Solar Referral Program Template: The Messages and the Rules

A solar referral program template for installers: when to ask installed customers, five ready messages, the reward rules, and how to keep reviews separate.

Written by the Miriad team with AI assistance. Figures link to their sources; examples marked illustrative are not real cases. Updated 2026-10-21.

TL;DR: A solar referral program needs three parts: written rules (who qualifies, what the reward is, when it is paid), a small set of messages sent at the right moments after installation, and a sheet that tracks each referral to a signed system. Keep the referral reward strictly apart from review requests, and pay only for real, signed customers.

The most convincing sales conversation about rooftop solar does not happen in your office. It happens over a garden fence, when a neighbour asks how the panels are working and the homeowner opens the monitoring app on her phone. A referral program does not create that conversation. It makes sure your name, your number and a simple next step are there when it happens. This article is part of our electrician marketing strategies guide, and it gives you the rules and the messages to copy.

Why does a solar installer need a referral program now?

Because the cost of winning a customer the other way is rising. Purchased leads, dealer fees and commissions are squeezing residential solar margins in 2026, and analysts describe installers moving to customer-lifetime-value models with referral engines. A referral costs a reward and some office time, with no lead fee in front.

Wood Mackenzie reports that residential solar acquisition cost fell 10% in 2025, partly due to AI-enabled sales tools and digital platforms, but that in 2026 purchased leads, dealer fees and commissions squeeze margins without the 30% credit (Wood Mackenzie, 2026). The same analysis describes installers shifting to customer-lifetime-value models with engagement platforms and referral engines, and adding batteries, EV chargers and roofing; it expects the payoff from that shift after 2027.

We have no published figure for what a referral costs a solar installer, so use this frame with your own numbers:

Cost per referred system = (rewards paid + office hours on the program × hourly cost + printing) ÷ signed systems from referrals.

Compare it with the same calculation for bought leads and ads, counted the same way.

What rules should a solar referral program have?

Short, written rules that a customer can read in one minute: who can refer, who counts as a new customer, what the reward is, when it is paid, and what the program never does. The most important rule is that no reward is ever linked to a review. Publish the rules on one web page and link it from every message.

A rules template:

  1. Who can refer: any customer whose system has been installed and passed final inspection.
  2. Who counts: a household that is not already in contact with us and signs a contract for a system.
  3. Reward: a fixed amount or a service credit, the same for everyone, stated in the local currency.
  4. When it is paid: after the referred system is installed and passes inspection, not at signing.
  5. Disclosure: the referrer tells the friend they may receive a reward; we say so on our page.
  6. Never: no reward for reviews, no reward that depends on what anyone says about us, no pressure on the friend.
  7. Changes: we can end or change the program with notice; rewards already earned are paid.

The review rule is not a matter of taste. Google's Maps policy bans offering money, discounts or free services for reviews and selectively asking for positive ones (Google Maps Help, 2026). The FTC's final rule bans paying for reviews of a particular sentiment and undisclosed insider reviews (FTC, 2024). In Hungary, the consumer-protection blacklist bans commissioned fake reviews (Nemzeti Jogszabálytár, 2026). A referral reward pays for a new customer; it must never pay for words.

Check with your own adviser whether any local rule limits referral payments in your area before you publish the reward.

When should you ask installed solar customers for referrals?

At the moments when the system proves itself: when it switches on after utility interconnection, when the first lower bill arrives, and on the first anniversary. Those are the points when the customer has a story to tell. Asking at contract signing is too early; the customer has nothing to show yet.

Homeowners already look for referrals. The US Department of Energy tells consumers going solar to ask people who have gone solar for referrals, to get several installers to assess the roof, and to check licensing and credentials such as NABCEP (U.S. Department of Energy, 2021). Your installed customers are the people the next homeowner is told to ask.

Moment Trigger Message
Switch-on Interconnection approved, system live Message 1: thanks and card
First bill About one billing cycle later Message 2: check-in
A neighbour asks Customer forwards a contact Message 3: reply to the friend
Reward due Referred system passes final inspection Message 4: thank-you
Anniversary One year after switch-on Message 5: reminder

The messages: a template set

Five short messages cover the program: one at switch-on, one at the first bill, a reply to the referred friend, a thank-you when the reward is due and a yearly reminder. Each names one action, links the rules page and avoids any savings promise. Adapt the wording, but keep the length.

Message 1, switch-on: "Your system is live as of today. Thank you for choosing us. If friends ask how it went, here is a card with my direct number. Our referral rules are here: [rules link]."

Message 2, first bill: "Your first bill since switch-on should have arrived. Does everything look as you expected? If anything is unclear, reply and we will go through it with you."

Message 3, to the referred friend: "[Customer's first name] passed on your details. We will start with a site survey and a written quote with all assumptions shown. No deposit before you have read the full contract."

Message 4, reward due: "The system you referred passed its final inspection today. Your reward of [amount] is on its way. Thank you."

Message 5, anniversary: "One year since your system went live. If you know anyone considering solar or battery storage, we would be glad to help them the same way."

Example (illustrative, not a real case): A ten-person solar installer runs the program for one year. 64 systems switch on and receive message 1. 22 customers pass on at least one contact; 31 friends receive message 3; 9 sign; all 9 pass inspection and the referrers receive a fixed reward of 250 each in the local currency, 2,250 in total. Office time is about 30 hours at 30 an hour (900), plus 150 in printing, so 3,300 overall: about 367 per referred system. The owner compares that with the same sum for bought leads before setting next year's budget. All numbers are invented.

How do you track referrals and pay rewards?

With one sheet: referrer, friend, date of first contact, quote date, contract date, inspection date, reward paid. Each referral moves along the row until it signs or drops. Pay the reward only when the referred system passes final inspection, and send message 4 the same day so the payment is never forgotten.

Columns that make the sheet useful:

  • Referrer and friend, with the date the friend first got in touch.
  • Source check, whether the friend was already in your system from an ad or a lead platform.
  • Quote and contract dates, to see how long referred customers take.
  • Inspection date and reward date, to keep the payment promise.

The quote you send the referred friend matters as much as the message. The pattern in the solar quote with no promises shows assumptions and a range instead of a fixed figure, which protects the referrer's reputation as well as yours. For non-solar electrical work, the in-person referral ask is in how to get leads as an electrician.

If drafting these messages and the rules page is the slow part, our Copywriting Pack, linked prompts for clear sales copy including an objection-handling step, is in preparation. Get notified when it launches. The wider plan is in the electrician marketing strategies guide.

FAQ

What reward should a solar referral program offer?

A fixed amount or a service credit, the same for every referrer, paid after the referred system passes final inspection. Choose a figure your cost-per-system calculation can carry, and compare it with what bought leads cost you. Avoid rewards that grow with the system size, because they push referrers to oversell to friends.

Can I reward customers for a review and a referral together?

No. Keep them completely separate. Google bans offering money, discounts or free services for reviews, and the FTC rule bans paying for reviews of a particular sentiment. A referral reward pays for a new paying customer. Send the review request on its own, with no reward, to every customer at the same moment.

When should a solar installer ask for a referral?

When the system has proven itself: at switch-on after interconnection, after the first bill, and on the first anniversary. At those moments the customer has something to show friends. Asking at contract signing is too early, because the customer has not seen the system work yet and has nothing to tell.

Sources

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