Awarepreneurs - #1029: Awarepreneurs interview

🔖 Titles

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1. Transforming Multifamily Housing: Owen Barrett on Profitable Solar for Owners and Tenants 2. How Shine Is Making Solar Work for Apartment Owners and Residents 3. Solar for Multifamily Buildings: Economic and Environmental Wins with Owen Barrett 4. Decarbonizing Real Estate: Inside Shine’s Approach to Apartment Solar Projects 5. Owen Barrett on Making Solar Profitable for Apartment Owners and a Win for Tenants 6. The Financial and Social Impact of Solar in Multifamily Real Estate 7. Clean Energy for Apartments: Pathways to Profit and Lower Tenant Bills 8. Redefining Sustainability: How Shine Brings Solar Solutions to Multifamily Properties 9. Unlocking Solar’s Potential in Multifamily Housing for Owners, Investors, and Renters 10. Innovative Solar Integration For Apartments: Financial Upside and Climate Action Combined

💬 Keywords

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solar energy, multifamily properties, clean technology, decarbonization, apartment buildings, renewable energy, Shine (company), real estate investment, commercial real estate, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, utility costs, tenant savings, solar installation, solar contractors, property management, sustainability, Inflation Reduction Act, environmental impact, electricity prices, software platform, SaaS fatigue, turnkey solutions, clean tech startups, green building, energy storage, battery storage, landlord tenant relations, financial returns, climate tech

💡 Speaker bios

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Paul Zelizer is the founder and host of the Awarepreneurs podcast, where he invites some of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs to share their wisdom. Driven by a passion to help people create values-based businesses, Paul uses his platform to inspire others to increase their positive impact, profitability, and quality of life. Each week on the show, he shares insights and actionable advice, encouraging listeners to grow both their businesses and their commitment to social good. Through Awarepreneurs, Paul has built a community dedicated to uplifting conscious business leaders and fostering meaningful change in the world.

ℹ️ Introduction

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Welcome back to Awarepreneurs! In this episode, host Paul Zelizer sits down with clean tech entrepreneur Owen Barrett to explore the game-changing potential of solar energy for multifamily housing. Owen shares his journey from managing global energy strategies at a Fortune 500 company, to founding solar startups, and now leading Shine—a company on a mission to decarbonize 200,000 apartment units by 2030. Together, Paul and Owen dive into why bringing solar and multifamily real estate together is not just good for the planet, but also great for owners and tenants alike—from boosting project returns to lowering monthly bills. They discuss what “solar done right” actually looks like, the economic and environmental benefits for both property owners and residents, and how Shine’s innovative approach is making solar adoption easier and more profitable for the real estate industry. Whether you’re a social entrepreneur, a real estate investor, or just curious about the intersection of clean tech and conscious business, this conversation offers a wealth of actionable insights and inspiration for building a values-driven, impactful company in today’s market.

