Calling itself the world’s first “AI-driven solar company,” Monalee is cutting the soft costs associated with solar by more than 50%, and they’re passing those savings – sometimes thousands of dollars – directly to the homeowner.
The solar industry has seen a number of high-profile closures and bankruptcies in recent months, but Monalee is a venture-backed, digital-first startup that’s just getting started … and that’s significant in an industry where most of the work is still done offline.
How does being “digital-first” shape the home solar experience for customers? It starts with they get a quote for solar – a process that takes just seconds with Monalee. A person just enters the address that they want to add solar to and they’ll receive an instant design and quote.
![Monalee](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/hero-3.png?w=1024)
From there, Monalee’s technology takes over:
- Monalee’s AI-powered machine learning software uses satellite imagery to figure out a roof’s plane, azimuth, and pitch
- the software identifies roof obstacles like chimneys and roof vents and plans around them
- a computer vision algorithm virtually places solar panels on the roof based on all the data it’s accumulated
- the software runs a number of simulations on that data, using solar irradiance algorithms to determine how much sunlight is hitting each area of the roof, then optimizes solar panel placement accordingly
- once it understands what equipment will deliver the best results (what panels, what controllers and accessories will be needed to support those panels, mounting hardware, conduit, cables, etc.), the software layers in other essential information, including financing options from top-tier partners like GoodLeap and Mosaic, and any available federal, state, and utility incentives into its calculations to deliver a quote that’s up to 85% accurate
That 85% number is incredibly important, by the way, because it means that there will be fewer change orders (modifications to the initial quote) later on, and every one of those adds cost to the final bill. Even small change orders can really mess with a project’s timeline and put more financial burden on the homeowner, so avoiding a “surprise” upgrade of an electrical panel or unexpected roof repair is mission-critical.
Getting that quote right the first time can cut the total project time in half!
![Monalee](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/body-image.png?w=1024)
What’s more, because Monalee can generate these accurate quotes without incurring some of the traditional “soft costs” of cold callers, marketers, sales staff, and estimators, they can pass those savings on to customers. Those savings can be significant, too. In fact, Monalee has saved more than 2,000 customers an average of $12,000 across 24 US states (so far).
Keep in mind, though — just because they’ve streamlined the process, it doesn’t mean they’re not experts. The team behind Monalee’s tech is also top-notch. It’s been featured by Time and NPR, and its employees bring years of solar experience from companies like Tesla, Blue Raven, and SolarCity to the table. And, they’re fully dedicated to getting homeowners excited about adding affordable home solar to their properties.
![Monalee](https://electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/08/hero.png?w=1024)
Anyone can get a solar quote for free, and without any obligation. That’s real pricing transparency that customers can trust and appreciate—especially customers in the technology space, who can appreciate just how innovative this AI-powered solar solution really is.
To date, Monalee has served more than 2,000 homeowners across 24 U.S. states, with more states being added monthly. On average, homeowners save upwards of $12,000 with Monalee without ever sacrificing the quality of equipment. In fact, Monalee installs include Tier One Mitrex solar panels, Tesla inverters, and the Tesla Powerwall 3. If you’re interested in seeing how much you can save, you can get a quote in 20 seconds here.
Going one step further, Monalee offers lifetime warranties for solar equipment. This means that, if at any point during a homeowner’s lifetime, a piece of equipment stops working, the repair or replacement is fully covered through Monalee (for comparison, most warranties through the manufacturer typically cap at 25 years for solar panels and 10 years for solar batteries).
About Monalee
Monalee is a climate tech company that is accelerating the adoption of home solar, storage, and EV charging. By leveraging powerful machine learning and removing salespeople and system designers from the process, they are able to secure the same solar panel systems for homeowners at half the price compared to the top traditional solar companies in the U.S., making them the fastest, most efficient way to go solar.
Check out Monalee on Facebook here, Twitter here, and Instagram here.