UPowr launches Australia’s first digital solar installation platform for households
Sydney based scale-up UPowr has today launched Australia’s first digital platform for home solar, giving homeowners a digital way to buy and install rooftop solar systems.
Established in 2018, UPowr Co-founders Stu Philpot and Daniel Friedman met working in the innovation arm of one of Australia’s largest electricity retailers. After seeing firsthand the opportunity that existed in an industry which regularly delivered suboptimal customer experiences, the pair set out to build a customer focused digital platform to disrupt the residential solar industry.
The UPowr Platform generates personalised and interactive quotes for households to understand the value solar could bring to their home. To do this, the Platform uses advanced algorithms and data modelling to understand household energy consumption, custom-built tools to assess shading impacts and location-specific weather analysis to estimate the amount of energy the solar system will generate.
When customers are ready to proceed, the UPowr Platform manages the entire installation process, providing a managed service for households.
While this type of digital experience has now become standard for most industries following the disruption from tech start-ups, much of the renewable energy industry still remains offline when it comes to customer experience. The UPowr Platform not only improves the experience but remains cost-competitive thanks to the innovative business model which focuses on streamlining a clunky supply chain.
UPowr CEO and Co-founder Stu Philpot said that it’s the perfect time for the industry to step up and develop tools and experiences that are data-driven, personalised and digital for homeowners who prefer making decisions that way.
“It’s amazing that we’re in 2020 and people are still knocking on doors and spam calling customers to sell new energy technology,” Stu said.
“We’re able to buy so many big purchases online these days – whether it be furniture, appliances, white goods, or even accommodation experiences through Airbnb. We have an opportunity to make home solar a similar experience.”
“We care a lot about designing and facilitating a great experience which is customer-led, transparent, simple and modern.”
Focusing first on Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, the direct to consumer launch comes just in time for Summer, a popular time for homeowners to install solar as they look to reduce their electricity bills to more comfortably cool their homes.
“Savings vary depending on a number of factors – these include the size of the system, the shading it receives, when and how you use energy and the rate your electricity retailer pays to buy the excess solar you don’t use. Our platform models these factors to be able to show households what they’re likely to save each month and each year. We are seeing household savings range from $800 - $1,600 per annum,” Stu said.
In the past two years the company has signed deals with top tier electricity retailers to help them offer customers a digital solar experience, installed 1.5MW of solar in residential social housing projects, and is on track for 10x revenue growth in FY21.
“While residential solar has been around for some time, Australia is now seeing the switch from early adopters into mass market,” Stu said.
“The Australian Energy Market Operator estimates that at least 6 million households in Australia will install solar in the coming years. 2.5 million have installed already over the past decade through offline methods – we want to make the next 3.5 million experiences modern, personalised and empowering for homeowners.”
“Solar is the starting point for many households looking to do something differently, whether it be for financial, environmental or independence reasons. This made it a natural starting point for us as well – but it’s not the end goal.”
“Within the next six months we’ll be adding in batteries, orchestration plans and maintenance products. We see this as the beginning of being a key player in a more decentralised energy system.”
The residential solar and battery industry within Australia represents a market estimated to be worth $70 billion. The industry will also play a key role in Australia’s broader transition to renewable energy, with AEMO estimating that by 2040, household clean energy technologies could contribute up to 13 to 22% of total underlying annual energy consumption in the National Energy Market.
