Massachusetts Sales Guidelines

Must be in an eligible energy community (MAP ↗) in Massachusetts.

Must receive electric service from one of the following utilities:

• National Grid
• Eversource

• Ideally has room in a garage or basement for batteries. Most homes will have 3 batteries which take up about 9 feet of wall space.
• Roof needs to have 10 years remaining expected life.
• No manufactured homes.
• Metal roofs okay.
• Residential properties/meters only — no commercial.
• Compatible with generators — see FAQ below.
• No add-on systems.
• No ground mounts.
• No, you can't build a shed for the batteries.

• Homeowner must have 620+ credit with either Transunion or Experian.
• No co-signers. Single signer must either be on title, OR be the legal spouse of the person on title (with marriage certificate uploaded).
• LLC, Trust, etc. approved with document uploaded showing that contract signer is owner/executor of the Trust or LLC.

Rule 1 — Name must match title exactly:

The name of the customer must match the name on title and must be a complete name.

• ❌ Customer name is Franklin Jones, signs contract as Frank Jones
• ❌ Title says "P RODRIGUEZ" so rep clicks "Replace" but the full name was Pedro Rodriguez

Rule 2 — Customer must sign with their own name:

Browsers sometimes have initials or signatures saved from other people. Verify the customer is signing as themselves.

• ❌ Customer John Smith signs with the initials RG
• ❌ Customer John Smith signs with signature "Mary Smith"

The purpose of the video welcome call is to make sure the customer understands the key terms of the agreement on their own — in case they have a dispute or issue with the contract later on. Customer must answer questions verbally and without anyone else talking during the call.

Common Rejections:

• ❌ Someone is talking to the customer during the call, answering questions or telling them what to say
• ❌ Customer is distracted or not verbally answering the questions so we can't tell whether they are actually understanding what's being asked

Customer must connect a valid payment method through Stripe.

Please stay in the home or on the phone with the customer until you can see that an account or card has been successfully linked to Solrite.

Common Rejection:

• ❌ Customer stops the Stripe process on the "Success" screen before clicking "Return to Solrite" to connect the account to their Solrite billing profile

We need a full utility bill that includes ALL of the following:

• Account number
• Meter number
• Customer name and address
• Usage history

Common Rejections:

• ❌ Only one page or partial bill uploaded
• ❌ Link or blurry photo uploaded rather than full PDF

The name on the contract must match the name on the property title. If the names don't match, the rep must upload documents showing the connection between the person who signed and the name on title.

Accepted Title Documents: SubcontractorHub checks title automatically against public property records, and a match passes straight through to Solrite. If it does not match, upload any one of the following:

• ✅ Third-party title report
• ✅ Current mortgage statement (dated within the last 2 months)
• ✅ Recorded deed: Grant Deed, Warranty Deed, or a similar legal document recorded with the registry of land records
• ✅ New build: evidence of home purchase at the contracted address in the Solrite customer’s name
• ✅ Recently closed sale: closing documents showing the homeowner name and the property address

Common Rejections:

• ❌ Name on title doesn't match the contract and no supporting documents uploaded
• ❌ Title is held by a trust or LLC but nothing is uploaded showing the signer owns the LLC or is a trustee of the trust

Explain that batteries are included in the price — not free. The cost of the batteries is covered by the tax credit and utility company payments from participation in the VPP. These batteries are fully owned and actively managed in the VPP, and Solrite is able to capitalize more on their use when we fully control the battery. This means that Solrite controls the backup reserve percentages, emergency backup mode for storms, etc. — the customer will not be altering settings.

Explain that the monthly price will increase by 2.9% each year. This is not a conditional increase — it will happen every year. The purpose of the escalator is to allow our prices to start out much lower and then keep up with inflation, rather than charging a much higher fixed rate from the start.

No — and this must be set correctly before the sale. The Solrite system is designed for essential loads backup only, not whole home backup. HVAC systems, central AC units, electric water heaters, and electric dryers are not placed on the backup circuit.

Why: These appliances draw so much power that they can overload the battery instantly and drain even a 60kWh system in hours, leaving the customer without any backup at all. Essential loads — lights, outlets, refrigerator, and smaller devices — can run for an extended time.

For customers who want to stay warm during a winter outage: suggest plugging in space heaters or electric blankets into backed-up outlets. Those draw much less power than central heating and can provide meaningful comfort without draining the battery.

There are a few common causes to investigate:

• They're comparing to a seasonal low. If they signed in fall and the battery launched in winter, their bill will be higher simply due to heating usage and less solar production — not the battery.
• They haven't switched to the approved retail plan yet. The discounted rate requires the customer to be on the approved plan. If they're still on their old plan, they're not getting the benefit.
• The system is still in contract or NTP stage. The VPP doesn't activate and the rate benefit doesn't start until the system is fully commissioned and in service.
• Usage has increased. A new family member, new appliances, electric vehicle — any of these can raise usage independent of the system.

All batteries can technically provide backup power — that's not the distinguishing feature. The difference is what a battery is engineered and certified to do beyond backup.

Most residential batteries on the market were built primarily as backup power devices with a basic demand response capability tacked on — meaning a few times a year, the grid operator can request a scheduled discharge. That's it.

The sonnen battery was engineered from the beginning for Virtual Power Plant participation in Europe, where it's been doing advanced grid services for over a decade. It's on its 11th generation. sonnen's SonnenConnect platform supports over a dozen grid services including frequency regulation, voltage support, and fast-response dispatches of 30 seconds to 5 minutes — none of which drain the battery in a way the customer would notice. This is what makes it a real VPP and not just a backup battery with a marketing label.

