Renewable Power Perspectives Q&A with Ally Mendoza, CEO of SUNTEX

By Constance ThompsonSeptember 16, 2021

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is happy to share the 4th installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series.
Each installment features industry leaders and subjects associated with accelerating a fair and just transition to a renewable resource economy. In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our September features highlight how three Hispanic-owned Accelerate member companies are prospering in the renewable resource sector.
What inspired you to begin SUNTEX?
As a natural-born leader, I constantly set high expectations for myself and always search for chances to serve others– be it by providing exceptional client service, language translations, or simply sharing understanding with others. My individual goals and desire to help others led me to operate in the renewable energy sector, where I can pursue this dream on a bigger scale.
Tell us about SUNTEX?
Our companys mission is simple: we desire to make solar easy and affordable every step of the method. We largely serve the Hispanic neighborhood in Texas. That is what we do best– assist Spanish speakers comprehend and adopt sustainable energy as a way of life, assisting generations to come.
Please show us more about your journey towards developing SUNTEX. Existed an “aha minute” when you chose to concentrate on solar?
Back in August of 2018, my service partner and I had the chance to join a really promising little solar installation business in Houston. Through this work we saw the chance offered to bring solar into our (the Hispanic) community.
Why is focusing on the Hispanic neighborhood a priority for SUNTEX?
Top: it is in our blood. My company partner and I are native Spanish speakers, and we can determine well with our people and their worldview. Number Two: in the past, we have personally experienced an absence of care and interaction from those that can not determine with our culture. We understood that solar advantages everybody, no matter race or background, which our individuals would need a great deal of support to comprehend how to get this benefit for their homes.
What obstacles do you deal with? Why?
Being a little company with a high level of service expectations for our customers includes its own set of challenges. The biggest challenge we deal with is shared by a number of small services: turnover. Additionally, even though solar power has been around for a while, the fundamentals of these tasks are not commonly taught in school. We have to invest a lot quantity of time training sales staff to make sure they are able to offer a high level of customer service.
How are you making an impact through SUNTEX?
By just living up to our truthful values. I have actually learned throughout my life that in business, there is no other method to do it ideal however to be sincere. While others might take faster ways, the reality constantly prevails.
Please share with us a current business success story.
Throughout our initial consultation, I noted that they could only achieve about 56% of solar energy balanced out due to their houses intake rates and shading from trees on the residential or commercial property. We talked about a few extra energy performance upgrades to the home to minimize energy consumption, which might supply a greater energy offset. Angela at first flinched at the idea of investing more money into the house, however ultimately she called me back and said she wanted to move forward with the solar and energy performance upgrades.
During the setup, we wound up paying for Angela and her elderly mom to remain in a hotel up until their inspections and upgrades were total to ensure they were comfy throughout the procedure.
Now, Angelas planetary system covers 100% of the electrical energy utilized in her house. Thanks to the air conditioning upgrade, they have decreased their energy usage greatly, and she has a flat, foreseeable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying before setting up solar. This is what we mean by “customer service.”
From a national perspective, how can we improve access to eco-friendly enery?
From my experience, there is a huge gap in gain access to. Most of the homeowners that we go to are fortunate to own a house, yet much of them have actually not received solar due to numerous combined or isolated aspects such as subprime credit rating, lower annual home income, self-employment, or a lack of understanding of readily available loan programs. These neighborhoods need more assistance and education on the value of setting up a solar system that can conserve them cash. We need to supply more individuals with opportunities to adopt renewable resource with less hassles.
How has your Accelerate subscription helped your organization?
By empowering us to believe that there is somebody there to support our development in this market, and providing us the chance to meet others in the very same boat. Now I understand that there is hope for minority little businesses in the sustainable energy industry.
How can possible partners work with you?
It is crucial that we share the same values and objective to assist others, even if it implies getting out of our convenience zones. It may cost a bit more for us to do organization, however its worth it in the end for our customers. If youre willing to start there, we d love to fulfill to go over possible collaboration chances.
Exists anything else you would like to show ACORE members and partners?
We are genuinely grateful for the Accelerate membership program and for all of the chances you have provided. I understand this is only the beginning, and we have a long road ahead of us; nevertheless, I eagerly anticipate becoming a sponsor to help lead the way for other Accelerate members in the future– with an unique thanks to all of my clients and partners at SUNTEX, because they are the fuel that drives the mission!
To find out more about SUNTEX, see https://suntexllc.com/.
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Furthermore, even though solar energy has actually been around for a while, the fundamentals of these jobs are not widely taught in school. Throughout our initial consultation, I kept in mind that they might only achieve about 56% of solar energy offset due to their homes consumption rates and shading from trees on the residential or commercial property. We talked about a couple of additional energy performance upgrades to the home to lower energy usage, which could offer a higher energy offset. Angela initially winced at the thought of investing more cash into the house, but ultimately she called me back and stated she wanted to move forward with the solar and energy efficiency upgrades. Thanks to the Air conditioning upgrade, they have decreased their energy usage significantly, and she has a flat, foreseeable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying prior to setting up solar.