post it to Solar Mosaic’s Facebook page, you can work with Solar Mosaic to actually “occupy” the rooftop with a community purchased solar array.  Full disclosure: Solar Mosaic is one of the organizations in Sungevity’s solar incubator. Find out more about them here:

 

 

Here are some Solar Mosaic FAQs that explain the ins and outs of starting a Solar Mosaic project.

 

Will you occupy a rooftop on November 20?  Is your own rooftop occupied yet?  Below is a photo of a rooftop we “occupied” a few months ago with the help of GRID Alternatives.  Can you get together a bigger crowd for your #OccupyRooftops picture?  Consider that an official challenge.  And challenges often come hand in hand with prizes. . .

How Lowe’s Can You Go? Sungevity & Lowe’s Partnership

In mid-May, Sungevity announced its Partnership with Lowe’s — we have an in-store presence in 36 NorCal stores, and are available to all of California through http://www.lowes.com/sungevity.

 

What this means is that now Lowe’s shoppers have three easy ways to get an iQuote – online, by phone, or via mobile scan.

 

Have you been inside of a NorCal Lowe’s store this summer to see what it all looks like?Here’s a peek:

Stirring up some Sunshine Yellow paint?  Why not stir up some savings by going solar?

Grabbing a key?  Did you know that the key to saving money on your electric bill is going solar with Sungevity?

Fancy a plant to purify the air in your house?  Purify the air AROUND your house by switching over to a clean energy source — the sun!

 

We have a thorough in-store experience where strategically placed displays provide portals to the iQuote sales process so that customers can get firm quotes within 24 hours without a home visit.

 

While going solar isn’t exactly a d.i.y. project, it’s certainly e.z.p.z. when you do it through Lowe’s and Sungevity. 🙂

 

For those of you who live in New Jersey, you can catch our solar powered ice pop truck at Lowe’s in Paramus on 9/17 and at Lowe’s in Patterson on 9/18 from 11-2.