PORTLAND, Ore. — January 26, 2016 — Energy Trust of Oregon is launching this month a solar marketing training series for installers as part of the nonprofit’s ongoing efforts to reduce solar costs and increase solar installations in Oregon.

“Build it Bright! Crafting Your Solar Marketing Program” will deliver content through live webinars, podcasts and blog posts over a six-month period. The series launches on Thursday, January 28 with the webinar, “Taking Stock: Assessing the Condition of Your Marketing Foundation.”

The training series will be facilitated by Glenna Wiseman, of Identity3, a nationally recognized solar marketing expert. Trainings are available to solar contractors at no cost.

“This series is not about one-size-fits-all marketing solar solutions,” said Glenna Wiseman, Principal of Identity3. “Every solar contractor has unique brand identity and marketplace strengths. We are creating a vibrant marketing solar forum. Together we will explore best practices, hear from marketing experts and follow a disciplined path to save time and money to craft a foundation for efficient, impactful marketing.”

Solar cost reduction initiative could spur more solar installations

Energy Trust is providing the training series as part of it solar cost reduction initiative. The goal of the initiative is to identify and reduce the non-hardware, or “soft” costs, of a solar installation, and make solar systems simpler and more affordable to install. Soft costs, which account for more than 50 percent of the total cost of an average Oregon system according to Energy Trust’s recent survey of installers, include costs related to permitting, inspection and interconnection, installation labor hours, customer marketing and outreach, and financing.

Since 2002, Energy Trust has supported more than 9,100 solar systems and 34 percent of those have been installed in the last two years. The “Build it Bright! Crafting Your Solar Marketing Program” training series is designed to help contractors understand and better plan for costs associated with customer marketing and outreach so they are prepared for the increased customer demand.

Energy Trust relies on a strong network of trade ally contractors to reach Oregon’s residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural customers and assist them in meeting their energy goals. The Energy Trust Trade Ally Network is overwhelmingly built of small and midsize local businesses. Cultivating this network creates jobs and builds local capability at a community level throughout the state.

“Reducing soft costs including those related to reaching new solar customers ultimately leads to savings for the customer, thriving solar businesses that contribute directly to our local economy and more renewable power produced in Oregon,” said Jeni Hall, solar project manager, Energy Trust.

Identity3’s collaborative approach to solar training includes the participation of Aimee Tuck of Corbae Creative, a long-time solar industry marketer based in the Northwest and Raina Russo of SolarChat and Women4Solar, whose social media and advocacy work on behalf of the industry has consistently garnered a national spotlight.

Online conversations will be captured under the hashtag #MarketingSolar. The training series is supported by Energy Trust with the goal of reducing soft costs of system installation in Oregon, and participation by a sizable audience of contractors installing systems in Oregon is anticipated. Contractors installing systems throughout the U.S. are also welcome to participate at no cost.

For more details and to RSVP for future webinars go to www.energytrust.org/BusinessDevelopment.

Resources:

To learn more about the “Build It Bright” solar marketing training series see http://goo.gl/bafolG.

To register for the first marketing solar webinar in the Build it Bright series on January 28 see http://goo.gl/3LIuA5.

To learn more about Energy Trust’s 2014 report “Benchmarking Oregon Solar Soft Costs 2014 Installer Survey Analysis” see http://goo.gl/qXgiE7.

About Energy Trust of Oregon

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping utility customers benefit from saving energy and generating renewable power. Our services, cash incentives and energy solutions have helped participating customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas save more than $1.9 billion on energy bills. Our work helps keep energy costs as low as possible, creates jobs and builds a sustainable energy future. Learn more at www.energytrust.org or call 1-866-368-7878.

About Identity3 Identity3 delivers vibrant marketing to empower a sustainable world. Industry experience includes solar and renewable energy, smart homes and green building and energy efficiency. Find us online at www.Identity3.com.

Media Contacts

Energy Trust of Oregon

Kevin Glenn

503-241-1124 kevin@coateskokes.com

Identity3

Glenna Wiseman

909-553-3141 gwiseman@identity3.com