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

By Constance ThompsonSeptember 16, 2021

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) is pleased to share the fourth installment in our “Accelerating Renewables” blog site series.
Each installment features market leaders and topics connected to speeding up an equitable and just transition to a sustainable energy economy. In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our September features highlight how 3 Hispanic-owned Accelerate member companies are thriving in the eco-friendly energy sector.
What inspired you to begin SUNTEX?
As a natural-born leader, I constantly set high expectations for myself and always try to find chances to serve others– be it by providing remarkable customer care, 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 objective is basic: we want to make solar simple and budget-friendly every step of the method. We mostly serve the Hispanic neighborhood in Texas. That is what we do best– help Spanish speakers comprehend and adopt eco-friendly energy as a method of life, helping generations to come.
Please show us more about your journey towards developing SUNTEX. Was there an “aha minute” when you decided to focus on solar?
Back in August of 2018, my service partner and I had the opportunity to join an extremely appealing little solar setup business in Houston. Through this work we saw the chance readily available to bring solar into our (the Hispanic) community. As an outcome, my partner and I combined his experience in selling to the Hispanic market with my customer support competence to create SUNTEX where “the consumer is the reason we exist as a business”. Our focus is connecting the Hispanic neighborhood and our clients with exceptional client service.
Why is concentrating on the Hispanic community a concern for SUNTEX?
Number Two: in the past, we have actually personally experienced an absence of care and communication from those that can not determine with our culture. We understood that solar advantages everybody, regardless of race or background, and that our people would require a lot of assistance to understand how to acquire this advantage for their houses.
What challenges do you face? Why?
Being a small company with a high level of service expectations for our clients comes with its own set of challenges. Furthermore, even though solar energy has actually been around for a while, the essentials of these tasks are not widely taught in school.
How are you making an impact through SUNTEX?
By merely measuring up to our truthful values. I have actually learned throughout my life that in organization, there is no other way to do it right however to be honest. While others might take faster ways, the truth always prevails.
Please share with us a recent business success story.
Just recently, after assisting a customer “go solar” in two of her homes, she referred a brand-new customer called Angela to us. During our preliminary visit, I kept in mind that they might only attain about 56% of solar energy balanced out due to their houses intake rates and shading from trees on the property. We talked about a couple of extra energy efficiency upgrades to your home to lower energy usage, which could provide a higher energy offset. Angela at first winced at the idea of investing more money into the house, however ultimately she called me back and stated she wished to move on with the solar and energy performance upgrades. We completed a Home Energy Audit to see why her usage was so high and discovered that her house needed a larger AC unit, plus extra ducts to disperse the air conditioner evenly throughout your house. We also informed her that the finance partner might add the expense of that upgrade to the solar loan– and that in doing so, she could get approved for a lower rate of interest than any other home improvement loan for that AC upgrade. She took my recommendations and decided to move on and was, in fact, able to lower her loan interest rate.
Throughout the installation, we ended up paying for Angela and her senior mom to stay in a hotel until their evaluations and upgrades were complete to guarantee they were comfy throughout the process.
Now, Angelas planetary system covers 100% of the electricity used in her house. Thanks to the air conditioner upgrade, they have lowered their energy consumption considerably, and she has a flat, foreseeable solar payment monthly that is less than she was paying before setting up solar. This is what we imply by “client service.”
From a nationwide perspective, how can we improve access to sustainable enery?
Many of the homeowners that we visit are lucky to own a house, yet numerous of them have actually not qualified for solar due to a number of combined or isolated elements such as subprime credit rating, lower yearly household income, self-employment, or an absence of knowledge of offered loan programs. We require to provide more individuals with opportunities to adopt sustainable energy with less troubles.
How has your Accelerate membership assisted your organization?
By empowering us to think that there is somebody there to support our growth in this market, and offering us the opportunity to satisfy others in the very same boat. Now I understand that there is hope for minority small companies in the eco-friendly energy market.
How can potential partners do business with you?
It is essential that we share the very same values and objective to help others, even if it implies getting out of our comfort zones. It may cost a little bit more for us to do business, but its worth it in the end for our customers. If youre prepared to begin there, we d love to satisfy to go over possible cooperation chances.
Exists anything else you wish to show ACORE members and partners?
We are genuinely grateful for the Accelerate membership program and for all of the opportunities you have actually provided. I know this is just the beginning, and we have a long roadway ahead of us; nevertheless, I anticipate ending up being a sponsor to assist pave the method for other Accelerate members in the future– with an unique thanks to all of my consumers and collaborators at SUNTEX, since they are the fuel that drives the objective!
To find out more about SUNTEX, check out https://suntexllc.com/.
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Furthermore, even though solar energy has been around for a while, the fundamentals of these tasks are not extensively taught in school. During our preliminary consultation, I noted that they might only accomplish about 56% of solar energy balanced out due to their houses consumption rates and shading from trees on the residential or commercial property. We went over a few additional energy efficiency upgrades to the home to lower energy consumption, which could offer a greater energy balanced out. Angela at first cringed at the thought of investing more money into the house, however eventually she called me back and said she wanted to move forward with the solar and energy effectiveness upgrades. Thanks to the A/c upgrade, they have decreased their energy usage significantly, and she has a flat, predictable solar payment each month that is less than she was paying before installing solar.