Energy Company Payment Systems — Solar, HVAC & EV Installers (San Diego)
Energy companies deal with large ticket transactions — $5,000 HVAC systems, $15,000–40,000 solar installs, $1,500–4,000 EV charger installs. At 2.9% per transaction, your card processor takes a painful cut. Here's the full picture — and a better option most companies haven't considered.
The fee math on large tickets
| Job value | Card fee (2.9% + $0.30) | ACH fee (0.8%, max $5) | Solana USDC fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 EV charger | $43.80 | $5.00 | $0.00025 |
| $8,000 HVAC install | $232.30 | $5.00 | $0.00025 |
| $15,000 solar install | $435.30 | $5.00 | $0.00025 |
| $35,000 solar + battery | $1,015.30 | $5.00 | $0.00025 |
A solar company doing 10 installs/month at $15k average is paying $4,353/month — $52,236/year — purely in card processing fees. ACH cuts that to $600/year. Solana cuts it to effectively $0.
Payment system options for energy companies
| Option | Best for | Fee structure |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe (invoices + ACH) | Solar, HVAC companies wanting clean invoicing + ACH pull | ACH: 0.8% (max $5) · Card: 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Square | Field payment collection at job completion | In-person: 2.6% + $0.10 · Invoices: 3.3% + $0.30 |
| Housecall Pro / Jobber | Full field service management + payments | Bundled processing ~2.9%; check vs standalone Stripe |
| Solana USDC | Tech-forward customers, large ticket jobs, B2B solar | ~$0.00025/transaction, any amount |
| Consumer financing (GreenSky, Mosaic) | Large residential solar/HVAC where customer needs financing | Dealer fee: 3–8% of financed amount (you absorb this) |
Why ACH should be your default for large jobs
ACH (bank transfer) is capped at $5 on Stripe, regardless of transaction size. For a $20,000 solar job: card costs $580, ACH costs $5. That's a $575 saving on one transaction.
Many homeowners and small business owners are perfectly willing to pay via ACH when you explain it saves them the credit card surcharge. Frame it as "direct bank transfer — same as writing a check, just digital." Stripe and Square both support ACH. So does QuickBooks Payments.
The one downside: ACH takes 2–5 business days to settle vs card payments (usually next-day). For final project payments, this is almost never a problem. For deposits, factor the settlement delay into your cash flow.
⚡ Solana USDC: The Highest-Leverage Option for High-Ticket Energy Companies
The fee math on large energy installs makes Solana stablecoin payments unusually compelling. Energy companies — especially solar — tend to attract customers who are early adopters of technology. Many solar buyers already own crypto. USDC on Solana is not speculative — it's a dollar, sent digitally, for a quarter of a cent.
Practical implementation: Add a line item to your quote — "Payment options: card (standard), ACH bank transfer, or USDC stablecoin (1% discount)." Offering a 1% discount for USDC costs you $150 on a $15k job but saves you $435 in processing fees — you net $285 ahead on every USDC transaction vs card.
You don't need to accept crypto for this. USDC is a stablecoin: 1 USDC = $1.00. No volatility. Convert to dollars immediately via Coinbase if preferred. Full Solana payments setup guide →
Consumer financing: the real cost
Most large solar and HVAC installs are financed. Consumer financing platforms (GreenSky, Mosaic, Sunlight, Goodleap) charge the installer a dealer fee of 3–8% of the financed amount. This is often buried in solar quotes as the gap between "cash price" and "financed price."
On a $30,000 solar install with 6% dealer fee: you receive $28,200 — not $30,000. Factor this into your job costing. Bake dealer fees into your cash-price quote, then offer a cash/ACH/USDC discount equal to roughly half the dealer fee to incentivize direct payment.
Common mistakes
Defaulting to card for every payment. On high-ticket jobs, ACH alone saves thousands per month. It takes 5 minutes to set up on Stripe.
Not offering ACH to customers explicitly. Customers won't ask. You have to offer it. Add it to every invoice as a payment option.
Using a field service platform's built-in payments without comparing rates. Housecall Pro and Jobber's processing rates aren't always competitive. Check if standalone Stripe + ACH is cheaper for your volume mix.
Absorbing financing dealer fees without adjusting pricing. If you're paying 6% to a financing partner on 70% of jobs, that's 4.2% of total revenue gone. Either price it in or incentivize cash/ACH/USDC.
Want help setting up ACH + Solana to cut your processing costs — no pitch, no pressure?
Text PJ · 773-544-1231FAQ
What payment systems do energy companies use?
Most use Stripe or Square for card/ACH, a field service platform (Housecall Pro, Jobber, ServiceTitan) for job management, and consumer financing (GreenSky, Mosaic) for large installs. The highest ROI change for most energy companies: switching large-ticket payments to ACH and offering Solana USDC for willing customers.
What are payment processing fees for a solar company?
Card processing: $435/transaction on a $15k install. ACH: $5 max. Solana USDC: $0.00025. A 10-install/month company doing $15k average pays $52k/year in card fees. Switching to ACH reduces that to $600/year.
Can solar or HVAC companies accept Solana USDC payments?
Yes. USDC is a dollar-pegged stablecoin — no volatility. Solana network fees are ~$0.00025/transaction. Offer a 1% USDC discount: you save 1.9% vs card on every job. Solar customers skew tech-forward and are more receptive than most audiences. Setup guide →