The Solar Quote That Sat in an Inbox for 3 Days

The Real Problem

You install solar panel systems across Auckland and Waikato. Business is good — New Zealand's solar market is growing at 6.7% annually and the government's pushing electrification. Your problem isn't demand. It's conversion.

Here's your typical week:

• Monday: 8 new online enquiries over the weekend. You're installing a 6.6kW system in Pukekohe all day.
• Tuesday: You start replying to weekend enquiries at 6am. Four have already gone with someone else. You get detailed replies from three. One just wanted a ballpark and isn't serious.
• Wednesday: You do a site visit. The house has massive shading from the neighbour's trees. Unsuitable for solar. Wasted 2 hours including travel.
• Thursday: You send two detailed quotes. Both took 45 minutes each to prepare.
• Friday: Neither quote gets a response. The homeowners are "thinking about it."
• Next Wednesday: You follow up. One says they went with a cheaper installer. The other says "oh sorry, we forgot to reply — can you remind us what was included?"

This is the solar installer's treadmill:

1. Leads flood in — solar is trendy, everyone wants a quote
2. Most leads aren't qualified — wrong roof, wrong budget, wrong expectations
3. Site visits to unsuitable properties — shading, structural issues, tiny roof space
4. Quotes take ages — every system is custom (roof layout, panel count, inverter sizing, grid connection)
5. Follow-up falls through the cracks — you're too busy installing to chase quotes
6. The fast replier wins — customers get 3–5 quotes and go with whoever follows up first

The average NZ solar installer converts only 20–25% of quotes into jobs. That means 75% of your quoting time produces zero revenue. At an average system price of $12,000–$18,000, every lost quote hurts.

Why Existing Tools Don't Solve This

Let's map the existing landscape honestly:

The gap is clear: nobody is having an intelligent conversation with the lead between "I want solar" and "here's your quote." That gap is where you lose 50%+ of potential jobs.

A homeowner who enquires about solar typically has these questions before they're ready for a quote:

1. Is my roof even suitable? (direction, angle, shading)
2. How much will it roughly cost?
3. How much will I actually save on power?
4. What about the new solar installer certification rules?
5. How long does installation take?
6. Do I need council consent?

If they have to wait 2 days to get answers to these basic questions, they find someone who answers faster — or they lose interest entirely.

How AI Solves This

Your OpenClaw AI assistant sits on your website (and WhatsApp/Messenger) and does three critical jobs:

Job 1: Qualify the Lead Immediately

Homeowner (Saturday, 3pm): "Hi, we're interested in getting solar panels. We're in Tauranga."

AI: "Great to hear you're looking at solar! Tauranga has excellent sunshine hours — one of the best in NZ for solar. Let me ask a few questions to see if your property is a good fit:

1. Is your home a standalone house, townhouse, or apartment?
2. What direction does the main roof face? (North is ideal, but east/west also work well)
3. Any large trees or tall buildings nearby that shade the roof?
4. Roughly how much is your current power bill per month?
5. Are you the homeowner? (Solar installs need owner approval)"

Homeowner: "Standalone house, the roof faces north-west. No trees nearby. Power bill is about $280/month. Yes, we own it."

AI: "Excellent — north-west facing, no shading, standalone, $280/month power bill. That's a strong candidate for solar. Here's a rough guide based on similar Tauranga homes:

Recommended system: 6.6kW (16–18 panels) Estimated cost: $11,000–$14,500 installed (depending on panel/inverter choice and roof type) Estimated annual savings: $1,800–$2,400 (based on $280/month power usage) Payback period: Approximately 5–7 years

These are estimates — [your name] will confirm exact pricing after a site assessment. A few more things that affect the quote: your roof material (tile, metal, concrete), the distance from your roof to your switchboard, and whether your switchboard needs upgrading.

Want me to book a free site assessment? We're available next week."

Result: In 3 minutes, the AI has confirmed this is a genuine, suitable lead. No wasted site visit.

Job 2: Filter Out Unsuitable Properties

Homeowner B: "We want solar. We're in an apartment in Parnell."

AI: "Thanks for your interest! Solar panels typically need your own roof space with good sun exposure. For apartments, the body corporate usually needs to approve any roof installations, and shared roofs can be complicated.

A few questions:

1. Do you have a private rooftop or balcony with sun exposure?
2. Has your body corporate discussed solar before?

If body corporate approval is tricky, there are other ways to reduce power costs — like switching to a solar-friendly power plan or looking at community solar schemes. Happy to point you in the right direction."

Result: Politely redirected without wasting anyone's time. No site visit to an apartment building.

Job 3: Follow Up on Quotes

This is where the real money is. You sent a $14,500 quote on Monday. By Thursday, no response. Normally, you'd either forget to follow up (because you're installing) or send a generic "just checking in" text.

The AI does this instead:

AI (Thursday, 10am, automated follow-up): "Hi [Name], just following up on the solar quote [your name] sent through on Monday for your Tauranga property. Happy to answer any questions about the quote — whether it's about the panel choice, inverter options, expected performance, or anything else. No rush, just want to make sure you have everything you need to make a decision."

