Though utility customers are increasingly interested in solar power, and expect utility businesses to provide solar possibilities, more consumers are purchasing rooftop solar systems out of non-utility providers. Client demand for new energy technologies such as solar energy more than doubled in 2018, according Cogent. But, among customers considering solar, preference for their utility company as a solar supplier dropped from 68 percent to 47 percent. Utilities with higher brand confidence tend to be favored over third parties, while people who have low brand trust levels drop more sales opportunities. Utilities using a broader offering of goods and services, such as options for clients to buy solar panels, are more likely to have higher brand trust levels, according to Utility Dive.
Net net: good for third party solar installers, utility companies are slow to adapt.
