Considering Solar or Battery Storage?
Start With the Questions That Matter.
What makes sense depends on your home, electricity use, future plans, backup needs and finances. We’ll help you understand what the answers mean so you can decide if and how to move forward.
A Different Way to Approach Solar
Instead of starting with a proposal, we start with your situation—your home, your priorities, and what you’re trying to accomplish.
1. Start With the Questions
We help you identify the questions that matter for your home and circumstances—and understand why they matter.
2. Make Sense of the Answers
Your answers help reveal what deserves a closer look, what choices and tradeoffs you may face, and what information you may still need.
3. Decide What’s Next
With a clearer picture of your situation, you can decide whether to move forward, wait, address something else first, or decide solar isn’t right for you.
4. Move Forward—If You Choose
If you decide to proceed, Upstart Energy can help turn what you’ve learned into a solar solution designed around your situation.
Know the Questions Before You Evaluate Answers
Solar proposals contain plenty of answers—system size, battery recommendations, equipment, costs and financing.
But those answers are only useful if they reflect your home, your priorities and what you’re actually trying to accomplish.
Upstart Energy helps you understand what to ask, so you can evaluate the answers and decide what makes sense for you.
Start With the Homeowner Checklist
You don’t need to have all the answers. Start by knowing which questions are worth asking.
The Homeowner Checklist helps you think through the questions that can shape your decision—from your home and electricity use to your future plans, financial priorities, and what you want solar to accomplish.
Your Decision. How Upstart Energy Helps
I’m Carol Cole-Lewis, founder of Upstart Energy. I help you understand the questions that matter, evaluate your options, and make your own decisions.
If you decide to move forward, Upstart Energy can help you put that decision into action. Through my relationship with Powur PBC, I can offer solar and battery solutions with access to a range of equipment and financing options, supported by project management and local installation partners.
If you purchase products or services from Powur PBC through Upstart Energy, I receive compensation from Powur for the sale.
Our approach starts with the questions that matter: your circumstances, your priorities and what you’re trying to accomplish—so whatever comes next is grounded in what’s important to you.
Prefer to Talk it Through?
A 15-minute Clarity Call gives us a chance to talk about what you’re considering, what you’re trying to accomplish, and the questions that may matter for your situation.
What Homeowners Say
Hear from homeowners who asked questions, explored their options, and made their own decisions about solar.
“Carol made sure that we knew everything we needed to know about our solar options and consistently answered all of our questions and concerns. From the first time we met with Carol, we thought we could trust her — and we were right!”
Jane S. — Kelseyville, CA
“Carol provided constant support and helped make the process as painless as possible. The fact that she was not representing a specific solar company gave her credibility. The truth is, I would not have solar on our home today without Carol’s help.”
Eva A. — Berkeley, CA
“The videos were really informative and inspiring, so we contacted Carol, who is a delight to work with. We talked on the phone and had discussions via Zoom. Over time we learned what we needed to know to feel comfortable committing ourselves to this process.”
Dave S. — Hidden Valley Lake, CA
Choose How You’d Like to Start
Prefer to Begin on Your Own?
Use the Homeowner Checklist to identify the questions worth asking and organize your thinking.
Prefer to Talk it Through?
Schedule a 15-minute Clarity Call and start with what’s on your mind.