If receiving a rebate seem like a hassle, this article is for you! What if you could automate the entire process by scanning a barcode? Magic!

Let’s take a deep dive into rebates. Are they worth the effort?

As a contractor, there are innate costs to executing a sale. One of those costs that can be easily overlooked is the simple fact that accepting credit cards has an additional cost of 2-3%. It’s amazing how many contractors that EGIA talks to that do not offer financing, because they are worried that financing will cost them money.

Think of a seesaw: The higher the dealer fee, the lower the APR. Therefore, it is in the contractor’s best interest to offer financing that 1. makes higher efficiency equipment more accessible and palatable for the consumer 2. creates a larger profit margin for the contractor with the same amount of time/same installation process 3. the manufacturer rebate is an increase to your bottom line profit (since dealer fees are typically embedded in the price).

Don’t let the manufacturer keep money that should be in your pocket!

This is where financing and rebates come in, and are extremely important. Here are a few points to consider:

Higher efficiency units cost more, but result in higher profits.

While higher efficiency systems often are priced higher, that sticker price is most often offset by rebates.

Government agencies and power companies want you to be efficient.

As a nonprofit, EGIA and government agencies encourage the use of higher efficiency equipment to reduce power consumption during the high-usage seasons. The trend that we are projecting is that there will be an influx of funds made available by the government for state and local municipalities to advance energy efficient equipment. We expect this to increase significantly over the next 3 to 5 years; utilizing rebates is about to become even more important.

Incentives are offered by federal, state or local governments and utility companies and change frequently.

These often come in the form of direct rebates, tax credits or tax deductions and can total more than $1,000 per system, depending on your geographic location and the type of system purchased. OPTIMUS is working on a solution to not only bring you the manufacturer rebates, but also tie into the local municipality rebates to ensure your company is taking advantage of all of these programs. Get ahead of the curve!

Is it worth it?

There are three unrivaled benefits for offering financing to your customers:

1. You’re going to have happier customers by offering a better program to the consumer.

Did you know that credit card companies typically offer a US average of 17% interest rate on credit. OPTIMUS financing allows you to offer a 6.99% interest rate to a consumer!

2. You’re going to be more profitable.

Selling higher SEER equipment has a higher ticket, with the same associated installation time and costs.

Most contractors burry their fees in the price anyway, so the manufacturer rebate is an extra kicker to profit.

The money is yours, grab it!

Where do you search for rebates and incentives? With OPTIMUS, you don’t have to! Just simply scan a QR code and we do the heavy lifting for you. OTPIMUS Rebates is currently in Beta Testing. If you would like to sign up as a complementary beta tester of the system, please contact one of our representatives today!

Jillian Gaskins is the OPTIMUS Program Manager and works tirelessly to help contractors become more profitable by offering financing solutions that make consumer purchasing more accessible. Jillian can be reached by email at jgaskins@egia.org