Summer has only just begun and it’s already shaping up to be a hot one. Southern cities like Miami are already getting scorched and the heat is spreading fast. According to The Weather Channel, this summer could be one of the hottest on record for the entire country, for the second year in a row. As climate change ramps up, we’re likely to see more extreme weather in the coming years.
Extreme heat puts power grids under pressure, and large swaths of the US are at risk of blackouts this summer.
That doesn’t sound like good news, but there’s a silver lining for solar installers—blackouts drive interest in batteries.
Search for Batteries Spikes After Blackouts
Most people don’t think about power outages until they’re happening. But when an outage hits, backup power is top of mind.
Remember back in 2021 when Texas was hit with the Great Freeze? At the peak of the outage, around 10 million people were without power. And while they were sitting in their cold, dark houses, they were thinking about backup power.
Google Trends data shows a sharp spike in interest for the terms “solar battery” and “solar battery backup” in the midst of the disaster, followed by a quick decline.
The same thing happened in Florida after Hurricane Ian hit in 2022. The day after Ian left hundreds of thousands of people without power in Florida, the term “solar battery” saw a significant jump and continued to trend upward for a few days before fizzling out.
How Solar Installers Can Capitalize on Spiked Interest
When a power outage hits, a window of opportunity opens for solar installers to capitalize on the surge of interest in battery backup. But that window is small—in the examples above, interest drops back down just as quickly as it spikes.
To make sure you don’t miss your opportunity, you need to prepare in advance. Getting your marketing materials ready now will put you in the perfect position to appeal to customers when interest in battery storage is high.
Get Your Website’s Foundation in Good Shape Now
If your website is not already optimized for battery storage, update it now. You should have:
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A dedicated battery storage landing page
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Prominent battery messaging on homepage
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Clear tax credit & incentives information
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Blog content promoting the benefits of battery backup during outages
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Video content explaining how battery storage works
Optimizing your website in advance will give you a better chance of ranking for battery-related terms when customers start searching for them.
Prep an Email Blast
An email campaign promoting battery backup will put a solution directly in front of your customers while they’re actively feeling the pain of an outage. Get one in the cannon now so you can fire it out immediately after the next power outage, or in advance of upcoming severe storms.
Have a Blackout-Themed Ad Campaign Ready to Launch
Build blackout-themed Google Ads and Facebook campaigns targeting homeowners who are researching backup power. Get your campaign ready to go live now so you can launch it as soon as an outage hits.