They'd like to — but they don't have the right battery. Most residential batteries were designed and marketed as backup products. They're just now starting to develop demand response capabilities, and what they offer today is limited to a couple of scheduled annual dispatches.

sonnen has been building for the grid in Europe for over a decade and has the engineering, certifications, and grid relationships required to run a real VPP. Other manufacturers are a few years behind in that specific capability. As they catch up, you'll start to see more programs like this emerge — but right now, this is largely unique to what sonnen and Solrite are doing together.

No — Solrite retains ownership of all equipment under the VPA. The customer is purchasing access to the energy the system produces and the benefits of VPP participation — not the hardware itself.

This is actually the financially smarter position for the customer on batteries specifically. Residential batteries typically have a lifespan of 7–15 years depending on usage and chemistry. Under a 25-year agreement, the battery will likely need to be replaced at least once. If the customer owned it, that replacement — which can cost $10,000–$15,000 — would come out of their pocket. Because Solrite owns it, Solrite is contractually responsible for service and replacement at no cost to the homeowner.

Timelines vary depending on contract stage completion, local permitting, and utility interconnection.

1. Contract Stage — Get this done fast

Nothing moves until contract stage is complete. The requirements are:

• Signed agreement (name matches title exactly)
• Completed video welcome call
• Billing profile connected through Stripe
• Full utility bill — complete PDF showing account number, meter number, usage, and customer name

The utility bill is the most common holdout. Make sure it's a full PDF — not a screenshot, not a link, not a partial upload. Get it submitted the same day you sign if possible.

2. Permitting

Massachusetts municipalities each have their own permitting process. Timelines can vary significantly by town. Some towns are faster than others — your project coordinator will guide the permitting process.

3. Utility Interconnection

After installation, the utility must approve interconnection before the system can go live. National Grid and Eversource each have their own interconnection process and timelines.

The customer has a few things to complete after signing:

• Complete the video welcome call — answering questions about their agreement on camera, clearly and without coaching.
• Connect a payment method through Stripe (bank account preferred; credit/debit cards add a $15/month surcharge).
• Provide a full utility bill — must be a complete PDF that shows account number, meter number, usage, and customer name.
• Be available for a site survey once the deal is in NTP.
• Sign the utility interconnection documents — the utility will send paperwork that the customer needs to sign. This is one of the most common causes of delays. Give your customer a heads-up that these are coming so they don't sit in their inbox for two weeks.
• If they live in an HOA or condo association — the customer will need to submit a solar installation application. We can provide all the documentation they need, but the customer must submit the application themselves.
• Be home on installation day.

After the system is live, the customer doesn't manage any settings — Solrite controls battery reserve percentages, emergency backup mode for storms, and VPP dispatch. The customer just pays their monthly VPA bill and uses their electricity normally.

At the end of the 25-year VPA term, the customer has the option to:

• Renew the agreement
• Have the equipment removed at no cost
• Purchase the equipment at fair market value

The solar panels carry a 25-year linear power production warranty guaranteeing approximately 80% of rated output at year 25, so the system will still be producing meaningful power at that point.

Yes. Generators are compatible with the Solrite system.

The one thing to get right is load selection. The battery backs up a defined set of essential loads, and the generator covers whatever the customer chooses to put on it. The same load cannot be backed up by both, so the customer decides which circuits sit on battery backup and which sit on the generator.

Have that conversation during the site survey and design, not after install. Once the essential loads panel is built, changing the split means sending an electrician back out.

The roof must have at least 10 years of expected remaining life to qualify. If the roof needs replacement soon, the customer should address that before or at the same time as the solar installation — attempting to reroof after panels are installed is significantly more expensive because the panels need to be removed and reinstalled.

If a customer's roof is borderline, flag it honestly during the site survey conversation rather than discovering it at install. Roofing-related delays after a contract is signed are avoidable.

The homeowner handles it — not us. HOAs and condo associations work with homeowners, not with contractors, installers, or sales reps.

The customer will need to submit a solar installation application. This is their responsibility. What we can do is provide everything they need to complete it:

• Engineered system plans and drawings
• Equipment spec sheets
• Any other documentation the HOA/association requires

The customer submits the application, follows up, and gets approval. We wait. Approval must happen before we can install, so the sooner the customer starts that process, the better.

This comes up at the table constantly. Homeowners see the words "lien" and "filing" and assume their house is on the line. It is not. Answer it directly and move on, because hedging makes it sound worse than it is.

The one-line answer: a UCC-1 is a lien on the equipment, not on the home. It says the solar system and battery belong to us while you use them. It gives us no claim on the house, the land, or the equity.

If they ask what happens when someone stops paying: be straight, do not soften it. It is a real bill and we expect it to be paid. If payments stop, we shut the system off and the account goes to collections, same as any unpaid bill. What does not happen is us taking the house.

If they ask about selling or refinancing: routine. At closing the agreement either transfers to the buyer or is paid off, and the UCC-1 is released. Title companies handle these every day. Tell them to mention it to their agent early and it is a normal step, not a problem.

Why it exists: we are paying for the system, so there has to be a public record that the equipment is ours while the customer uses it. Without it, the hardware could get treated as part of the house. The filing is what keeps the line clear between their home and our equipment.