Staying Competitive in a Dynamic Solar Marketplace
Anyone who visits this site regularly already knows that the solar marketplace is more competitive than ever thanks to more and more installers jumping on the solar bandwagon. As the price of solar continues to fall, residential and commercial demand is rising dramatically, attracting new players to the sector. Like any industry, solar installers have had to lower operating costs and unlock new revenue streams to stay competitive. A few ways to accomplish this are: Improving customer service Reducing the number of unnecessary truck rolls Mitigating the risk associated with warranty obligations (many locations, including California, require a 10-year warranty period by law) Differentiating from the competitionSome installers have realized that advanced solar monitoring solutions are a simple way of addressing all of these areas. In the past, most installers have operated in a relative data vacuum with regards to monitoring their customers’ system performance, but this is now changing. Viewing actual solar performance data is a watershed event for installers and customers alike. Once you've been exposed to this valuable and insightful data, it is nearly impossible to go back to the dark ages when nobody knew how much energy their systems were actually producing.
For those progressive installers who have already adopted monitoring as part of their business plan, it’s still worth considering whether or not your monitoring systems are being used to their full financial potential. If you have monitoring systems installed on a good chunk of your customer base, the economic opportunity is enormous. Consider the following:
Alarms and Alerts
Today, most monitoring technology includes custom alarms that alert system owners and/or installers to system failure. Using these alarms is an easy way to improve customer service and more efficiently manage service calls. Consider the following scenario: one of your customer’s solar hot water systems has stopped working due to a loss of pressurization on the glycol loop. However, the controller is still calling for the pump to run but, of course, the pump is running dry and there is no circulation. Consequently, the panels stagnate, further exacerbating the problem. The customer discovers that their system is malfunctioning and contacts you to demand a service call – which can be cost you time and money due to the system warranty.
Now, what would have happened if YOU had spotted the issue before the customer? You call the customer, explain that their system has stopped working properly, and then dispatch a service tech to take a look. You have also just blown the customer's mind with outstanding customer service – and saved money by handling the repairs when it is convenient for you. Lesson 1: Use the alarms!
Lesson Plans On The Solar System - News
Behind him is a chart of questions about the solar system that students want answered. (Gabriel Luis Acosta/Staff Photographer) 11 San Bernardino City Unified schools that landed on a list of the state's 188 persistently underperforming schools in
Lesson 4: Learn from monitoring! These are just four of the many advantages that solar monitoring offers installers and contractors looking to upgrade their business plan. In an increasingly competitive environment, monitoring can be what puts one
Pleasantville Middle School science teacher George Murray had his students create a scale model of the solar system outside the school. Sudack said high school students heading off to summer jobs could stand a financial literacy lesson in how to save
Students are completing their Million Project and will be moving on to a detailed study of the bodies that make up the solar system. Students will then be designing aliens with adaptations that would allow them to live in some of the extreme
As co-president of her high school's environmental club, Ming Yi coordinated multiple activities including environmental awareness days, school garden plantings and the development of a hands-on lesson plan about phantom power.
6th Grade Lesson Plans: The Solar System and Space Technology ...
May 9 & 10, 2011
Discuss the properties of systems in the Solar System: Sun, planet, dwarf planet, moon, Galilean moons, asteroid, comet, meteor, meteorite, AU. Computer research activity on current space missions.
May 11 & 12, 2011
Discuss the role of gravity within the Solar System. Lab activity on period of revolution.
May 13 & 16, 2011
Discuss equipment used in space exploration including satellites, telescopes, and space probes. Discuss the purpose and accomplishments of the space shuttle and space probes. List future plans for space exploration. Lab activity on the measurement unit AU (astronomical unit).
May 19 & 20, 2011
Discuss rockets and their uses. Review the history of the early space program including how it was organized and what it accomplished. Lab activity on the basic principles of rocket flight.
May 17 & 18, 2011
Complete Study Sheets. These are review questions over Space Technology and the Solar System, Chapters 11 and 12. Students are to use their class notes and textbook to complete the review; due May 23 & 24 if not completed in class.
May 23 & 24, 2011
Review for semester exam including Chapters 11 and 12 on Space Technology and the Solar System as well as questions overs all chapters covered in the spring semester. Please look back at previous posts for review materials on these chapters.
Correct Study Sheets and make packet of science papers. Assignment: Study for semester exam (review study packets); get packet signed for 3 extra credit points on test grade.
May 25-27, 2011
Spring Semester Exams including Chapter 11 and 12, Space Technology and the Solar System, plus all chapters studied in the spring semester. Please look back at previous posts for review materials on these chapters.
Lesson Plans On The Solar System - Bookshelf
Earth Science Success, 50 Lesson Plans for Grades 6-9
Lab Astronomy 5: (A-5) Reflecting on the Solar System Part 1:(Teacher's Lesson Plan Outline) Note: See Lesson Planning on page 32. ...Web Hunts and Virtual Field Trips, Grades 3-5, Projects and Lesson Plans Using the Internet
The student will identify pressing questions and curiosities about the solar system. The student will complete a research plan for the online exploration of ...National Science Education Standards, observe, interact, change, learn
Each lesson also includes background information; a complete lesson plan, ... The Solar System is a 1 7-lesson unit requiring 30- to 45-minute class ...Elementary teacher's treasury of science lesson plans
LESSON 8 Early theories of the solar system differ from those of today. The earth was placed at the center with the sun and other planets orbiting around it ...Resources for teaching elementary school science
Each lesson also includes background information; a complete lesson plan ... The Solar System is a 17-lesson unit requiring 30- to 45-minute class sessions. ...Day-by-day Report Directory
Lesson Plan
The Best of the Solar System. Teaching Tips - Detailed Lesson Plan ... The Teaching Tips (Lesson Summary and Lesson Plan) are text files that can be easily ...
A Journey Through the Solar System Lesson Plan Grade(s): 1-3
The purpose of this lesson is for students to acquire information ... The Earth is at the center of the solar system. • Lights do not have an affect on the ...
solar system lesson plans
Best of the Solar System - Lesson Plan __ "Introduce students to planetary research and familiarize them with the planets and their features. ...
Solar System Trading Cards -- Lesson Plan
The purpose of this lesson is for students to acquire information ... The students should know that asteroids and comets are part of the solar system. ...
Solar System Lesson Plans
Solar system lesson plans help people learn about the planets and their features in a systematic way. The goals of a well drawn-out solar system lesson ...