EnergySage

EnergySage is an American Boston-based company that operates an online comparison marketplace for clean energy products such as solar, energy storage, and heat pumps. The company's website provides information about clean energy options and shows online quotes from local solar, heat pump, and battery installers for consumer comparison shopping. The company also issues reports and survey results on the state of the clean energy industry regarding pricing, consumer preferences, and trends.

EnergySage
IndustrySolar power, comparison solar website
Founded2009 (2009)
Boston, Massachusetts
FounderVikram Aggarwal, CEO
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts
ParentSchneider Electric
Websitewww.energysage.com

EnergySage has received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SunShot Initiative and additional funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), as well as venture capital groups. In 2022, EnergySage was acquired by Schneider Electric and continues to operate independently.

History

EnergySage was founded in 2009 by Vikram Aggarwal.[1] Aggarwal's early goal for the company was to create "a website that would tell consumers the right questions to ask about solar energy." In June 2012, EnergySage was awarded $500,000 from the DOE through the Solar Energy Technologies Office's Incubator program, an early-stage assistance program for startup cleantech companies.[2]

The DOE later awarded EnergySage an additional $1.25 million in October 2013 via the department's SunShot initiative to develop its solar marketplace, and $1.6 million in July 2017.[3] EnergySage announced a $1.5 million Series-A funding round in May 2015 led by Launchpad Venture Group, MassCEC, and other venture capital groups.[4] Later in 2015, the Solar Energy Industries Association selected EnergySage to "make the organization's own solar shopping tool[,] [t]he SEIA EnergySage marketplace."[5]

In 2019, EnergySage introduced a buyer's guide for an independent ratings system for solar panels, batteries, and inverters.[6] The National Renewable Energy Laboratory assisted EnergySage in the early development of the system.[7]

In 2020, conglomerate Schneider Electric invested in EnergySage during the COVID-19 pandemic,[8] and by 2021 the company's separate marketplace for community solar included nine states.[9] In February 2022, Schneider Electric announced that it had acquired EnergySage for an undisclosed amount, with EnergySage continuing to operate independently.[10][11]

Products and operations

Solar marketplace and solar calculator

Homeowners and businesses use EnergySage's solar marketplace to request and compare solar or solar plus storage quotes from the company's network of local installers.[12] Quotes are standardized with data points such as cost, financing options, equipment quality, etc.[13] The marketplace takes advantage of Google satellite imagery to estimate a property's solar capabilities and covers 41 states and Washington, D.C.[14][15] Installers are required to compete for business and display their quotes side-by-side and customers can review their options with a company advisor.[16][17] EnergySage also offers a calculator for property-specific estimates of the costs and advantages of installing solar based on live quotes.[18]

Other products

EnergySage's community solar marketplace displays community solar projects based on a user's zip code and utility company.[19] After joining a project, customers receive credits for offsetting their energy consumption with solar.[20]

In October 2022, the company launched the EnergySage Heat Pump Marketplace for evaluating heat pump quotes from EnergySage's network of approved  companies. The additional marketplace provides similar services to the company's solar marketplace, but focuses on air source heat pumps.[21][22]

EnergySage regularly publishes reports about the US's larger solar marketplace with the data it collects from its services. The Solar & Storage Marketplace Report, a biannual publication, analyzes millions of transactions for solar panels, inverters, batteries, etc.[23] The company also releases information about the U.S. solar and battery industry based on its surveys of local and national solar installers.[24]

Awards

In 2016, EnergySage and partner National Grid received a GridEdge Award from Greentech Media for its SolarWise Rhode Island project.[25] EnergySage and National Grid were awarded together again for the 2020 Best Practices Award for Consumer Engagement from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.[26]

Aggarwal was named to the Boston Globe's 2016 Game Changer list.[27] In 2017, EnergySage received the Outstanding Venture award from National Renewable Energy Laboratory at the 2017 Industry Growth Forum.[28]

References
  1. Lynch, Brendan. "EnergySage wants to power easy energy searches". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  2. "EERE Success Story—DOE Funding Helps Build a One-Stop Shop for Rooftop PV Systems". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  3. "DOE's SunShot Awards $46M for Solar Tech-to-Market Research". www.greentechmedia.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  4. "EnergySage Raises $1.5M in Series A Funding". FinSMEs. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. "SEIA Chooses EnergySage for Online Solar Marketplace | SEIA". www.seia.org. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  6. Patricia Mertz Esswein (2019-07-03). "Market for Home Solar Systems Heats Up". Kiplinger.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  7. "EERE Success Story—DOE Funding Helps Build a One-Stop Shop for Rooftop PV Systems". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  8. "Schneider snaps up solar marketplace EnergySage, aims to electrify…". Canary Media. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  9. Field, Anne. "Comparison Shopping For Power From Community Solar Farms". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  10. "Schneider Electric purchases controlling stake in EnergySage". pv magazine USA. 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  11. Scully, Jules (2022-02-21). "Solar marketplace EnergySage sells controlling stake to Schneider Electric". PV Tech. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  12. "The 'Expedia of Solar' Is Out Raising a $2M Round". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  13. "EnergySage Review 2023 | ConsumerAffairs". www.consumeraffairs.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  14. Ankrum, Nora (April 17, 2015). "Online solar know-how". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  15. Bates, Michael (2023-03-21). "EnergySage Reports Increased Solar Prices Year over Year". Solar Industry. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  16. Gordon, Whitson (2020-06-06). "What you need to know about converting your home to solar". Popular Science. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  17. "EnergySage". Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  18. "Can You Save Money With Solar Panels?". AARP. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  19. Woods, Eileen. "After fits and starts, community solar goes mainstream". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  20. "How to run your house on clean electricity, no solar panels required". Washington Post. 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  21. "Boulder County Launches Program To Help Residents Shop for and Purchase Heat Pumps, Clean Energy Products and Services". Boulder County. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  22. "Online marketplace caters to homeowners looking to go electric". The Denver Post. 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  23. Dijeau, Edward F. (2022-08-18). "EnergySage Marketplace Intel Report points to changes in solar pricing, preferences". pv magazine USA. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  24. Lewis, Michelle (4 May 2022). "Here are 3 vital insights installers shared about the state of solar in 2021". Electrek. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  25. "The Grid Edge Awards: Building the 21st-Century Energy System". www.greentechmedia.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  26. "2020 Best Practices Awards". Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative. 2020-01-27. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  27. "Who made the Globe's list of 2016 Game Changers? - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  28. "NREL Brings Together Clean Energy Innovators at Industry Growth Forum | News". www.nrel.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
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