In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, solar companies are investing in a digital-only sales strategy.
Some of the ads, which Business Insider reviewed, suggest that certain states are giving away solar panels for free or that utilities will pay customers to put solar panels on their roofs. And nearly all of them stated that there are no out-of-pocket expenses."The utility never pays solar customers any kind of cash," said Aggarwal, whose website allows users to compare quotes from different solar providers, for which it generates leads.
"We're seeing a lot of success in the conversion to digital sales," Lynn Jurich, the CEO of the rooftop solar company Sunrun, Another problem is that much of the information they present is misleading, according to more than a dozen ads reviewed by Business Insider. One ad published in late March by the Facebook page California Clean Energy Association, for example, says "the solar stimulus initiative is now open for SoCal Edison customers who own their home." Benji Jones/Business Insider
Facebook took down the ad after it ran for an unknown amount of time because it didn't include a paid-for-by disclaimer, which is required for ads related to issues and politics. Vivint Solar did not respond to a request for comment. While there are tax incentives for residential solar, the government is not paying anyone to go solar, experts say.When Business Insider originally clicked on the ad, it linked to a page where you could sign up to schedule a virtual solar consultation "powered by Sigora Solar." In addition, a number listed on the page routed to someone who said he was an "authorized Sigora Solar dealer.
Business Insider also reviewed a handful of ads from the Facebook pages SolarCost and UPS Solar that link to pages with the headline "MA to give solar panels to homeowners at no cost down." Even the phrase "no cost down" can be misleading, he added, as customers will typically, at a minimum, pay monthly bills to the solar company if they opt for financing.
For example, some ads — which Facebook removed because they had no disclaimer about who paid for them — were posted by a page called El Paso County News. The page appears to be associated with a company called Skyline Solar. Benji Jones/Business Insider "This is especially a problem for seniors who are spending more time online now," he said. "They're even more vulnerable to misleading advertisements."
Wonder who is behind this? 🤔
United Kingdom United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »