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

By Constance ThompsonSeptember 16, 2021

Additionally, even though solar energy has been around for a while, the basics of these tasks are not extensively taught in school. During our preliminary appointment, I noted that they might only attain about 56% of solar energy offset due to their homes usage rates and shading from trees on the residential or commercial property. We discussed a couple of extra energy effectiveness upgrades to the house to reduce energy consumption, which could provide a greater energy balanced out. Angela at first flinched at the thought of investing more cash into the home, but eventually she called me back and stated she wanted to move forward with the solar and energy effectiveness upgrades. Thanks to the AC upgrade, they have actually decreased their energy usage greatly, and she has a flat, predictable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying prior to setting up solar.

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the fourth installation in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog series.
Each installation features industry leaders and subjects related to speeding up an equitable and simply shift to a renewable resource economy. In acknowledgment of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our September features highlight how three Hispanic-owned Accelerate member business are thriving in the eco-friendly energy sector.
What inspired you to start SUNTEX?
As a natural-born leader, I constantly set high expectations for myself and always look for opportunities to serve others– be it by supplying extraordinary client service, language translations, or simply sharing knowledge with others. My personal goals and desire to assist others led me to work in the renewable energy sector, where I can pursue this dream on a larger scale.
Inform us about SUNTEX?
Our businesss mission is basic: we want to make solar easy and affordable every action of the way. We largely serve the Hispanic community in Texas. That is what we do best– help Spanish speakers comprehend and adopt sustainable energy as a lifestyle, assisting generations to come.
Please show us more about your journey toward establishing SUNTEX. Existed an “aha moment” when you decided to concentrate on solar?
Back in August of 2018, my service partner and I had the opportunity to join a very promising small solar installation business in Houston. Through this work we saw the opportunity available to bring solar into our (the Hispanic) neighborhood. As an outcome, my partner and I integrated his experience in selling to the Hispanic market with my client service expertise to develop SUNTEX where “the client is the reason we exist as a company”. Our focus is linking the Hispanic community and our customers with exceptional customer support.
Why is concentrating on the Hispanic neighborhood a priority for SUNTEX?
Number Two: in the past, we have actually personally experienced a lack of care and communication from those that can not recognize with our culture. We understood that solar benefits everybody, regardless of race or background, and that our people would need a lot of support to comprehend how to get this advantage for their houses.
What obstacles do you face? Why?
Being a small business with a high level of service expectations for our customers comes with its own set of obstacles. However, the best obstacle we face is shared by a variety of small companies: turnover. Additionally, although solar energy has been around for a while, the fundamentals of these tasks are not commonly taught in school. So, we have to invest a lot amount of time training sales personnel to ensure they have the ability to offer a high level of customer support.
How are you making an effect through SUNTEX?
By merely living up to our truthful worths. I have actually found out throughout my life that in organization, there is no other method to do it best but to be sincere. While others may take faster ways, the reality constantly prevails.
Please share with us a recent company success story.
Recently, after assisting a customer “go solar” in two of her houses, she referred a new customer named Angela to us. During our initial appointment, I kept in mind that they could only attain about 56% of solar energy offset due to their houses usage rates and shading from trees on the home. We discussed a couple of additional energy effectiveness upgrades to the house to lower energy consumption, which could provide a higher energy offset. Angela at first winced at the thought of investing more money into the house, but eventually she called me back and stated she desired to move on with the solar and energy efficiency upgrades. We completed a Home Energy Audit to see why her usage was so high and discovered that her house required a bigger a/c unit, plus additional ducts to distribute the a/c evenly throughout your home. We likewise told her that the finance partner might add the expense of that upgrade to the solar loan– and that in doing so, she could receive a lower interest rate than any other house improvement loan for that AC upgrade. She took my suggestions and chose to move on and was, in reality, able to decrease her loan interest rate.
During the setup, we wound up paying for Angela and her elderly mom to remain in a hotel till their upgrades and inspections were complete to guarantee they were comfortable throughout the procedure.
Now, Angelas planetary system covers 100% of the electrical power used in her house. Thanks to the AC upgrade, they have actually decreased their energy consumption greatly, and she has a flat, foreseeable solar payment monthly that is less than she was paying before installing solar. This is what we mean by “customer support.”
From a national perspective, how can we enhance access to eco-friendly enery?
Most of the house owners that we check out are fortunate to own a home, yet numerous of them have actually not qualified for solar due to numerous combined or separated elements such as subprime credit rating, lower yearly household income, self-employment, or a lack of understanding of readily available loan programs. We need to offer more individuals with opportunities to adopt sustainable energy with less troubles.
How has your Accelerate subscription helped your business?
By empowering us to believe that there is somebody there to support our growth in this market, and offering us the chance to meet others in the very same boat. Now I understand that there is expect minority small companies in the eco-friendly energy market.
How can possible partners work with you?
It is very important that we share the exact same values and mission to assist others, even if it means getting out of our convenience zones. It may cost a little more for us to do organization, however its worth it in the end for our customers. If youre willing to begin there, we d love to fulfill to talk about possible cooperation chances.
Exists anything else you want to show ACORE members and partners?
We are really grateful for the Accelerate subscription program and for all of the opportunities you have actually supplied. I understand this is just the start, and we have a long road ahead of us; nevertheless, I look forward to ending up being a sponsor to assist pave the method for other Accelerate members in the future– with a special thanks to all of my clients and partners at SUNTEX, considering that they are the fuel that drives the mission!
For more information about SUNTEX, see https://suntexllc.com/.
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