Keep every solar deal in one record from first call to permission to operate
A solar install touches design software, inventory, financing, the utility and the permit office. We connect them to HubSpot so details move on their own and sales, design and install teams share one deal record.
Free, 30 minutes, and you'll leave with at least one clear next step.
Why do solar deals touch so many systems?
A home solar sale doesn't end at the signature. After the contract comes a design, financing, an interconnection application, a permit, an equipment order, the install, an inspection and finally permission to operate. Each step has its own tool or its own office.
Most installers fill the gaps by hand. Someone copies the homeowner's details from the CRM into the design tool, then into the inventory system, then into a permit form. Each copy costs time and invites a typo that can hold up a permit for weeks.
The fix is to decide which system owns each detail and let a connection carry it everywhere else. At Photon Brothers, sales, design and project teams now work from the same deal record. A designer can see what the rep promised, and the install lead can see the signed design and the permit office's requirements without asking anyone.
The life of a solar deal, and where HubSpot fits
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Lead and site visit
Leads from ads, referrals and your website land in HubSpot and go to a rep with a follow-up task.
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Design and proposal
The design and proposal come back from OpenSolar onto the deal, with files saved to the right folder.
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Signed contract
The signed contract attaches to the deal, and equipment details copy from the quote.
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Utility and permit
The deal links to its utility and permitting office, with their requirements attached.
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Order and install
A sales order goes to inventory, with an alert if product records don't match.
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Inspection and permission to operate
The final steps close out on the same record, so anyone can see where a job stands.
What HubSpot holds, and what stays in your other tools
HubSpot governs
- Leads, homeowners and deals
- Deal stage
- Utility and permit office for each deal
- Equipment details copied from the quote
- Mapped addresses
Shared, synced one way
- Designs, proposals and signed contracts ERP to CRM
- Sales orders CRM to ERP
- Product mismatch alerts ERP to CRM
Design and inventory tools govern
- System designs in OpenSolar
- Proposals and signed contracts
- Product records and stock
- Files in Google Drive
How does utility and permit matching work?
Every install depends on which utility serves the address and which office issues the permit. Looking those up by hand for each deal is slow, and getting one wrong delays the job.
For Photon Brothers, we set up rules that link each deal to its utility company and permitting office, with that office's requirements attached. Every address also gets map coordinates. From the first month, every deal was linked to its utility and permit office by those rules.
Nobody is complaining. ... The fact that nobody's saying anything is fantastic.
When should a solar installer spend more on ads?
After the systems work. More leads into a process that loses details just means more retyping and more missed follow-up. Once deals move cleanly from lead to install, we can run paid ads and tie spend to signed contracts instead of form fills.
That's also when reporting gets honest. With each deal carrying its source, its design and its contract, you can see which campaigns bring homeowners who actually sign. Our attribution work connects that back to the ad account.
Solar installers questions
Does HubSpot connect to OpenSolar?
Yes. We connected them for Photon Brothers, so designs, proposals and signed contracts flow back to the HubSpot deal and file themselves in Google Drive.
Can HubSpot track permits and utility interconnection?
Yes. Each deal can link to its utility and permitting office with their requirements attached, and stages can track each application through approval.
Can HubSpot show where each solar job is stuck?
Yes. Each step from signed contract to permission to operate can be a deal stage. Managers see how many jobs sit at each step, and for how long, such as waiting on a permit or an inspection.
How do we stop typing the same homeowner into the design tool and the CRM?
Connect them so one system creates the record and the other receives it. Pick one source of truth for each detail and let the connection carry it.
Can solar sales orders go straight to our inventory system?
Yes. For Photon Brothers, sales orders go from HubSpot into the inventory system, with an alert when product records don't match.
How do we keep solar integrations from breaking?
Write down every field, trigger and direction before building. Then test on live deals and keep the number of moving fields small.
Can HubSpot track where each solar lead came from?
Yes. Each deal keeps its original source, so you can report signed contracts and install value by campaign, referral partner or event.
Should a solar company use HubSpot or a solar-specific CRM?
Solar CRMs often bundle design and project steps. HubSpot is stronger for marketing, follow-up and custom connections. Many installers use HubSpot with their design tool connected to it.
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Walk us through one install
Pick a recent job and tell us every system it touched. We'll show you which handoff we'd connect first.