How Home Electrification Is Changing in 2026, with Erik Holvik

Residential clean energy is moving past the phase where solar was treated as a one-off upgrade. As electricity demand grows and rates climb in many areas, homeowners are paying closer attention to how their homes generate, store, and use energy.

At the same time, the industry is going through a reset. Incentives are shifting, pricing and sales practices are being questioned more openly, and the companies that relied on old playbooks are being forced to adapt. What’s left is a clearer question for the next chapter: how do we make home electrification simpler to understand, easier to buy, and built to hold up over time?

In this episode of Boston Leaders Voices, we sat down with Erik Holvik to discuss why residential clean energy is shifting toward whole-home electrification, what’s driving the market reset, and what has to change for homeowners to feel confident saying yes.

Meet Erik Holvik: Making Clean Energy Easier For Homeowners

Erik Holvik is a business development and strategy leader who currently heads Corporate Development and Strategy at EnergySage, a climate tech marketplace focused on helping homeowners navigate solar, storage, and home electrification decisions. With a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Erik has built his career around growth, partnerships, and market strategy in the clean energy space.

At EnergySage, that work sits inside a mission to make clean energy easier to adopt, giving homeowners trusted resources, unbiased advice, and a simpler way to compare vetted local installers and providers across solutions like solar, batteries, heat pumps, EV charging, and more.

Rethinking Residential Clean Energy Beyond The Headlines

Our conversation with Erik covered what’s shifting in residential solar and home electrification, from changing incentives and market economics to what homeowners actually care about when making energy decisions. 

🎧 If you’d prefer to hear the full discussion, the podcast episode is available below. Otherwise, keep reading for a recap of the highlights.

‍The Shift From Solar-Only To Whole-Home Electrification

Erik opens by pointing out a quiet shift in residential clean energy: solar is no longer a standalone decision. Instead of separate contractors for heat pumps, solar, storage, and EV charging, more companies are bundling services and building broader electrification offerings.

He ties a lot of that momentum to what changed in 2025, when policy and incentives shifted and companies that relied heavily on solar-only revenue had to rethink their model fast.

For homeowners, the result is fewer disconnected decisions and more solutions that work together as one plan. EnergySage sits in the middle of that shift, helping people compare vetted options and move forward with more confidence.

Why The Grid Is Pushing Homeowners To Look For Alternatives

Erik says the system that brings electricity to homes (the grid) is under pressure. Electricity use is climbing, and new high-consumption loads (like AI data centers) are adding demand fast in certain areas. When supply can’t keep up, rates rise, and homeowners start looking for ways to reduce exposure to higher bills.

“Inflation and rising electricity rates are really becoming the biggest drivers.”

That’s why, in his view, solar and storage are getting attention now, with storage playing a bigger role by letting homeowners rely less on the grid during peak hours.

A Tougher Year That Forces Better Players

Residential solar is entering a tougher chapter. Erik notes that the market is expected to contract by around 30% this year, and he frames this moment as a painful but necessary reset for an industry that can’t keep operating the way it did a few years ago.

“We need to change. We need to adapt and we need to better improve our processes so this doesn't continue to happen.”

For Erik, the next phase will reward the players who adapt, tighten operations, and rebuild trust, not the ones relying on old assumptions.

The Trust Gap Solar Still Has To Earn

Erik brings the conversation back to what happens after the install, when a solar agreement has to hold up in real life, especially when long-term leases are presented as the easy default without much clarity on what happens next.

“If they’re signing up for a 20–25 year lease, but that homeowner then moves 7 years later, does that add value to their home?”

For him, that question gets to the core of trust. Solar becomes easier to adopt when the economics are transparent and the homeowner understands the tradeoffs before signing anything.

What The Next Chapter Of Residential Solar Needs

Erik closes on a grounded kind of optimism. Even with a tough year ahead, he says the fundamentals behind residential clean energy aren’t going away: electricity is getting more expensive, the grid is becoming less reliable, and homeowners will keep looking for ways to protect their costs over time.

“We just need to build it like a real business, not a startup fantasy anymore.”

His point is that the category isn’t going away. This reset rewards companies that commit to long-term value and earn trust through a better homeowner experience.