Housatonic Solar Works Powers a Clean Energy Push in Milford

Simone Bracker installed her first solar array on a Milford homeowner's roof in 2012, working alongside a single hired hand and a used pickup truck loaded with equipment she had financed on a small business loan. "I remember being genuinely nervous someone would ask a technical question I couldn't answer," Bracker said, laughing. "I'd only been doing this professionally for about six months." Thirteen years later, that nervous first installer has become the founder of Housatonic Solar Works, a commercial-scale solar energy company with 68 employees and installations spanning warehouses, schools, and municipal buildings across Connecticut.

Bracker, who trained as an electrician before specializing in solar installation, says the company's shift from residential to commercial work in 2017 marked its most significant turning point. A local distribution warehouse operator, frustrated with rising energy costs, approached Housatonic about a large rooftop installation that dwarfed anything the company had previously attempted. "It was terrifying and exactly what we needed," Bracker said. "It forced us to build systems and processes we wouldn't have built serving homeowners alone."

Building Trust With Municipal Clients

Housatonic's growth has increasingly depended on contracts with Connecticut municipalities seeking to reduce energy costs on public buildings, a market Bracker says requires navigating lengthy procurement processes unfamiliar to many smaller solar contractors. The company has completed installations on a handful of town-owned buildings in the Milford area, work that Bracker credits with opening doors to conversations with neighboring municipalities.

"Municipal work moves slowly, but once you're in, it builds a track record that's hard to replicate," said Aaron Michaud, Housatonic's commercial projects manager. "Simone was patient enough to sit through the bureaucracy other companies gave up on." Bracker acknowledges the frustration but says the long sales cycles pay off in stable, well-documented reference projects.

Navigating Policy Uncertainty

Connecticut's solar incentive programs have shifted multiple times since Housatonic's founding, requiring Bracker to continually adjust the company's financing offerings to remain competitive as rebate structures changed. She says the volatility has been one of the harder aspects of running the business, forcing Housatonic to diversify its offerings to include energy storage and efficiency consulting rather than depending solely on installation revenue tied to any single incentive program.

Training the Next Generation of Installers

As demand for solar installation has grown faster than the region's trained workforce, Bracker has partnered with a local trade school to develop a solar-specific electrician apprenticeship, aiming to address a labor shortage she views as the industry's biggest long-term constraint. "We can win every contract in the state and still not have enough hands to do the work," she said. "Growing the workforce isn't optional for us."

Looking Ahead

Housatonic recently completed its largest project to date, a rooftop array atop a regional distribution center capable of offsetting a significant share of the facility's annual energy use. Bracker says the company is now exploring community solar projects that would allow renters and homeowners without suitable roofs to buy into shared installations. "The first system I ever installed powered one house," she said. "I'd like the next chapter of this company to power whole neighborhoods."