One Friday morning a colleague came up to me saying that we quickly needed to visit a customer. It turned out that the customer was only at home in Lääne-Virumaa for the weekend and would already be heading back abroad on Monday. They wanted to add a battery solution to their solar panels and asked us for an offer. As it was a more complex project, it was clear that the offer could not be written up in the office – we had to go on site and check out the situation.
Since there was little time and my colleagues’ calendars were full of meetings, I decided (with guidance) to jump in head first and go alone! I was heading to my summer home that evening anyway and it was in the same area. I was briefed on what to ask for when preparing the offer, what to photograph and how to talk about the electricity price. The journey could begin!
Couldn’t find the house, big dog waiting
After checking the address, the adventures began. Google Maps couldn’t find the house, neither could Waze. Luckily, the Land Board map helped me find my way. I reached the right turn-off, but still managed to drive past it twice.
When I finally arrived at the right house, the owner came to open the gate with a big dog by their side. Such dogs always make my knees tremble. Luckily, the situation resolved smoothly: the dog only sniffed me, did not bark, and I gained a little more courage. I thought about our engineers and technicians who sometimes have to face menacing four-legged creatures…
A woman at work with electricity
The customer’s parents were also in the yard. After seeing me in my white trouser suit, the lady grinned and asked warmly: ‘So are women putting in electricity now?’ I replied jokingly that men do the work, but women make sure everything is done correctly.
I took photos of the solar panels, inverter, electrical cabinet and wiring diagram. Together with the owner we climbed to the second floor of the outbuilding to measure the future location of the battery. The distance between the inverter and the battery is very important – it must not exceed three metres. On-site measuring and documentation give the customer confidence and our technicians important information to avoid surprises during installation work.
With a battery, you consume the maximum amount of electricity you produce
In recent years, battery solutions have become significantly more popular – the battery selection has increased and prices have become more affordable.
The customer wanted to make maximum use of the electricity they produced in summer with the help of the battery and thereby save on network charges. In winter, when there is less sunlight, the battery buys electricity from the exchange during cheaper hours and uses it for the household. During more expensive hours, the battery sells electricity back to the network.
Together we will find the best solution
Although for the majority of price offers there is no need to visit the customer, we still do that in situations that are technically more complex. This way we can better assess the options, present an accurate price offer and also make the installation process smoother.
In the end, this little adventure, but a great experience, showed how important good preparation, flexibility and cooperation with both colleagues and customers are.
If you are also considering installing a storage solution, check out Enefit’s battery solutions or write to me – I’ll come and visit!
Inge Laas
Enefiti erakliendi valdkonna juht
