You know the Section 25D credit is gone. Now, sales teams have to adapt their appointments. They need to understand how to engage homeowners who think they’ve missed out. They also need to create proposals without a deadline to guide decisions.
The financial case for solar remains strong. Utility rates keep rising, system lifespan is stable, and financing solar payments still compete with grid costs.
Your appointment should consider presenting this case from the start.
Step 1: Open With Rate Math
Typically, you show homeowners a system design first. Without the credit, this offers no financial context.
Instead, pull their last 12 months of utility bills or use state averages. Create a one-page projection of their current monthly cost, increasing at 5% annually over 10 years. The EIA’s residential electricity pricing data shows rates rising consistently for over a decade.
Present this before the proposal. You will be showing how the cost of staying on the grid increases over time while solar locks in at a predictable rate now.
Step 2: Address the “Did I Miss the Window” Conversation Early
Some leads came in when the credit was active. Many assume the opportunity has passed but won’t mention it. They may just stop responding.
Address this at the start of the appointment:
“You’ve probably heard the federal tax credit expired. That changes the numbers, but solar still makes financial sense. Let me show you the current return.”
Then show them. The credit shortened payback time. What remains is rate hedging, 25 years of production life, and a monthly payment similar to their current utility costs in most markets.
Handle this before the proposal opens. If left unaddressed, it could cause them to disengage.
Step 3: Resequence the Proposal
Your proposal likely starts with system design and discusses finances later. This worked when the credit helped convince homeowners. Without it, financial logic must come first.
Homeowners who see the return before the price evaluate it differently than those who start with a number lacking context.
Follow this order:
- Current energy cost baseline: Their monthly bill, rate trend over three years, projected bill over 10 years.
- Solar financial case: System cost, monthly payment, net savings at years 5, 10, and 25. Crossover point where cumulative savings exceed system cost.
- System design: Panel count, production estimate, equipment specs. This confirms the numbers you’ve built; it’s not the opener.
- Battery integration: Inside the financial case, not at the end. Show a 10-year savings comparison with and without storage side by side.
Step 4: Bring Battery Into the Financial Case Early
Introducing storage after homeowners agree to solar-only means reopening a closed decision. Most won’t do it.
Bring storage into the financial case section of your proposal, alongside solar before discussing price.
The 2026 Aurora Solar Snapshot shows only 3% of solar homeowners are uninterested in storage. Timing drives resistance, not interest.
When the objection is cost, show a side-by-side: solar-only versus solar-plus-storage against their current utility bill. In markets with time-of-use pricing, the payment gap is often smaller than homeowners expect.
Solar covers the monthly bill. The battery manages rate spikes and outages. Make it clear.
Step 5: Re-Engage Quiet Leads With Specificity
Homeowners who went quiet in late 2025 or early 2026 are still interested. They have an unanswered question: “Does solar still make sense without the credit?”
A generic re-engagement doesn’t address this. It treats a homeowner with a specific concern the same as someone who’s never heard of you.
Send a brief, one-to-one message. Acknowledge the credit expiration. Confirm that the financial case remains strong. Offer to walk through updated numbers. You should neither show urgency, nor sound promotional.
Include a one-page leave-behind: current rate trajectory, 10-year projection, payment comparison with and without storage. This gives them something to read before deciding to respond.
Step 6: Update Your Materials Before Any of This Lands
Using credit-era language in your website copy and proposal templates or email sequences and campaigns sends mixed signals before conversations start. A homeowner who sees deadline-based language on your site and hears a return-based pitch notices the gap.
Review your proposals, email sequences, website pages, and social content. Replace deadline language with return language. Remove credit-specific numbers from financial projections.
You’re changing the lead message of the pitch.
To Sum Up
These adjustments don’t require starting over. Most of the work is in the order, what comes first in the appointment, what anchors the proposal, when to introduce storage, and whether your materials match your appointments.
Homeowners are still interested. The financial case remains strong.
For help identifying gaps in your current sales and messaging, reach out to the MAYO team.
