RoofSolarSim

Instantly simulate rooftop solar savings and unlock zero-upfront financing matches for your business.

Score: 7.8/10UKMedium BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Small business owners are deterred from adopting rooftop solar energy due to high upfront costs and complex installations requiring major retrofits.

Solution

Users upload roof photos or enter property details to get AI-powered simulations of solar installation costs, energy savings, and ROI. The tool matches them with leasing or financing partners offering no upfront costs. It generates shareable reports to convince stakeholders without needing site visits.

Target Audience

Small business owners with commercial rooftops aiming to adopt solar energy

Differentiator

AI-driven simulations tailored for commercial rooftops with instant financing matches, reducing perceived costs by 80% through visualizations.

Brand Voice

friendly/professional

Features

Roof Upload & Analysis

must-have20h

AI analyzes uploaded images to estimate panel capacity and savings.

Savings Simulator

must-have15h

Interactive calculator for costs, payback period, and monthly savings.

Financing Matcher

must-have18h

Matches users to zero-upfront lease/providers based on simulation.

PDF Report Generator

must-have10h

Creates branded reports for business proposals.

Dashboard

must-have12h

Tracks multiple properties and simulations.

Email Sharing

nice-to-have8h

One-click share links for simulations.

Incentive Finder

nice-to-have10h

Auto-detects local tax credits.

Mobile App Export

future20h

Export to AR previews.

Total Build Time: 113 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo
business_nametextYes

properties

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
addresstextNo
roof_image_urltextYes

Relationships:

  • user_id -> users.id

simulations

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
property_iduuidNo
savings_estimateintNo
payback_monthsintYes
created_attimestampNo

Relationships:

  • property_id -> properties.id

API Endpoints

POST
/api/simulations

Run new simulation

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/properties

Create property

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/financing-matches

Get matches for sim

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/reports/:id

Download report PDF

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + Shadcn/UI
Backend
Next.js API routes + Supabase Edge Functions
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Uploadthing (images)Replicate (AI analysis)

Build Timeline

Week 1: Core setup & auth

20h
  • Project scaffold
  • Auth & dashboard

Week 2: Property & upload

25h
  • Image upload
  • Property CRUD

Week 3: Simulation engine

30h
  • AI integration
  • Simulator UI

Week 4: Reports & matches

25h
  • PDF gen
  • Financing logic

Week 5: Polish & payments

20h
  • Stripe
  • Sharing

Week 6: Testing & launch

15h
  • E2E tests
  • Landing
Total Timeline: 6 weeks • 145 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

No financing matches

  • 1 simulation/mo
  • Basic reports

Starter

$15/mo

3 properties

  • Unlimited sims
  • Financing matches
  • PDF reports

Pro

$49/mo

Unlimited

  • All + priority support
  • Team access
  • Incentives

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 12003%$90$1,080
Month 61,5005%$1,125$13,500

Unit Economics

$40
CAC
$360
LTV
5%
Churn
92%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 9.0xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Slash Solar Costs with Zero-Upfront Simulations

Get instant ROI calcs and financing for your rooftop – no sales calls needed.

Feature Highlights

AI Roof Analysis
5-Year Savings Forecast
Lease Matches
Proposal-Ready Reports

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"'Saved us $10k upfront!' - Cafe Owner"
"'Perfect for our strip mall.' - Retail Mgr"

First Three Customers

Post in LinkedIn groups for small business owners and solar enthusiasts; DM 50 commercial property managers from Google Maps searches; offer free Pro trials via cold emails to HVAC/roofing directories.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/smallbusinessr/solarIndie Hackers

SEO Keywords

rooftop solar calculator small businesscommercial solar ROI simulatorzero upfront solar financing

Competitive Analysis

EnergySage

energysage.com
Lead gen free
Strength

Marketplace

Weakness

No simulations

Our Advantage

Instant self-serve sims

🏰 Moat Strategy

Proprietary simulation data aggregated from users for better AI accuracy.

⏰ Why Now?

Solar incentives like IRA boosting commercial adoption amid rising energy costs.

Risks & Mitigation

technicalmedium severity

AI accuracy issues

Mitigation

Use validated models + user feedback loop

marketlow severity

Low awareness

Mitigation

Targeted SEO/LinkedIn

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Survey 50 biz owners on solar pains

Success: 70% express interest

mvp14 days

Build core sim, get 10 beta users

Success: 80% completion rate

Pivot Options

  • B2C residential solar sim
  • General energy audit tool

Quick Stats

Build Time
145h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$5,000
Market Size
$50000.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
3
API Endpoints
4
RoofSolarSim - Complete Startup Blueprint | Startup Tribunal