6.2
Sunrun Photo voltaic
Like
Alternative of batteries
Tons of expertise
Glorious warranties for leases
Do not like
Warranties for buy might be stronger
No value match assure
In terms of residential photo voltaic, one firm installs extra photo voltaic panels than anybody else. In 2022, Sunrun serviced 12.5% of the residential photo voltaic market, based on a Wooden Mackenzie evaluation, about triple the share of its closest competitor, Tesla. Sunrun’s agency grip in the marketplace share rankings leaderboard is thanks largely to its 2020 acquisition of what was the second largest photo voltaic installer, Vivint. The corporate has a footprint in 21 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.
Most of Sunrun’s enterprise is in photo voltaic leases. Which means you may lease panels from it for a month-to-month charge, although it’s going to promote you photo voltaic panels too. Whereas there are dozens of photo voltaic panel suppliers and installers across the nation (consultants advocate getting a number of quotes), it is value trying on the main gamers. Sunrun compares favorably inside that group.
Sunrun provides photo voltaic installations in 21 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
Sunrun’s warranties are high of the road in case you’re going the route of energy buy settlement or lease. Whereas we have not discovered its new most well-liked panel after LG left the market, it is filling that house with tier one panels, an organization spokesperson stated. It additionally provides robust photo voltaic battery choices.
Can photo voltaic panels prevent cash?
Serious about understanding the affect photo voltaic can have on your own home? Enter some fundamental info beneath, and we’ll immediately present a free estimate of your power financial savings.
Warranties for individuals who purchase a rooftop system from Sunrun aren’t as robust as these supplied lease and energy buy settlement clients. That, and the truth that it does not seem to supply a value match assure, retains its rating a bit decrease.
CNET scores photo voltaic corporations on what we predict makes a distinction to you. You must all the time take an organization’s rating from any reviewer with a grain of salt as a result of the perfect photo voltaic firm for you is the one that matches your wants, not the one which scores highest in even probably the most conscientious rankings.
That goes double for the above rating for Sunrun. As a result of Sunrun did not return our most up-to-date interview requests (after we reworked how we consider corporations in April 2023), we weren’t all the time in a position to rating them on their precise choices — which for many photo voltaic corporations aren’t well-defined on-line. As an alternative, for lots of the elements of Sunrun’s rating, we had to make use of the common rating for the remainder of the businesses we have reviewed.
What do I get from Sunrun?
Sunrun’s bread and butter is solar-as-service. This implies the overwhelming majority of people that use Sunrun (80 to 90%, based on a 2021 presentation to buyers) purchase energy from or lease the Sunrun-owned photo voltaic panels on their roofs.
Watch this: New Photo voltaic Shingles You Might Not Even Discover
What photo voltaic tools does Sunrun set up?
If you are going to purchase panels from Sunrun, you are more likely to get high quality tools. In 2022, a Sunrun spokesperson confirmed the corporate makes use of a number of suppliers for photo voltaic tools. LG, which was once Sunrun’s most well-liked provider, stopped making photo voltaic panels in early 2022, so Sunrun is now working “with their different module manufacturing companions to provide tier one panels,” the spokesperson stated. “Tier one” is technically a measure of whether or not or not tasks utilizing these panels are protected funding bets, however they’re usually high quality panels that come from established corporations. They need to have excessive effectivity rankings and robust warranties.
Sunrun provides Tesla Powerwall for whole-home backup and an LG Chem battery, which the corporate says can again up “simply the necessities,” or 4 circuits (a circuit is all the pieces linked to a breaker in your breaker field or electrical panel). Sunrun additionally provides battery storage to its solar-as-service clients by means of its program referred to as Brightbox. Each battery choices include a 10-year producer’s guarantee. Sunrun has additionally invested in Lunar Power, a battery startup, and can set up Lunar batteries.
Powerwall holds 12.2 kilowatt hours of usable power, whereas the LG Chem batteries provide 9.2 to 16kWh of usable power, relying on the mannequin. (LG Power Options has recalled a few of its batteries for a doable hearth danger.)
It isn’t clear which inverters Sunrun will use now that their most well-liked possibility, LG once more, is not out there.
What warranties does Sunrun provide?