❇️ Key topics and bullets

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Absolutely! Here’s a comprehensive sequence of topics covered in this Awarepreneurs episode with Owen Barrett, including detailed sub-bullets for each: --- **1. Introduction to Owen Barrett and Shine** - Paul Zelizer introduces the podcast and today’s guest, Owen Barrett. - Overview of Owen’s background in global energy management, real estate, and clean technology startups. - Description of Shine as a turnkey solar solution for multifamily properties, with ambitious plans to decarbonize 200,000 apartment units by 2030. --- **2. The Importance of Combining Clean Tech and Real Estate** - Owen’s financial perspective on why clean tech must be economically viable. - The untapped opportunity in deploying solar to multifamily properties. - The potential for clean tech to simultaneously deliver environmental and investor returns. --- **3. Experimental Approach: "Guinea Pig" Portfolio** - Using Owen’s company-owned portfolio (654 units) to test solar deployment. - Financial modeling: projecting increased returns (100-200 basis points in IRR) with solar. - Importance of demonstrating real, data-backed results to persuade other property owners. --- **4. Solar "Done Right" vs. "Done Wrong"** - The risks and pitfalls of low-quality solar installations. - Issues with overselling or underselling number of solar panels. - Common errors: only targeting common area meters (limited emissions/financial impact). - The importance of working with honest, knowledgeable solar contractors. - Ongoing challenges in both solar and battery storage industries. --- **5. Market Dynamics and Site-Specific Criteria** - 2019–2024 changes: electricity prices rising, solar now viable in more U.S. markets. - Market analysis: residential vs. commercial electricity rates; targeting tenant meters yields better returns. - Identifying optimal property types for solar: - Best: garden style, one- to two-story, minimal shading, asphalt shingle roofs. - Suitable: mid-rise buildings. - Challenging: high-rise buildings due to insufficient roof area. - Physical and utility-based considerations for solar installation success. --- **6. Tenant and Community Engagement** - Net bill savings for tenants; financial win-win for owners and renters. - Utility-specific interconnection and paperwork requirements. - Strategies for tenant engagement, e.g., signing agreements through educational leasing office events. --- **7. Steps for Multifamily Owners Interested in Solar** - The importance of integrating solar into initial acquisition underwriting. - Challenges of post-acquisition solar implementation (capital committee hurdles). - Working with Shine to conduct assessments, provide site-specific estimates, and integrate solar into financial pro formas before deal closure. - Shine’s role as a turnkey support system for multifamily real estate clients. --- **8. Shine’s Startup Journey and Business Model Evolution** - Timeline: Owen’s clean tech investments since 2015; Shine founded in 2023. - Shift from master-metered to individually metered property focus. - Building proprietary software for scalable billing/monitoring of multiple small solar systems. - Initial bootstrapping and recent seed round fundraising. - Transition from SaaS subscription fees to including software as a value-added service within solar installation packages, due to "SaaS fatigue" in the industry. --- **9. Environmental and Social Impact** - Quantifying impact: every 100-unit installation is equivalent to solarizing 50 single-family homes. - Goal: decarbonizing 200,000 units = removing the environmental impact of an entire U.S. island. - Importance for low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities; giving renters solar access, helping stabilize utility costs. - Discussion of broader societal benefits even if these aren’t always the lead selling point. --- **10. Shine’s Operational Details and Future Outlook** - Business model: Shine manages design, engineering, permitting, and procurement; local installers execute onsite installations. - Scaling strategy modeled after major residential solar companies. - Growth projections: reaching $50 million/year in revenue through 25 installations annually. --- **11. Broader Clean Tech Industry Trends** - Market and policy dynamics: increased AI and energy demand, bipartisan drivers for renewable energy. - Renewables as the primary way to rapidly meet new electricity demand, despite changing government support. - Emphasis on staying focused on market-driven opportunities rather than political noise. --- **12. Personal Reflections and Advice for Impact Entrepreneurs** - Resiliency practices: stubbornness, athletic habits, exercise as mental clarity. - Encouragement for entrepreneurs to stay positive amid negative news cycles. - Willingness to connect with others in the industry and serve as an educational resource. --- **13. Closing and Contact Information** - Owen Barrett encourages LinkedIn outreach. - Paul Zelizer recaps key calls-to-action: recommend the episode, reach out if owning multifamily properties, suggest future show topics. --- If you need any section expanded or want timestamps for each, let me know!

📚 Timestamped overview

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00:00 "Financing Clean Tech Deployment"

05:46 Solar Contractor Challenges Explained

06:43 Solar Investments: Balancing Profits and Ethics

11:54 Residential Rates Boost Project Viability

14:46 Landlord-Tenant Utility Savings Strategy

17:01 "Integrating Solar in Real Estate Acquisitions"

19:45 Entrepreneur Strategy and Growth Discussion

22:56 Solar Installation Process Overview

29:02 Stubbornness Fuels Entrepreneurial Spirit

30:23 Decarbonizing Apartments with Solar Energy

35:34 Multifamily Industry's SaaS Fatigue

36:13 Solar Company Drops Software Fees

40:14 Scaling Solar Installation Model

42:56 "Renewables Key to AI Dominance"

46:01 Positive Connection & Perspective Advice

🎞️ Clipfinder: Quotes, Hooks, & Timestamps

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Owen Barrett 00:02:30 00:02:43

Viral Topic: Untapped Potential in Clean Tech
Quote: "So if if you look at sort of the opportunity combined with just how wide open that opportunity is, it's gotta be one of the, you know, one of the best opportunities in terms of where we can deploy clean tech right now."

Owen Barrett 00:05:10 00:05:19

Viral Topic: Profit and Planet Together: "We're saying you can do well for the environment and do better for the investors. And that to me is just an incredibly powerful business model."

