The quote counter for Australia’s go-to site for all things solar power, SolarQuotes, quietly ticked over to 400,000 early this week – the number representing equivalent to one in 25 Australian homes.
SolarQuotes’ free service provides up to 3 quotes from pre-vetted installers matched to a prospective solar buyer’s requirements. It has been utilised by households in 2,678 postcodes across Australia to date, which is around 80% off all postcodes in the country.
Launched in 2009, it was in May 2017 when the tally reached 300,000 – so the service has chalked up another 100,000 quotes in less than two years; reflecting the continuing eagerness of Australians to slash their power bills and carbon footprint.
Over the last decade, the company has steadily built a network of approximately 330 trusted installers and published close to 40,000 customer-submitted reviews of more than 1,900 Australian solar installation companies. The service accepts reviews of all companies operating in Australia, not just those within its network.
Core Values Key To Longevity
Somewhat similar services have come and gone over the years, but SolarQuotes has continued to go from strength to strength. Key to its success are its core values – one of which is the very simple but powerful “grandmother rule”.
“The rule is – if I wouldn’t recommend a solar installer to my grandmother, I won’t recommend them through SolarQuotes,” says SQ founder Finn Peacock.
SolarQuotes puts installers through the wringer so solar buyers don’t have to. This includes extensive background checks of not only a business, its products and services, but also those behind the company.
More Traffic, More Resources, A Bigger Team
As well as quoting, general activity on the SolarQuotes web site has continued to pick up pace. Traffic to the web site this year has set new records, indicating the thirst for solid, impartial information on solar power and battery storage in Australia is far from slaked.
To help service demand for information and its services, the SolarQuotes team has also grown substantially – from seven members in early 2017 to eleven today.
Among resources added to the web site over the last couple of years has been Finn’s bestseller book – The Good Solar Guide, an online version of which is free to read in its entirety.
For installers and those generally interested in the Australian solar industry, a report called the “auSSII” is published monthly that provides insights into what Australians are wanting in terms of solar power and battery storage. Popular resources such as the residential and commercial solar “101 guides” have been kept updated, and the site’s inverter and panel reviews sections continue to grow.
Early this year, the company established a new office in Adelaide’s CBD, which also acts as the set for its recently launched vodcast series that sees Finn and SQ Chief Technical Writer Ronald Brakels discuss recent industry news.
The Road Ahead For Solar In Australia
With ten years of local industry experience now under his belt, how does Finn see SQ and Australia’s solar industry evolving over the next couple of years ?
“As the Australian solar industry finalises its transition from early adopters to the mainstream, we will see solar hardware brands become more familiar to the general public,” says Finn. ” As a result they will start to demand specific panel, inverter and battery brands, then shop around for the installer. Not the cheapest installer but the installer that they trust to offer the best balance of quality installation, service and price. With our huge database of installer and hardware reviews, we’ll be here to help the next 400,000 solar and battery buyers do just that.”
Journalists wishing to get in touch with Finn regarding an interview or wanting background information for a solar energy story can contact him here.
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