Sunrun provides “bumper-to-bumper” protection, upkeep and monitoring for its solar-as-service clients. If you are going to buy photo voltaic panels from them, you are left to depend on producers’ warranties. These warranties are usually 25 years, although some are beginning to push to 30 years. Sunrun additionally provides a 10-year workmanship guarantee towards injury to your roof or set up issues.
Does Sunrun provide monitoring companies?
Sunrun has an app by means of which you’ll be able to monitor your system’s manufacturing. Since I am not a Sunrun buyer, I wasn’t in a position to try it out. The mySunrun app will get 2.2 stars and a pair of.6 stars on Apple’s App Retailer and Google Play respectively.
Does Sunrun use subcontractors?
As you may anticipate from the biggest photo voltaic corporations, Sunrun makes use of subcontractors alongside its in-house set up groups.
The vast majority of Sunrun’s enterprise is in third-party possession.
How a lot do Sunrun photo voltaic panels price?
Most photo voltaic corporations do not offer you any pricing info upfront, and it is laborious to know precisely how correct the estimates that do exist are with out getting an precise quote.
In November of 2021, Sunrun reported an set up price of $3.93 per watt. The median price in 2022, based on Wooden Mackenzie was $3 per watt for an 8-kilowatt system, although different nationwide estimates pin the price of a photo voltaic panel set up a bit larger.
“This isn’t an apples-to-apples comparability,” Wyatt Semanek, a Sunrun spokesperson, stated by way of e mail later in 2021. Sunrun’s value per watt consists of the price of batteries with some programs, whereas many different out there averages — together with Wooden Mackenzie’s — don’t. One Tesla Powerwall can add $10,000 ($7,000 after the photo voltaic tax credit score) to the price of a system, a big addition. Including $7,000 {dollars} to the value tag of the hypothetical Wooden Mackenzie array brings the value per watt to $3.87. Semanek additionally famous that geography has a big affect on value.
That is a part of the explanation CNET does not think about value in its scoring and it is best to all the time get a number of quotes from installers in your space. Having the ability to examine quotes is your protection towards agreeing to a value that is means too excessive.
As a result of the price of power adjustments over time, leases typically embrace what’s often called an escalator, a year-to-year improve within the lease charge. Escalators in Sunrun leases fluctuate, however a Sunrun investor presentation in Might set the common escalator at 2% with a spread of 0% to 2.9%. So long as your native power value goes up by greater than that every 12 months, you will proceed to economize.
Whereas electrical energy costs fluctuate by area and utility, they often do go up 12 months to 12 months. In keeping with the US Power Data Administration, residential electrical energy charges elevated 3.9% from 2020 to 2021, although that represented one of many largest jumps within the final ten years. A photo voltaic lease is “normally cheaper” than paying your utility for all of your electrical energy and supplies stability in a finances, Semanek stated.
As all the time, ensure you perceive the main points of your settlement and the way the mathematics will work out in your particular state of affairs, if it does in any respect.
Photo voltaic panels, whether or not bought or owned by a 3rd social gathering, usually get monetary savings.
What financing choices does Sunrun provide?
You should buy photo voltaic panels from Sunrun, however most of their enterprise is in third social gathering possession, by means of leases or energy buy agreements. Generally, buying photo voltaic panels ends in better financial savings over the lifetime of your panels for just a few causes, not least being you can declare the 30% federal photo voltaic tax credit score.
However, leases and energy buy agreements will typically lead to financial savings and include a lot decrease upfront prices. Calculate your potential financial savings and the seemingly prices for going photo voltaic earlier than deciding which is best for you.
Does Sunrun function in my state? How do I order?
Sunrun operates in 21 states and Washington, DC and Puerto Rico.
As soon as you have confirmed Sunrun operates in your state, enter some fundamental info on-line (identify, zip code, tackle) and look ahead to a name. Whereas I did not undergo the method of getting a quote, I did take this primary step. I acquired a name lower than 2 minutes after submitting my info.
Sunrun asks for a 12 months’s value of electrical energy payments to know your wants and examine your roof’s photo voltaic panel capability utilizing satellite tv for pc photographs. The corporate sends somebody out to your own home to examine the standard of your roof and electrical panel. You then’ll hammer out any design particulars, get your questions answered and ensure the ultimate design. The corporate handles allowing, and set up usually takes a day. Sunrun makes use of in-house set up groups and subcontractors.
Is Sunrun your best option?