Owen Barrett 00:05:58 00:06:13

Viral Topic: The Truth About Solar Contractors
"Solar contractors are the worst type of contractor because there is a wildly different range of costs, types of equipments that are put into proposals. So it's really hard for a homeowner or an apartment owner to get an apples to apples comparison."

Owen Barrett 00:07:09 00:07:26

Choosing the Right Solar Contractor: "So you kinda have to find someone right in the middle where, first and foremost, they're honest. And then they're looking at your property holistically, and they're trying to figure out what's the best style of installation for what you, the owner, want, not what I, the contractor, want."

Owen Barrett 00:12:18 00:12:31

Viral Topic: Solar Project Profitability
"But on average, every market in The US is game. And when I say game, I I mean, are you delivering at least like a 14% IRR over a ten year hold? The returns are strong."

Owen Barrett 00:14:47 00:15:00

Win-Win Solutions for Landlords and Tenants: "I mean, the best part is there's net savings to tenants. So tenants' electricity bills go down when you do this, and owners make more money. So it really is a win win from a sort of a landlord tenant perspective."

Owen Barrett 00:17:46 00:18:01

Decarbonization Challenges in Real Estate: "apartment commercial real estate companies cannot decarbonize as quickly as they're making acquisitions. So they tend to be buying apartments faster than they can figure out how to decarbonize, which is a problem from the decarbonization perspective."

Owen Barrett 00:23:42 00:23:47

Viral Topic: How Solar Installation Costs Are Confirmed
Quote: "the last thing we wanna have happen is is have the actual project cost more than what we've estimated."

Owen Barrett 00:29:12 00:29:27

Entrepreneurial Stubbornness: "I've always been told by girlfriends, parents, now my wife, you're stubborn, which is not necessarily a good thing in day to day life, but I think it's an incredibly important characteristic if you wanna start your own business."

Owen Barrett 00:36:36 00:36:48

Viral Topic: Shifting Focus from Software Fees to Solar

"We are a solar company. We're not a software company. We don't need to charge for software. Our software is necessary to do the solar installation. So it's actually from our perspective now, it's unfair for us to charge for software, the basic software."

🎬 Reel script

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Today on Awarepreneurs, I sat down with Owen Barrett, a trailblazer using solar energy to transform multifamily real estate. We explored how solar can boost property returns, lower tenant utility bills, and drive real environmental impact—without sacrificing profitability. Owen shared real-world lessons from piloting solar on hundreds of his own units and revealed what makes a project successful. If you’re curious about how clean energy can work for both your business and your community, this episode is packed with insights you can put to use right now.

👩‍💻 LinkedIn post

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Absolutely! Here’s a LinkedIn post based on the Awarepreneurs podcast interview with Owen Barrett: --- 🌞 Excited to share some incredible insights from my recent listen to the Awarepreneurs podcast featuring Owen Barrett, founder of Shine and ZNE Capital! In this episode, Owen dives deep into why solar energy on multifamily properties isn’t just good for the planet, but also for investors and tenants alike. Here are my top 3 takeaways: - **Win-Win for Owners & Tenants:** Properly implemented, solar increases property returns while reducing utility bills for tenants—making both the business case and the social impact especially compelling. - **“Solar Done Right” Matters:** Not all solar installs are created equal. Owen highlights the importance of honest contractors, smart system sizing, and focusing on tenant meters over common areas to truly maximize emissions reductions and financial benefits. - **Scaling Through Smart Underwriting:** The biggest impact comes when owners bake solar into their acquisition underwriting from day one, making decarbonization seamless and financially viable at scale. Owen’s blend of financial rigor and environmental purpose sets a new standard for what impact-led real estate can achieve! If you own or manage multifamily properties, now’s the time to look into onsite solar as a core part of your portfolio strategy. #CleanTech #Multifamily #SolarEnergy #ImpactInvesting #Decarbonization #Awarepreneurs --- Let me know if you’d like this post tailored for a specific audience or company page!

