What Solar Installers Need To Know (by Sunvoy)
Jun 12, 2026 · 40 min · 15 segments
Shift Energy Group is trying to do something hard: grow across Canada without losing the local trust that makes solar work. In this episode, Hervé talks with Rich Lindquist and Chris Palliser about…
Rich LindquistGuest
Chris PalliserGuestHervé BillierHostDo you guys already see kind of a shift, pun intended, from being solar, what you mentioned, to climate change, which some people could say is a nice to have.
I mean, we only have one planet, so I don't think it's just nice to have, but it's perceived as like a nice to have.
Do you see a shift to a more like essential, like I want to have energy? Do you guys already feel that shift in the market or not?
I think there's been, you know, not necessarily in the last month or so, but building over the last maybe year, year and a half.
I'd say we started to see that more in 2025 pairing batteries with solar installations.
It's still very different than, say, the U.S. or some other countries in the payback and the ROI when you're looking at time use billing, that kind of thing.
It's not... it's not cheap and the payoff takes a while there is a few incentives whether they're provincial you know they're not federal programs at this point so that that does help a little bit but we have seen there's definitely more people asking you know that the narrative has changed on in terms of what systems people will be uh willing to entertain you know in terms of the theme brand or what they're looking at um that's something that uh has definitely shifted you know it used to be, oh, well, we've heard of Tesla, give us that.
You know, now it's, we have the opportunity to share, well, you know what, there is Tesla, but there's these other best in class systems that you've probably never heard of, but here's the tech and here's how it works.
So that's probably a part of that shift in mindset in terms of what's available.
Where we live specifically in BC, most of the power is hydro power, you know, so it's relatively stable compared to some places and countries.
But I think even that, you know, with climate change, even this past winter that basically just ended, Vancouver, BC, I think they went, they tracked snowfall at the airport, in Vancouver airport, and they went this winter without a significant snowfall they essentially counted it as the first winter in 43 years without snow you know there's snow in the mountains but within the city and you know so looking at that that affects snowpack that affects water runoff you know that does have that is on people's minds you know whether it ultimately makes a difference to charging their phone at the end of the day um it's still something that's part of the conversation now for sure
I think it's been really interesting, actually, you know, with the state of global affairs, thanks to South of the Border there from us here in Canada.
It's been interesting in how it's played a role in our business, because obviously when everything is unstable and you don't know what you're going to wake up to on the news headlines, people maybe hold their money a little closer.
In the early, we're moving past the early adopters in the curve, but people are like, they still see it as a want.
And so all of a sudden the wants people pull back on those when there's a lot of uncertainty in the world.
And the sun doesn't have to go through any sort of straight around the world to get to my house.
Do you guys already see kind of a shift, pun intended, from being solar, what you mentioned, to climate change, which some people could say is a nice to have.
I mean, we only have one planet, so I don't think it's just nice to have, but it's perceived as like a nice to have.
Do you see a shift to a more like essential, like I want to have energy? Do you guys already feel that shift in the market or not?
I think there's been, you know, not necessarily in the last month or so, but building over the last maybe year, year and a half.
I'd say we started to see that more in 2025 pairing batteries with solar installations.
It's still very different than, say, the U.S. or some other countries in the payback and the ROI when you're looking at time use billing, that kind of thing.
It's not... it's not cheap and the payoff takes a while there is a few incentives whether they're provincial you know they're not federal programs at this point so that that does help a little bit but we have seen there's definitely more people asking you know that the narrative has changed on in terms of what systems people will be uh willing to entertain you know in terms of the theme brand or what they're looking at um that's something that uh has definitely shifted you know it used to be, oh, well, we've heard of Tesla, give us that.
You know, now it's, we have the opportunity to share, well, you know what, there is Tesla, but there's these other best in class systems that you've probably never heard of, but here's the tech and here's how it works.
So that's probably a part of that shift in mindset in terms of what's available.
Where we live specifically in BC, most of the power is hydro power, you know, so it's relatively stable compared to some places and countries.
But I think even that, you know, with climate change, even this past winter that basically just ended, Vancouver, BC, I think they went, they tracked snowfall at the airport, in Vancouver airport, and they went this winter without a significant snowfall they essentially counted it as the first winter in 43 years without snow you know there's snow in the mountains but within the city and you know so looking at that that affects snowpack that affects water runoff you know that does have that is on people's minds you know whether it ultimately makes a difference to charging their phone at the end of the day um it's still something that's part of the conversation now for sure
I think it's been really interesting, actually, you know, with the state of global affairs, thanks to South of the Border there from us here in Canada.
It's been interesting in how it's played a role in our business, because obviously when everything is unstable and you don't know what you're going to wake up to on the news headlines, people maybe hold their money a little closer.
In the early, we're moving past the early adopters in the curve, but people are like, they still see it as a want.
And so all of a sudden the wants people pull back on those when there's a lot of uncertainty in the world.
And the sun doesn't have to go through any sort of straight around the world to get to my house.
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