Meet Jon Proffitt: Head of Applications Engineering, Problem Solver and Builder of Lumin’s Growing Certified Installer Roster

Solving Problems to Avoid Losing a Project Earn the badge! Two Ways to Bolster Required Lumin Training Why Certification Matters

At Lumin, I serve as the Director of Applications Engineering. Most of my friends now think I'm an app developer, but they're wrong. My primary role is to act as the liaison between our installation partners in the field and our engineering departments in the lab. We value customer feedback and constantly strive to integrate new ideas into product enhancements.

Additionally, I work to ensure our partners are equipped with all the tools and knowledge base needed to make their Lumin projects a tremendous success. This involves developing technical content for permitting, design, sales, and installation training.

One of my key responsibilities is running our Certified Installer program to onboard new installation partners and training them on Lumin best practices.

I also dominate the Lumin solar pong table!

Solving Problems that Could Otherwise Result in Losing a Project

A big part of my job is helping installers solve problems, especially installers struggling with a project due to complexity and budget. One particular project comes to mind where an installer was working to design a solar + storage project for a family that recently just had parents move back in to an in-law suite. The family was on a reasonable budget and wasn't looking to install a huge backup storage system but wanted something to get them through the night. Unfortunately, most of the electricals in the in-law suite were connected via subpanel and could not easily be relocated into the installer's planned "backed up loads panel." The alternative was building a significantly oversized battery storage system capable of providing whole-house backup, however, they knew the extra cost would blow the budget and likely result in a lost job. It wasn't until they considered a third option that I got a call from this installer and was able to talk them through the concept of using Lumin to enable a whole-house backup without oversizing the system via responsive load management. We worked together to identify a handful of large circuits on the main distribution panel that would be taken offline (aka shed) by Lumin when the grid goes down. The in-law suite subpanel would always remain energized and the family could rest assured their essential systems would power on through the night. In the process the installer was able to avoid the costly and complicated rewiring of a backed up loads panel nor did they have to present a storage system they knew would be out of budget.

Earn the badge!

Stories like these have informed and formalized our 3-step approach to onboarding Lumin Certified Installers.

1. Schedule a 30-minute product demonstration to learn about the platform, how it works, why it's important, and how to integrate it into your existing business model.
2. Register for a Lumin Partner Portal account. Here, you gain access to Lumin's most up to date sales, design, installation, and customer support material. This documentation includes, but is not limited to, install manuals, single-line diagram archives, white papers, marketing pamphlets, and more.
3. Schedule a 30-minute virtual installation training. This involves gathering some key team members who will be performing the first Lumin Smart Panel installations for an interactive training. We'll go over installation steps with lots of photos, share best-practices, and leave plenty of time for Q&A.

Two Additional Ways to Bolster Required Lumin Training

Schedule a 30-minute sales training. Hear directly from the source on how transforming ordinary circuits into smart and responsive circuits brings value to your customers and differentiates your business. Partner with Lumin for Co-Marketing. Lumin is here to support your business however you present to your customers. Whether it's a video, one-pager, or customer success story, we're here to help simplify and enhance the Lumin value proposition.

Why Certification Matters

Well, the most obvious answer is efficiency and getting the job done right. One of the biggest values Lumin provides is simplifying the sales, design, and installation process. Without proper training, none of this can be guaranteed. I've been involved in a handful of projects where pre-installation site planning was not conducted, key tools were not brought to the job site, and simple errors were made during installation. While mistakes are inevitable and generally easily corrected, most of the ones we see in the field can be avoided or lessened when our installers have a proper understanding of what's involved prior to performing the install. This in turn helps keep the project under budget and speedier than non-Lumin alternatives such as re-wiring backed up loads panels.

Then there's the better answer, CI's are an extension of our team, our product and the Lumin brand. Our technology may be new, but it's a critical link in the climate tech landscape and to be successful (and save the earth) we require a high level of quality.

We're always learning from the good guys in the field. We're all in this together, transforming the way we power our lives.