A homeowner fills out one quiz and gets calls from several installers within the hour. You pay for the lead either way.
Solar play · Leads without Angi
Solar leads you don't share with four other installers.
Bought solar leads are expensive, shared, and often low-intent. Spur builds your own list of owner-occupied homes in your territory that fit solar, mails them an offer from you alone, and tells you who scanned, so every lead is exclusive and your outreach starts with homeowners who reached out first.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Andrea Morales8114 Old Ranch RdElk Grove, CA 95624Scan to get your estimate directly
Andrea M. scanned your direct estimate card · 10 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
1 installerper lead: you, not a list of competitors
No per-lead feeyou pay for mail, not for a shared contact
Inbound firsthomeowners reach out before you call
The problem
Bought solar leads make every sale harder than it needs to be.
Many bought leads are renters, shaded roofs, or people who clicked an ad about free panels. Reps spend days on homes that can't buy.
Calling and texting leads whose consent came from a reseller's form can bring TCPA claims. The installer making the call carries the risk.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps from buying leads to owning your pipeline.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
Your own solar lead list in Spur
Sample Elk Grove, CA homes that fit residential solar. Names are partly masked.
Zips 95624 + 95757Single-familyOwner-occupiedValue $600K+Owned 3+ yrsNo solar on record
- Andrea M.8114 Old Ranch Rd3,000 sq ft · owned 8 yrsDirect offerSouth roof
- Kevin & Jo L.9725 Bruceville Rd3,400 sq ft · owned 5 yrsDirect offerEV owner
- Sandeep R.10230 Bilby Rd2,700 sq ft · owned 11 yrsDirect offerWest roof
- Lorraine G.5541 Laguna Park Dr2,500 sq ft · owned 16 yrsDirect offerStorage fit
- Matt & Ivy C.9012 Elk Grove Florin Rd3,200 sq ft · owned 6 yrsDirect offerPool
AI draft for Andrea M. · 8114 Old Ranch Rd
A LOCAL INSTALLER, NOT A LEAD FORM.
Hi Andrea, if you've ever clicked an online solar ad, you know what happens next: a flood of calls from companies you've never heard of, all reading from a script.
We're different. We're an Elk Grove-area installer, our own crews do every job, and we don't buy or sell leads. Send us a recent SMUD bill, and we'll show you what a system sized to your home would produce and cost, without assuming any tax credit you can't claim.
Scan the code to get your estimate directly from us. Nobody else gets your information.
Sierra Valley Solar · (916) 555-0109
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
How to generate solar leads without buying them
Bought leads have been the default for many solar companies, and they come with familiar problems. The same homeowner is often sold to several installers, many leads come from ads promising free panels, and the cost per lead keeps rising. Reps end up racing competitors to the phone for homeowners who may not even own a suitable roof.
Lead marketplaces have also drawn regulators' attention. In 2023, the FTC finalized an order requiring HomeAdvisor, now part of Angi, to pay up to $7.2 million over how it described the leads it sold to home service businesses. Whatever lead source you use, check how leads are generated and how many companies receive each one.
Consent is the bigger issue in solar. Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, calls and texts made without proper consent can bring statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 each, and solar companies are frequent defendants. When a homeowner scans your card and asks for an estimate, the request comes to you directly, which is a much cleaner start.
Owning your list starts with defining the homes that close. Look at your past installs: home value, size, ownership length, roof layout, and utility. Then use property data to find every owner-occupied home in your territory with the same profile, excluding homes that already have solar.
Compete on what lead sites hide. Without a side-by-side comparison, you can lead with what makes you different: local, your own crews, honest numbers, and no outdated tax credit claims. The federal residential clean energy credit ended for homeowner-owned systems placed in service after 2025, and homeowners who have been oversold notice when an installer gets that right.
Shift budget gradually. Keep the lead sources that work while your own list proves itself, and compare cost per survey and cost per install, not cost per lead. Most installers find that exclusive, inbound leads close at higher rates, which changes the math quickly.
41×return on a year of Spur Team from one $24,000 residential system
Exclusive leads at a cost you control.
- Spur Team: $49/mo billed annually = $588/yr
- 1,500 homes × 2 cards = 3,000 postcards at $0.94 = $2,820
- Four $24,000 systems = $96,000, about 28× the software and postage combined, with no per-lead fees
Example math. System size, pricing, and close rates vary by market, utility, and financing. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. bought solar leads
What you needThe usual waySpur
Your own list of homes that fitQuiz leads of every kind✓ Built in
Exclusive to youSold to several installers✓ Built in
Homeowner reaches out firstCalls based on a reseller's consent✓ Built in
Pay for mail, not per leadRising cost per lead✓ Built in
Cost per install trackedCost per lead only✓ Built in
Leads Without Angi by the numbers
Why installers are rethinking bought leads
$500–$1,500
in statutory damages per call or text made without proper consent
$7.2 million
is what the FTC's 2023 order required HomeAdvisor to pay over how it described its leads to service providers
41×
return on a year of Spur Team from one $24,000 residential system
FAQ
Solar leads without Angi questions
How do I get solar leads without buying them?
Build your own list of owner-occupied homes that match your past installs, then mail them a direct offer. Every homeowner who scans or calls is a lead no other installer received.
Are bought solar leads worth it?
They can fill gaps, but shared leads, low intent, and consent risk make them expensive. Compare cost per install, not cost per lead.
What makes a solar lead exclusive?
It came from your own marketing and went only to you. With direct mail to your own list, every response is exclusive.
How does direct mail help with TCPA compliance?
Mail doesn't require phone consent, and when a homeowner scans your card and asks for an estimate, the request comes directly to you, so follow-up starts from their request.
How should I describe incentives in solar mail now?
Don't promise the federal residential credit for homeowner-owned systems placed in service after 2025, which ended. Lead with the bill and long-term production, and mention local incentives only where they apply.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Own your solar leads.
Build a list of homes that fit your installs and mail them directly. No shared leads, no per-lead fees. Free to start.
Build my own solar lead list — freeFree forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
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