The Austin Business Journal took a deep dive into the pivot that Freedom Solar and the rest of our industry are making. In Freedom’s case, that means embracing a “whole home” approach to energy, helping our customers save money and protect themselves from extreme weather by any means necessary.
Yes, that still means helping people generate their own electricity through solar power — which is more important than ever with energy prices and bills going up. But it also means delivering backup power with Tesla batteries and Generac gas generators. And it means helping them save energy that’d otherwise go to waste through air conditioning and ventilation services, which is why we launched Freedom HVAC.
The upshot: we still think the future is bright for our company, our customers, and energy freedom.
Here’s an excerpt.
For Austin entrepreneur Bret Biggart, business is fast approaching a cliff of uncertain magnitude. Fortunately for him and his company, Freedom Solar Power, he began steering away from it months ago. … About four months ago, (Freedom Solar) launched a new division — called Freedom HVAC — to sell and install heating, ventilation and air conditioning units. And earlier this month, it began selling generators as well.
The aim is to offer consumers “a whole home power solution” that includes solar systems, battery attachments, efficient HVAC units and backup generators, Biggart said. … At a time when electricity is becoming more expensive, extreme weather is becoming more commonplace and power grids are becoming more strained, Biggart is confident his company has a winning sales pitch. He expects it to bounce back in a big way, even without the federal tax breaks for residential solar that have been an industry pillar.
“With this whole home power strategy, I think we’ll have a very big business in a smaller footprint geographically,” he said. “In three years, do we have a $500 million-plus business … that go super deep into the market in terms of power solutions? I think the answer to that is absolutely yes.”