Your solar system is old enough to need a new inverter

The workflow

1. TriggerConnecticut Open DataSolar installs: date, size and installer
2. Evidence
   Google MapsWhether the installer still operates
3. Artifact
   What you hand overA system brief: install year, size, typical inverter lifespan, what to watch for, and a replacement plan.
4. Contact
   GliderFinds the homeowner or building owner, with a verified work email and a phone
5. Message
   Send itFrom your own mailboxes, evidence attached

The play in six steps

1. 01

   Find older systems

   Connecticut Open Data

   What you pull

   Solar installations by address: install date, system size and the installer's name.

   Why it matters

   String inverters typically last 10 to 15 years. A system from 2014 is right in that window.

   Example

   7.2 kW system · Glastonbury · installed 2014 · installer: a regional solar company

2. 02

   Check whether the installer is still around

   Google Maps

   What you pull

   The installer's listing: whether it is marked closed, and the date of its last activity.

   Why it matters

   Owners whose installer has closed have no one to call and no one checking performance. They are the ones who need you.

   Example

   Installer listing marked permanently closed · last review 2021

3. 03

   Build the system brief

   Your artifact

   What you build

   The system's age and size, the expected inverter life, the signs of failure, and what a replacement or monitoring plan costs.

   Why it works

   It tells the owner something specific about their own roof, and how to check it themselves.

   Example

   12 years old · inverter in its expected failure window · check the display or app for zero output days

4. 04

   Check before you send

   Inverter type is often not in the record. Speak to typical lifespans, not to their equipment, until you have seen it.

5. 05

   Find the homeowner or building owner in Glider

   Glider

   Search for

   HomeownerBuilding ownerFacilities manager

   Why them

   For residential systems, the homeowner. For commercial ones, whoever manages the building's utilities.

   What you get

   A work email and a direct phone, with the email verified before it goes into a sequence.

6. 06

   Send the evidence, then run the first test

   Your 7.2 kW system in Glastonbury was installed in 2014,¹ and the company that installed it has closed.² String inverters of that era typically last 10 to 15 years. I put together a short brief on your system: what to watch for and a replacement plan if output has dipped.³ Want it?

   • Facts from the data (the number is the step)
   • What you built for them
   • One small ask

   Why it works

   It tells the owner something useful about their system that no one else is watching, and how to check it themselves.

   First test

   Fifty systems over ten years old whose installer has closed.

   Success looks like

   Five system checks out of fifty older installs.

The sample message is hypothetical and its numbers are illustrative. Verify every claim, date and rule before sending.

Sources used

The two sources this play names. Each links to the other plays that use it.

Connecticut Open DataSolar and battery installations by address1 playGoogle MapsLocal businesses, hours, status and reviews10 plays

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