To sell solar, sell the family, support the champion, and mind the timing

New research looking at how families decide to go solar found that these decisions rarely rest on one person. Researchers from Ohio State University and Southern Illinois University studied 39 couples and surveyed 394 households, including 126 that installed solar and 268 who looked into it (some got as far as an inspection or permit) but never bought. They found that one family member usually drives the process, acting as a "champion," while others research, handle logistics, or simply need to be convinced. Couples who divided these roles smoothly all ended up installing solar. Couples where one person pushed and the other resisted did not.

Interestingly, some disagreement within a household actually made solar adoption more likely, since it often meant people were seriously weighing the decision together rather than ignoring it. Even in households where everyone was on the same page, it usually took an outside push to seal the deal, such as a shrinking federal tax credit, electricity rates that had doubled, worries about frequent power outages, or no easy access to the local utility.

The researchers also point out that the person leading the solar decision in a household can get worn down by the process, since going solar involves a lot of research, paperwork, and coordination. Their takeaway is that spreading those tasks across family members, rather than leaving it all to one person, may help a household actually follow through on installing solar rather than stalling out partway.