You've seen the Reddit threads. "Why is that guy going door to door trying to sell me solar panels? Seems sketchy."

Fair question, and we get it. Nobody wants a knock right before dinner.

But here's the thing we'd like you to know: door-to-door solar sales are still happening in 2026 because they work, and when done right, they work for homeowners as much as for anyone else.

So here's the deal.

Here at Mpower Solar, every one of our solar advisor completes a paid, two-week training before they ever knock on a door. The training covering solar technology, solar panel installation, NYC and New York State solar tax incentives, and local regulations. Many of our advisors have been with us for a year or more. They know their stuff. All our advisors receive a base salary and vehicle stipend to ensure they're earning a living wage in addition to commission. They're passionate about solar energy, and when they show up at your door, they're just doing their job.

We sat down with Carmelo D'Alessandro, one of our solar sales managers, to talk about why door-to-door is still the model, what the strategy is behind it, and why more New York homeowners are going solar this year than ever before.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Nothing to lose by getting a free consultation—we don't even have to sit in your house, we can sit on your porch. 20, 30 minutes. —Carmelo

A Q&A with Carmelo D'Alessandro, Solar Sales Manager, Mpower Solar Brooklyn

Can you introduce yourself, tell us a bit about you and your background?

My name is Carmelo D'Alessandro. I'm solar sales manager here at the Brooklyn location for Mpower Solar. I started working for Mpower January of 2025. I was a solar setter—door to door in the field every day, grinding, knocking on people's doors, direct marketing to homeowners about the benefits of going solar and scheduling them for in-home consultations and building relationships with them.

I was actually promoted to management, in which now I'm helping and training others to do the same thing that I was doing—and I still am doing—on a day-to-day basis.

Sounds like a tough job!

I really enjoy it. I didn't have a background in door-to-door whatsoever. I've kind of always been in a sales realm one way or another—whether it be cars, general merchandise, or different entrepreneurial ventures that I tried to launch in my own personal life. But I found that with the right training and practice and environment and the right culture that we have here, it actually allowed me to blossom a little bit. I like to think that I do pretty well in it.

How'd you get into the industry?

You definitely have to be good with people. You definitely have to be able to hold a conversation. You definitely have to have a good attitude, good energy. Because we are in the energy business. And we are marketing...I mean essentially before we're marketing anything else, we're marketing ourselves.

Why do solar sales reps go door to door? What's the strategy there?

I think we go to them because it's a lot more effective.

We could wait for them to come to us, too. But we go to them because a lot of times people don't take the initiative—maybe they have some assumption about it, or they already heard something and they already think, "This is something I'm not looking to get into."

When I come and knock on your door with a smile, and I talk to you about your dog, and how your day is going, and how much I love your gardening skills—I open up the door for a conversation.

And then right there, on the spot, in that conversation, I'm able to clear up some misconceptions they may have had [about solar] and actually get them to learn some more about it. I think it's very effective.

What are some of the concerns you're hearing from NYC homeowners these days?

People care about their Con Edison bills being high.

And obviously if their bills are high, adding an extra cost to their life is something they're not looking for.

So when they think about solar, they think, "I don't have the money for this." That's probably the first misconception, though it's not a total misconception, because it does cost you money. But with some of the [financing offers] we've been able to put together, it really addresses that concern head on, which makes the whole process a little bit easier.

Some other concerns are the roof. People say, "I need roof repairs." Which is fine—we have solutions for that.

Or the opposite: "I just got a new roof, I don't want anything on it, I don't want my roof penetrated with solar panels." Which is also totally fine, because we have solutions for that as well.

And actually, if you think about it—what's the number one cause of roof damage? Most people don't know, but it's the sun. The sun, 365 days a year, beats your roof up. It dries it out, then the rain comes and wipes little pieces around, then the wind blows pieces off, and sometime later you need roof work done. What solar does is actually add an added layer of protection to your roof. It's beating on the solar panels instead which is actually helping you tremendously.

We are NYSERDA-certified installers. We have our own roofing teams and divisions within our company, so we're not subcontracting work out to other companies. Our quality-over-quantity approach means we do the job right the first time. We use all the proper tools, glues, and epoxies to make sure there are no problems. And we offer warranties on the workmanship.

If they're worried about leaks, which is another common concern, it rarely happens, but if there is a leak, you'll know about it the first time it rains, not five or ten years down the line. And we'll come out and take care of it right away at no cost to you.

‍Learn more about why solar makes financial sense for NYC homeowners.

What's the process like when you knock on someone's door?

The end goal is to set a date and time [for a free no-obligation solar consultation]. And yes, we're going to need the Con Edison bill to do that. But it's a process to get there.

First things first: when we come to someone's house unannounced, we're perceived as a threat. You're in your house, maybe alone with your kids, this is your safety zone, your sanctuary  and here comes this guy with a bald head, a beard, and some tattoos knocking on your door.

So the first thing we want to do is let them know, "I'm not a threat." Show them the palms of your hands, wave, smile, hey, I'm not here for anything other than something good.

Because their door has been knocked before. By roofing companies, landscaping companies, Verizon, Spectrum, windows, religion. They've been approached about solar too, probably.

Then we start building rapport right away. It might be the dog that comes to the door, or their garden, whatever. There are many different ways to build a small connection before you get to [solar]. Once you've got their ear a little bit, then you can get into, "Hey, this is what I'm here for, this is what I have to offer." The trust gets built during that, and that's how they'll commit to a time, a date, a phone number, an email, or give you the Con Ed bill [for review].

And that rapport is crucial leading up to the appointment, too. If you don't have it, they might just feel like they got sold. But with good rapport, I can call my customers any time: "Hey Jen, how are you doing? I'll be there at three o'clock," and it's like we know each other.

Also, I'm the one coming back [for the free consultation]. Otherwise you'd have another person coming in and starting from scratch and maybe that person didn't have what you had.

What's the typical profile of someone going solar in NYC these days?

The majority of what I'm seeing is older, retired, fixed income. Think about being on a fixed income. If you could have a fixed, predictable electric payment with more control, that's very attractive. A lot of the customers taking appointments, signing, and getting installed are people who are retired.

Beyond that, the younger generation is very much more open to it. Then maybe the 40s and 50s are a little more in the middle, with exceptions across all of them. But I'd say the majority is the older and the younger.

And they're not picking up the phone and calling. Not much. But when they're approached and talked to, they're going for it.

The younger generation, people keeping up with technology and research, hey're the ones who actually call in a lot, too. They're probably already doing research and already interested.

Check out some of our NYC solar installation projects here.

What's the number one thing you wish people knew about solar?

Not every home is the same.

Just because solar worked or didn't work for your cousin Skeeter doesn't mean it's going to be the same for you. It's not one size fits all. It depends on your house, your roof size, how much you use, your geographical location, the sun hours you're going to get throughout the year—there are a lot of different factors.

So look into it and see, because your situation might be really good. And if it is—and the majority of the time it is—there's no logical reason not to have solar. If you don't have solar, you're spending more money. Throughout the years, you're going to be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars more. With solar, you're saving money straight from the start.

Even if you have 20% offset [from your current energy usage], you're saving money. 50% offset, you're saving. 100% offset? You're looking really good.

Find out. It's free to find out—there's no obligation.

I'm sure you would love and appreciate knowing if you could save hundreds of thousands of dollars. And if you don't like what you see, at least you walk away more informed on the situation.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Nothing to lose by getting a free consultation—we don't even have to sit in your house, we can sit on your porch. 20, 30 minutes. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.
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Thanks Carmello, we appreciate your time.

No problem, thank you!