Costello’s Ace Hardware Adds In-store Solar Consultations through Freedom Forever Partnership
Costello’s Ace Hardware, based in Deer Park, N.Y., is introducing in-store solar consultation at select locations through a new partnership with residential solar installer Freedom Forever. The program is slated for stores in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
The initiative places Freedom Forever advisors inside participating Costello’s locations to discuss system design, financing, and installation for homeowners considering solar and battery storage. Freedom Forever’s offering includes a 25-year production guarantee, according to the companies’ announcement.
Michael Costello, CEO of Costello’s Ace Hardware, said the effort builds on the company’s focus on meeting community needs. “By adding solar consultations in our stores, we’re giving customers convenient access to a technology that can lower their energy bills and benefit the environment,” he said in the announcement.
Freedom Forever will handle the installation side of the partnership and highlight its 25-year production guarantee as part of the offering. For Costello’s, the addition marks a step into providing home energy solutions within its existing retail footprint.
The launch comes during a period of growth for Costello’s Ace Hardware. Earlier this year, the company acquired Rommel’s Ace Home Centers, adding 11 stores and expanding its reach into Delaware and Maryland. With the acquisition, Costello’s now operates more than 60 locations across six states. That expansion gives the retailer a broader platform to pilot new initiatives such as in-store solar consultations while strengthening its position as one of the largest Ace operators in the country.
Comparable in-store solar consultation has been seen at The Home Depot through its 2024 agreement with Sunnova, which is positioned as Home Depot’s exclusive national solar and battery-storage services provider in more than 2,000 stores across the country. While Home Depot’s program emphasizes scale and nationwide reach, Costello’s approach underscores the role of a regional hardware chain bringing solar services directly to neighborhood customers.
For Costello’s, the solar consultations add a home-energy service layer to its existing retail mix while leveraging neighborhood hardware store traffic to connect homeowners with turnkey solar installation. The company’s move reflects a broader trend of hardware retailers experimenting with new services to remain relevant to changing customer needs.
