In the green building world, there aren’t just efficiencies to be found in the design or operation of buildings. There are also opportunities to create greater efficiency in the market, encouraging and allowing more building owners to go green. While many building owners see the value of solar for reducing energy costs and their carbon footprint, they can easily be put off by aggressive sales tactics and the time and effort needed to get multiple quotes from solar installers. NRGTree recognized this challenge and created the Own My Solar platform to create a transparent and streamlined process for finding a solar installer.
Own My Solar is a reverse-auction platform that allows building owners and project managers to compare side-by-side quotes from solar installers in one place. The installers all bid on the same solar design, making direct comparison easier. Not only does Own My Solar save time, but the transparent, competitive bidding process has been shown to lower the cost of solar installations by as much as 30%. Own My Solar is completely free, and it’s an easy way to explore the costs and benefits of adding solar panels. NRGTree staff will even walk you through your projected energy and financial savings, including the government incentives your project is eligible for.
For solar installers, Own My Solar greatly reduces acquisition costs. Instead of spending time and money on marketing and sales, installers can simply log in to review and bid on the available projects. NRGTree creates the solar design, meaning installers don’t have to waste time creating designs for prospects that may not give them business.
Solar is essential for the green building community’s shift from merely reducing impacts to Net-Zero and Net-Positive goals, and Own My Solar is a tool that will help this transition. For many commercial projects, solar is already a good financial investment, with payback periods less than five years in many cases and incentives sometimes being worth more than the cost of the system. Yet, there are still barriers to adoption. By providing a free, easy and transparent way to directly compare solar quotes, Own My Solar reduces inefficiencies in the solar market, helping to increase ROI and making it easier for more building owners to embrace solar.
For more information about Own My Solar or joining our network of solar installers, visit www.nrgtree.com
Global Head of Sustainability, Superior Essex
Sustainability Director, Steven Winter Associates
PE | Associate, LeMessurier
Vice President, AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group
Interior Designer, Jacobs, Boston
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation and Development U.S. Green Building Council
AIA LEED AP BD+C | Senior Associate, Gensler Boston 
LEED Fellow, WELL AP | Founder and Principal, Ecoworks Studio
AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
LEED AP BD+C | Environmental Sustainability Manager, Armstrong World Industries
Assistant Professor of Exposure Science | Director of the Healthy Buildings program
Managing Director, Harvard University Office for Sustainability
Principal & Director of Certifications and Consulting, Epsten Group, Inc.
Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, Jamestown
Director of Sustainability Programs, DASNY | LEED AP BD+C
Associate Principal, BuroHappold Engineering
Senior Vice President, Sustainability at Kilroy Realty Corporation
Co-Founder, Facilitator at The Laurentia Project | LEED AP BD+C, LFA
Vice President of Sustainable Development, Shaw
Founder and President, Board of the Healthy Building Network
Building Technology Director, Kingspan North America
LEED® AP ID+C, BD+C, USGBC Faculty, WELL® AP, WELL Faculty and Fitwel Ambassador
Workplace Strategy Expert and Researcher, EYP
Principal, Integrated Ecostrategy
Senior Vice President, International WELL Building Institute
Principal, Bruner/Cott
Architect, Associate, and Sustainability Design Leader, Stantec Architecture and Engineering
FAIA, LEED Fellow, Long Green Specs
Products & Materials Specialist, BuildingGreen
Director of Acquisitions and Development
Director of Restorative Enterprise, Interface
Sustainability Manager, Consigli Construction Company