Homeowner: "Actually yes — what's the difference between the Enphase microinverters and the Fronius string inverter you quoted?"

AI: "Great question! Here's the short version:

Enphase Microinverters (quoted at $13,800):

• Each panel has its own inverter
• Better performance if any panels get partial shade
• Easier to expand later if you want more panels
• 25-year warranty

Fronius String Inverter (quoted at $12,200):

• One central inverter for all panels
• Slightly lower cost upfront
• Very reliable — Fronius is an industry leader
• 10-year warranty (extendable)

For your property with no shading issues, either is a great choice. The Fronius saves you $1,600 upfront. The Enphase gives you more flexibility if you ever want to add a battery or more panels.

Would you like [your name] to call you to discuss, or are you ready to go ahead with one of these options?"

Result: The AI just handled a technical question that would have sat in your text messages for 2 days. The customer gets their answer immediately. The deal stays warm.

What the AI Knows

SOLAR-SYSTEMS.md:

## System Sizing Guide
- Small household (1–2 people, $150/month power): 3–4kW system
- Medium household (3–4 people, $250–300/month): 5–6.6kW system
- Large household (5+, $350+/month): 8–10kW system

## Pricing (supply + install, 2025/26)
- 3kW system: $7,000–$9,500
- 6.6kW system: $11,000–$14,500
- 10kW system: $16,000–$22,000
- Battery add-on (Tesla Powerwall): +$14,000–$18,000

## Inverter Options
- Fronius (string): Reliable, cost-effective, 10yr warranty
- Enphase (micro): Panel-level optimisation, 25yr warranty
- SolarEdge (optimisers): Good shade performance, 12yr warranty

## Installation Requirements (AS/NZS 5033:2021)
- Licensed electrician with solar endorsement required (from Sep 2025)
- Grid-connected systems need distributor approval
- Switchboard may need upgrade if >15 years old
- Structural assessment for tile roofs

## What Affects the Quote
- Roof material (metal easiest, tile needs extra brackets)
- Storey height (double-storey = scaffolding = +$800–$1,500)
- Distance from roof to switchboard
- Switchboard condition and capacity
- Shading analysis results

FOLLOW-UP.md:

## Quote Follow-Up Schedule
- Day 3: Friendly check-in, offer to answer questions
- Day 7: Share relevant info (EECA rebate reminders, customer testimonials)
- Day 14: Final follow-up, mention limited installation slots

## Common Quote Questions
- Microinverters vs string inverters (see SOLAR-SYSTEMS.md)
- Battery: worth it? (Currently expensive, best if time-of-use pricing)
- How long does install take? (1–2 days for residential)
- Council consent? (Not usually needed for <10kW residential)
- What happens on cloudy days? (Grid backup, export credits)

How We Set This Up

Behind the scenes, making all of this work requires a custom integration program that connects your AI assistant to your real business systems. This is what BestAI builds for you.

Here's how it works:

1. We audit your current systems — What CRM or job management tool do you use? How do leads currently come in? Where do your quotes live? We map the full picture.
2. We build your knowledge base — We interview you to capture your system specs, pricing, service areas, common questions, and follow-up processes. This is what the AI draws from when talking to customers.
3. We develop the integrations — Our developers build custom API connectors so that:
   • Leads captured by AI flow into your CRM or job tracker (Fergus, Tradify, or even a simple dashboard we build for you)
   • Site visit bookings land in your real calendar
   • Quote follow-ups trigger automatically based on your rules (Day 3, Day 7, Day 14)
   • You get instant notifications when a hot lead comes in
4. We test rigorously — Every pathway gets tested: website enquiry, WhatsApp message, quote follow-up, unsuitable property redirect. Nothing goes live until it all works end-to-end.
5. We iterate with you — As electricity prices change, as new solar products hit the market, as regulations update — we keep your AI's knowledge base current.

You don't need to understand APIs or software development. We handle all the technical work. You focus on installing solar panels; we focus on making sure every lead gets the attention it deserves.

The Result

• Faster lead response — every enquiry gets an intelligent reply within 60 seconds, 24/7
• Pre-qualified site visits — you only visit properties where solar actually makes sense
• Educated buyers — customers understand their options before you arrive, so site visits are efficient
• Quote follow-up on autopilot — no more deals going cold because you were too busy to chase
• Higher conversion rate — from 20–25% to 35–45% when leads are qualified and followed up consistently
• Compliance awareness — AI informs customers about the new 2025 certification requirements, building trust

What AI Can't Do Here

• AI won't do a shading analysis — that needs specialist software and a site visit
• AI won't design the system layout — panel placement is a professional engineering task
• AI won't lodge distributor connection applications — that's regulatory paperwork only you can sign
• AI won't provide specific financial advice — ROI estimates are indicative only
• AI won't replace the new solar installer certification — from September 2025, all mains-parallel installations require certified practitioners

Who This Is For

• Solar PV installers losing leads because they can't reply fast enough
• Electrical contractors expanding into solar who need help managing the enquiry volume
• Solar businesses wasting time on site visits to unsuitable properties
• Any installer whose quotes sit unanswered because there's no systematic follow-up
• Growing solar teams (2–6 installers) where the owner can't personally handle every lead anymore