As with all main selection, it is best to observe the skilled recommendation to buy round. Get a number of quotes for programs and financing (if it’s essential to finance), together with quotes from native, non-national installers.
Third-party possession typically saves you much less cash over the lengthy haul than shopping for panels outright, however leases and energy buy agreements provide financial savings faster and do not usually include the large upfront price ticket of a purchase order. Whether or not you need to lease or buy, Sunrun has choices.
In case you’re seeking to buy, you will seemingly get high quality tools from Sunrun, although we do not have as many particulars about them as different corporations. Sunrun’s workmanship guarantee matches Tesla’s at 10 years and producers’ warranties for photo voltaic panels are usually 25 years lengthy (although panels can final for much longer).
Execs
- Alternative of batteries
- Dedication to tier 1 panels
- Glorious warranties for leases
Cons
- No value match assure
- Warranties might be stronger for purchases
Sunrun critiques: What are clients saying?
The Higher Enterprise Bureau offers Sunrun an A+ score. This score measures how properly Sunrun responds to buyer complaints raised by means of its platform, together with another issues. Clients price Sunrun at a 3.75 out of 5 on the Bureau’s web site. (Generally, the client score is available in decrease than the letter grades given by the group.)
Whereas buyer critiques are useful in figuring out developments or pondering up questions it is best to ask your installer, they don’t seem to be an ideal predictor of what your expertise with an organization shall be. The critiques posted to the Higher Enterprise Bureau all acquired replies from the corporate.
5-star Sunrun critiques
“Nice service! Cordial and wonderful customer support. Skilled a leak that turned out to be my gutter. They re pitched [sic] and cleaned the gutter. Above and past in even the smallest particulars. Will extremely advocate.” Alan B. 6/9/2023
“I’m extraordinarily grateful to Sunrun. They’re probably the most upfront and moral installers I’ve met.” Anthony C. 5/23/2023
1-star Sunrun critiques
“We had the unlucky luck of inheriting a photo voltaic panel lease once we bought our dwelling in 2021 (then Vivint, now Sunrun) and it has been nothing however a headache ever since. After they had been initially put in, they put holes into our roof which triggered leaks. We had the panels eliminated in January and the roof repaired, and so they nonetheless haven’t changed the panels (4 months later).” Shaylyn C. 21 June, 2023
“I signed a contract 8 months in the past and my panels are nonetheless not attached. […] So, right here I sit paying two payments for electrical energy with no aid in sight.” Diane C. 9 June, 2023
How we consider photo voltaic corporations
It could be troublesome to check photo voltaic corporations in a hands-on means, which might contain having each set up photo voltaic panels on a roof (ideally a number of roofs) and monitoring the outcomes for years to return. As an alternative, we base our evaluations on thorough analysis, interviews with representatives from the businesses themselves and our protection of the trade.
We focus our scoring on issues we are able to precisely measure and we predict shall be helpful to you: tools, warranties and repair.
Within the tools class, we take a look at the panels, inverters and batteries an organization provides, score them on reported specs like photo voltaic panel effectivity or battery depth of discharge. We decide warranties on their size and (the place relevant) the degrees of efficiency they assure. For service, we take a look at the Higher Enterprise Bureau scores and any indeniable developments in public sentiment. (As a result of this class is a little more subjective, it is weighted lower than others.)
Learn the complete rundown of how we evaluate photo voltaic corporations.
Two notable exclusions from our scoring are value — as a result of the information just isn’t reliably out there — and repair space — as a result of we assume you get no benefit from an organization working in states you do not reside in.
FAQs
What model of photo voltaic panels does Sunrun use?
Sunrun had LG photo voltaic panels as their most well-liked possibility earlier than LG pulled again from the residential photo voltaic market. Sunrun has stated it should fill the hole with tier one panels (that are panels which might be protected financing bets in main tasks). Most photo voltaic panels in the marketplace have effectivity rankings over 19% and 25-year producer warranties.
What’s an influence buy settlement?
With an influence buy settlement, you comply with buy the ability generated by photo voltaic panels owned by another person, normally at a price decrease than your utility provides. They’re typically long-term agreements of 20 or 25 years, so you will need to ensure the speed you are locking is not more likely to improve greater than your utility. Energy buy agreements are much like leases, besides that you just pay for the ability and in a lease you pay for the tools.
Is Sunrun part of Costco?
No. However Sunrun does promote photo voltaic panels by means of Costco.