🗞️ Newsletter

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**Subject:** Decarbonizing Multifamily Living: Solar That Works for Owners & Tenants (with Owen Barrett) --- Hello Awarepreneurs Community, We’re excited to bring you a powerful new episode that shines a light on an often-overlooked opportunity in clean tech: bringing solar energy to multifamily properties! 🎉 **This Week’s Guest:** Owen Barrett, a dynamic leader in clean technology and commercial real estate, joined Paul for a deep dive into how solar installations on apartment complexes can be a win for owners, tenants, AND the environment. **Inside This Episode:** - **Combining Clean Tech & Real Estate for Impact:** Owen shares why deploying solar where it makes the most economic sense is crucial — and why multifamily is a top opportunity. - **Lessons from the Frontlines:** Before launching Shine, his new solar company aimed at decarbonizing 200,000+ apartment units by 2030, Owen used his personal $75M multifamily portfolio as a “guinea pig” to prove solar’s ROI. - **Solar Done Right vs. Solar Done Wrong:** Real talk about why many solar projects underperform, how to avoid bad contractors, and what it means to optimize for BOTH environmental and financial outcomes. - **What Makes a Multifamily Property Solar-Ready:** Get practical tips on the best building designs (think garden-style!), tariffs, and the shifting energy economics that make solar viable in more markets than ever. - **A Win-Win for Tenants and Owners:** Not only do tenants save money on their utility bills, but owners actually boost their returns. And Owen’s strategy means savings and carbon reductions finally reach the people who need it most. - **Startup Grit & Lessons Learned:** Owen discusses the challenges and mindset needed to push through setbacks, plus why Shine is rethinking the typical SaaS approach for more value to property owners. **Key Takeaway:** Apartment owners — it’s time to start factoring solar into your building plans *before* you buy. Shine will work with you from the very first step, providing clear numbers so you make smart, impact-driven decisions. **Connect with Owen:** Curious about bringing solar to your multifamily property? Reach out to Owen Barrett on [LinkedIn](#) or check out [Shine’s website](#) (links provided in our show notes). **We need your help!** If this episode sparked ideas, please share it with someone who owns or manages apartments. Let’s decarbonize where it matters most! **Listen now on your favorite podcast app,** and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review so that more values-driven entrepreneurs discover these insights. Until next time—thanks for being part of the movement to create business for good! With gratitude, Paul Zelizer & The Awarepreneurs Team --- P.S. Got a guest or topic idea for the show? We LOVE listener suggestions — visit our site’s contact page and tell us what’s inspiring you!

🧵 Tweet thread

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🚨 Exciting Twitter Thread! 🚨 Did you know SOLAR on MULTIFAMILY properties is a potential gamechanger—for owners AND tenants? 🏢🌞 Here are top insights from Owen Barrett (founder of Shine) on the latest episode of Awarepreneurs. Let’s unpack why solar on apartments is a Win-Win-Win! 🧵👇 1️⃣ **Not Just for Single-Family Homes!** Owen started Shine after managing $75M of multifamily real estate. His “aha” moment: solar on apartments is a massively UNTAPPED market where clean tech + real estate = big opportunity. 2️⃣ **It Must Make *Money* Sense💡** Coming from finance, Owen’s approach: sustainability only sticks if it’s financially accretive. Done right, solar can bump a property’s IRR by up to 200 basis points. That’s real $$ for investors! 3️⃣ **Solar Done Right vs. Solar Done Wrong** "Solar done right" serves tenants AND owners: right-sized systems, honest contractors, optimized returns. The wild west of solar means some “solutions” are overpriced, bad quality, or only serve common areas—basically, a waste of money. Avoid the wrong crowd! 4️⃣ **Why Now? Massive Market Shift** Since 2019, US electricity prices are up *6.2% per year* 😱. Now, in almost EVERY market, solar on apartments pencils out—especially if you tap into the higher residential electricity rates paid by tenants. 5️⃣ **Perfect Properties = Garden-Style** If you’re an owner, look at garden-style, 1-2 story buildings (“garden style”). Plenty of roof space = plenty of savings. High-rises? Less so. Physical design matters! 6️⃣ **Tenants Win, Too** On-site solar can LOWER electricity bills for renters. Owners make more, tenants save more. This isn’t just greenwashing—it’s direct impact, especially for lower/moderate-income families who rent. 7️⃣ **Bake Solar Into Acquisitions** Pro tip: The best time to add solar is when buying the property. Owners should underwrite solar ROI into new deals—Shine does the site visit, designs the system, and provides hard #s before you even close. 8️⃣ **Barriers? Mainly Mindset** Owen’s #1 challenge? Real estate is risk-averse. Owners move slow on clean tech. But with live data from their own buildings, Shine can prove the IRL benefits, not just models in Excel. 9️⃣ **No More SaaS Fatigue** 🛑 Tired of endless SaaS fees? Shine flipped the model: basic solar software is FREE. Owners only pay if they want deep data/export dashboards. Real value, not “death by a thousand subscriptions.” 🔟 **The Impact? HUGE.** Goal: Decarbonize 200,000 units by 2030 = equivalent to taking the entire island of Kauai off the emissions map. And tenants save on bills (while getting clean power), driving real equity in access to renewables. 🔥 Bottom line: Solar on multifamily is a sleeping giant—boosts profits, cuts emissions, slashes tenant bills, and the solutions are ready TODAY. Curious or own apartments? Shine and Owen are open to collaborations—find them on LinkedIn! Let’s flood the world with solar-powered apartments! 🌞 #solarenergy #multifamily #proptech #cleantech #sustainability #impactinvesting #Awarepreneurs — Shoutout to Paul Zelizer & Awarepreneurs Podcast for spotlighting this vital innovation! 👏

