Fill rate gets a lot of attention in community solar. Retention gets less than it deserves — probably because it's harder to show on a slide, and the consequences take time to show up.

But ask any developer who has managed a project through its second or third year and the math becomes obvious. The most expensive subscriber isn't the one who costs the most to acquire. It's the one you have to acquire twice.

As a Public Benefit Corp and Certified B Corp, Neighborhood Sun's acquisition model is built around that premise. We build lasting relationships with customers and source primarily through community partners — non-profit organizations ,mission-aligned businesses, major universities, housing authorities, and faith groups of all kind.

Subscribers who arrive through partners and neighbors they trust are much more likely to stay. The acquisition cost is often lower. The retention curve is consistently better. And the referral rate from that base compounds over time in ways that cold-acquisition channels don't.

For LMI specifically, this sourcing model is why our churn numbers hold where other platforms struggle. It's not a low-income subscriber problem — it's an acquisition method problem. Source through an affordable housing authority that already has the trust of community members, and you get a very different subscriber than one recruited door-to-door.

We pair that with structured onboarding to filter out problem cases before they happen, proactive project communications, and a nine-year track record of community relationship- and trust-building. Not to mention our new app that keeps subscribers engaged and earning rewards throughout the project construction window where most voluntary cancellations happen.

If you're planning a project and want to talk about what the subscriber pipeline looks like from day one, we'd be glad to walk through it.