Monalee Slashes The Cost Of Rooftop Solar Panels With Its Tech-Driven Offering

The cost of a residential solar panel system doesn't have to be murky. Monalee is bringing much-needed transparency to the industry with its use of AI. See how here. 

The rooftop solar panel industry is at an inflection point. Thanks to pushy salespeople, costly middlemen and drawn-out, complicated processes for getting homeowners up and running, many solar panel companies are struggling, with some going out of business. In 2024 alone, ADT Solar and Titan Solar Power exited the market, and SunPower and Lumio Holdings filed for bankruptcy. That's bad news, given that solar can not only save homeowners money but it can help the country lower emissions and move away from the reliance on fossil fuels for power. 

Leveraging AI To Do It Better 

Monalee, a solar energy startup hailing out of Boston, reports it is defying the trend and it has its technology-first approach to thank. Claiming to be one of the first AI-driven D2C solar companies in the world, Monalee says its high-tech approach, which leverages AI, enables it to cut the soft costs associated with solar by over half and pass those savings onto homeowners. Monalee also says that thanks to AI, it can provide transparent and accurate pricing, plus homeowners don't have to worry about a pesky salesperson banging on their door. The sales process happens online thanks to its advanced machine learning. That tech-first approach enables it to offer homeowners a quote in just seconds. All a person has to do is enter his or her address, and they will receive an instant design and quote. See for yourself: get a free instant online quote.

The company's proprietary technology culls information from millions of different data points to provide homeowners with the best solar design based on their home and energy needs. It takes into consideration factors like the direction the roof faces (for example, a roof in the northern hemisphere that faces south will get the most sun and, therefore, will be the most efficient) and whether there are nearby trees that might provide shade over the panels when providing the assessment and pricing. 

Monalee's AI-powered machine learning software uses satellite imagery to determine the plane, azimuth and pitch of the roof, as well as identify roof obstacles such as chimneys and vents, and then a computer vision algorithm virtually places the solar panels on the roof. After that, the software runs several simulations on the data to figure out how much sunlight hits the roof in different areas and where to place the panels to deliver the best results. Once the software figures out the optimal design and layout, it inputs financing options from Monalee's partners, including GoodLeap and Mosaic, as well as any federal, state or utility incentives, to give homeowners a quote that is up to 85% accurate. With 85% accuracy, there are fewer surprises and fewer changes to the final bill. Plus, it means Monalee can stay on track with the project timeline, reducing the likelihood of costly surprises for homeowners. 

Proof Is In The Savings 

On top of all that, Monalee says its use of technology enables it to get rid of much of its soft costs – including sales commissions – and it passes those savings on to its customers. According to the company, it has saved over 2,000 customers an average of $12,000. The company is in 26 states and is expanding. Monalee also offers lifetime warranties for solar equipment, which means if at any point a piece of equipment breaks or stops working, it is repaired and replaced for free. This is uncommon in the industry. Monalee says most warranties cover the solar panel for 25 years and the solar batteries for 10 years, not for the lifetime of the homeowner. It doesn't hurt that the team at Monalee are veterans in the industry bringing decades of experience to the table. Founder Walid Halty spent nearly a decade leading sales at big solar companies before launching Monalee. 

With its technology-first approach, Monalee wants to provide transparent pricing, accurate quotes and quick installations – something homeowners across the country are clamoring for.

Get a FREE instant online quote from Monalee here. 

Featured photo by Bill Mead on Unsplash.

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