Green Builder Media CEO Sara Gutterman talks with Sunnova's Michael Grasso about rooftop solar, battery storage, EV charging, and smart panels in new homes. Grasso explains how energy savings, resiliency, and evolving codes are pushing the market toward household energy independence.
00:00:02:17 - 00:00:27:20
Sara Gutterman: We are so excited about the transformation that's happening in the built environment. We are decarbonizing at just rapidly accelerating rates with adoption of solar storage and electric vehicle charging stations just mushrooming. And we'd love to hear your thoughts on the trends and the changes that are taking place. What type of transformation are you tracking from your perspective?
00:00:27:21 - 00:00:45:26
Michael Grasso: I think what we're seeing is just a continuous adoption of new technologies into the home, and specifically in our space. We're seeing a lot more adoption of solar energy on the rooftop. So new homes coming with the ability to have both, the ability to generate your own energy where you're going to consume it so straight from your rooftop.
00:00:45:27 - 00:01:22:13
Michael Grasso: Plus the addition of great features like battery storage, which allows you then to control how you consume the power that's generated when you consume the power that's generated. And then the additional adoption of things like EV charging, which is coming, I think, more standard with with new homes in our environment, at least in the services that we're providing, and new features like smart panels that help you really manage around what is concerning energy in our home and when, and giving you more flexibility for when you might potentially be off grid needing to survive just on your solar system and your battery storage.
00:01:22:13 - 00:01:32:12
Michael Grasso: So the combination of those technologies is really working to provide homeowners with more capability and more benefits to serve their energy needs.
00:01:32:16 - 00:01:47:01
Sara Gutterman: What are you seeing? Are the top purchase drivers for these technologies that you offer? Is it cost savings? Is it enhanced self-sufficiency and resiliency? Is it the environmental piece or a little bit of all of the above?
00:01:47:02 - 00:02:16:16
Michael Grasso: Well, I think homeowners always start with the thought that they need to protect their pocketbook. So energy savings in the in that you're saving on the energy that you're purchasing by generating it yourself is typically the number one driver. But more and more, what we're seeing across the country is resiliency is critical. Just seeing more and more consumers who are having to deal with a stressed grid that can't support their energy consumption.
00:02:16:16 - 00:02:40:21
Michael Grasso: And then we're just seeing more and more factors that are causing consumers to want to have the protection of being able to generate, store and manage power straight from their home. And then third, I think as you see, this continuous adoption of EV charging, having your own fuel source, the majority of consumers that use an EV 80% plus at the time are going to charge at home.
00:02:40:23 - 00:02:51:17
Michael Grasso: And so having access to clean, renewable energy at a more affordable price made available where they're charging their vehicle, is also a critical contributor.
00:02:51:24 - 00:03:03:10
Sara Gutterman: Now, what are you seeing with respect to the evolving code and regulatory environment that is driving not just demand, but adoption? If the technologies that you are.
00:03:03:12 - 00:03:29:21
Michael Grasso: Sure, I think more of the progressive states are looking to make it mandatory. I think you've seen that in California. You've seen some legislation proposed in multiple other markets. But it's it's really taking advantage of the fact that you have this nice, clean rooftop that's being constructed, and it's in a large respect because historically it hasn't been, you know, promoted to have solar on it.
00:03:29:21 - 00:03:54:09
Michael Grasso: And so I think as we see more jurisdictions realizing that, that's a great opportunity, as we see more demand on the grid, as we see a higher acceleration electrification in the US, I think you're going to find more jurisdictions are going to require solar, which is good for the consumer and good for their neighbors. Right. And all of those that are on the grid, they're going to require solar at a higher level.
00:03:54:09 - 00:04:09:00
Michael Grasso: And then I think that quickly gets followed with energy storage, because that allows us to better manage how that energy is consumed, shared with the grid. And again, the resiliency aspect that's so critical to the to the grid today.
00:04:09:03 - 00:04:26:01
Sara Gutterman: And I want to switch gears and talk about vision House Las Vegas, which as you well know is a project that we are collaborating on together with Beazer Homes. Can you talk a little bit about why you are excited about the vision House Las Vegas and Cenovus participation project?
00:04:26:07 - 00:04:53:02
Michael Grasso: Yeah, we are absolutely excited to be worked with Beazer and working on this project. It is about creating the home of the future. It is about ensuring that, you know, all of these homes have access to clean, renewable energy, that they have the ability for the homeowners to save for decades to come, and that they have the ability to manage that energy in a way that best suits their needs and protects them, gives them the resiliency that they're looking for.
00:04:53:03 - 00:05:08:26
Michael Grasso: So, you know, from our standpoint, we want to continue to push on our mission of powering energy independence. And I think this is a perfect representation of how bringing these technologies together continues to support both the consumer and the community.