Neighbors notice the install crew and the new panels, but if nobody follows up, that interest is gone in a few weeks.
Solar play · Neighbor marketing
Every solar install is a sales pitch for the houses next door.
Neighbors notice new panels, and research shows solar spreads street by street. Spur pulls the homes around every install, writes a card that points to the system on their street and their own roof, and mails it within days of the install, while the panels are still the talk of the block.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Kelly Brennan6208 Willow Bend DrMcKinney, TX 75070Scan to compare with next door
Kelly B. scanned your install-neighbor card · 7 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
0.25 miaround each install, where the panels are visible
Within a weekof the install, while neighbors are curious
Same layouthomes with the same roof direction get a specific card
The problem
Installers finish a job and drive away from the warmest leads they'll ever have.
A sign tells neighbors who did the work. It doesn't tell them whether their own roof would work too.
Asking customers to refer neighbors depends on them remembering. Few do.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps from one install to a street of estimates.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
An install-neighbor list in Spur
Sample McKinney, TX homes around a recent install. Names are partly masked.
Radius 0.25 mi of installOwner-occupiedSingle-familyNo solar on recordExclude customers
- Kelly B.6208 Willow Bend Dr2 doors from install · same layoutSame roof directionOwned 7 yrs
- Andre & Lisa J.6216 Willow Bend DrNext door · same layoutSame roof directionPool
- Megan T.6301 Cedar Elm Ct0.1 mi · west roofNext-street cardEV owner
- Roberto F.6225 Willow Bend DrAcross the street · north roofSkip: roof faces northStorage only
- Pam & Gary O.6322 Cedar Elm Ct0.15 mi · south roofNext-street cardOwned 13 yrs
AI draft for Kelly B. · 6208 Willow Bend Dr
SEEN THE NEW PANELS ON WILLOW BEND? YOUR ROOF FACES THE SAME WAY.
Hi Kelly, you may have noticed our crew on Willow Bend Drive last week. We just finished a solar system two doors down from you, on a house with the same layout and the same south-facing rear roof as yours.
That means a similar system would likely work on your home too. Send us a recent bill, and we'll show you what it would produce and save at current rates, without assuming any tax credit.
Scan the code to compare your home with the one next door.
Lone Star Solar Co. · (972) 555-0193
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
Why solar spreads street by street
Solar adoption is contagious. Economists Bryan Bollinger and Kenneth Gillingham found that each additional installation in a California zip code measurably raised the likelihood of more installations nearby. Later research in Connecticut found adoption clustering at the neighborhood level. Seeing panels on a neighbor's roof, and hearing how they work, makes solar feel normal and doable.
Neighbor marketing turns that effect into a campaign. Within a week of every install, mail the owner-occupied homes within about a quarter mile. The install crew, the new panels, and probably a conversation over the fence have already introduced you. The card just gives neighbors a way to take the next step.
Make the card specific. In subdivisions, neighboring homes often share a floor plan and roof layout. When a home has the same layout and roof direction as the install, say so. It's the most persuasive thing you can tell them. Skip or change the message for homes whose usable roof faces north. A storage or backup offer may fit them better.
Don't name or share details about your customer. Pointing to "the system we just installed on your street" is enough. Many customers are happy to be a reference, so ask them first, and offer a thank-you for referrals that turn into installs.
Pair mail with a yard sign and canvassing if you use it. A sign shows who did the work, the card explains why the neighbor's own home might qualify, and a rep who visits after the card lands is expected rather than cold.
Track results by install. Some neighborhoods spread fast, with three or four installs on a street within a year, and others don't. Measuring surveys and installs around each job shows you where to keep mailing and where to focus canvassing. When a second install goes in on the same street, mail the neighbors again with both systems in mind.
41×return on a year of Spur Team from one $24,000 residential system
One install can sell the next one.
- Spur Team: $49/mo billed annually = $588/yr
- 50 installs × 30 neighbors = 1,500 postcards at $0.94 = $1,410
- Three $24,000 systems = $72,000, about 36× the software and postage combined
Example math. System size, pricing, and close rates vary by market, utility, and financing. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual post-install follow-up
What you needThe usual waySpur
Neighbors mailed within a weekYard sign only✓ Built in
Card points to the install next doorGeneric solar mailer✓ Built in
Same-layout homes told their roof matchesEvery home gets the same pitch✓ Built in
Bill-upload QR"Ask your neighbor about us"✓ Built in
Results tracked by installNo idea which jobs spread✓ Built in
Neighbor Marketing by the numbers
Why installs lead to more installs nearby
Peer effect
each added installation in a zip code measurably raised the odds of more nearby
Clustering
residential solar adoption in Connecticut clustered at the neighborhood level
41×
return on a year of Spur Team from one $24,000 residential system
FAQ
Solar neighbor marketing questions
What is solar neighbor marketing?
Mailing the homes around each new solar install with a card that points to the system on their street and invites them to get their own estimate.
Do solar installs really lead to more installs nearby?
Research says yes. Studies in California and Connecticut found that solar adoption clusters, and that each new install raises the odds of more nearby.
How soon after an install should I mail the neighbors?
Within a week, while neighbors have just seen the crew and the new panels.
Can I mention my customer on the neighbor card?
Refer to the system you installed on their street without naming your customer. If a customer agrees to be a reference, you can mention that with their permission.
What about neighbors whose roof faces north?
Skip them or send a different offer, such as battery backup, since a north-facing roof is rarely a good fit for panels.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Let every install sell the next one.
Mail the neighbors of each install within a week and let Spur track which streets are spreading. Free to start.
Mail the neighbors of my installs — freeFree forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
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