❓ Questions

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Absolutely! Here are 10 discussion questions based on Owen Barrett’s interview on the Awarepreneurs podcast episode, “Solar on Multifamily: Good for Owners, Good for Tenants”: 1. **Owen argues that clean tech must make “monetary sense” to gain widespread adoption. Do you agree that financial outcomes are essential for driving environmental solutions, or is there room for altruism in big business decisions?** 2. **Barrett describes multifamily solar as a “wildly untapped” opportunity in clean tech. Why do you think this sector has been overlooked, and what barriers or misconceptions might exist for building owners?** 3. **Owen uses his own real estate portfolio as a “guinea pig” for solar deployment. What do you see as the pros and cons of founders testing solutions on their own assets before taking them to the wider market?** 4. **The term “solar done right” came up several times. Based on the transcript, what are the most common mistakes you think owners or contractors make with solar projects?** 5. **How does the solar model Owen describes benefit both owners and tenants financially, and why is this dual benefit important for scaling clean technology adoption in real estate?** 6. **Owen mentions that tenants might need to be engaged to sign interconnection agreements—with incentives like pizza parties to encourage participation. What does this reveal about driving change at the resident level, and what might this look like in other sectors?** 7. **The discussion touched on market changes, including the rising cost of electricity and how this has improved the case for solar in more regions. How do market forces and policy shape opportunities for sustainability entrepreneurs?** 8. **Barrett decided to move away from a SaaS (software-as-a-service) subscription model for their solar billing platform due to "SaaS fatigue" in the multifamily industry. Should more impact-driven startups focus on lowering friction even if it means smaller margins? Why or why not?** 9. **What are the broader social and environmental implications of putting solar on multifamily properties, particularly for low- and moderate-income renters, according to Owen?** 10. **Owen and Paul both mention entrepreneurship’s highs and lows, including dealing with rejection and stress. What do you think builds resilience in social entrepreneurs, based on Owen’s experience and your own observations?** These questions should prompt a rich and thoughtful group discussion on both the business and impact aspects of solar on multifamily buildings!

🪡 Threads by Instagram

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1. What if solar power wasn’t just for single-family homes? Shine is bringing on-site solar to multifamily properties, saving tenants money and boosting owners’ returns, all while fighting climate change. Solar done right is a true win-win. 2. Decarbonizing our cities means tackling where most emissions come from: buildings. By installing solar on apartment units, we’re not just going green—we’re making clean energy accessible to more people, including low-income renters. 3. A game-changer for property owners: Shine fits solar into the financials from day one, raising returns without sacrificing investor interests. Environmental good and profitability can absolutely go hand in hand. 4. The key to successful solar on apartments? Work with partners who look holistically at your property, prioritize your needs, and deliver honest, reliable work. In a wild west of contractors, trust and expertise matter. 5. Solar on apartments could mean stabilizing electricity costs, protecting tenants from skyrocketing rates, and reducing emissions at scale. The impact? Equivalent to taking entire cities off the emissions map.

SEO Description Summary

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In this episode, Paul Zelizer interviews Owen Barrett, founder of Shine, about deploying solar on multifamily properties. They explore why solar makes sense financially and environmentally, discuss the pitfalls of poor installations, and highlight how Shine’s model benefits both property owners and tenants by reducing emissions, increasing returns, and making clean energy more accessible.

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