What happens if I move?
The hardest thing about moving isn’t
selling your home—it’s saying sayonara to those beautiful, money-saving panels
on your roof. That’s right, no need to find a suitcase big enough to hold your
solar panels. Sunrun makes it easy to transfer your solar lease agreement and
pass along those ridiculously low energy bills to the new owners. Our Service
Transfer Specialists handle everything from educating realtors and potential
buyers, to working with escrow officers, title agents, home inspectors, and
anyone else who might need to know about your system or solar lease agreement.
Here are some tips to help ensure a smooth move:
- Connect with our Service Transfer team before your home goes on the market. We’ll help prepare your realtor to sell the value of solar.
- Inform potential buyers early on that the solar lease agreement is a contingency of the home sale to avoid hiccups during negotiations.
- Once you’ve got a buyer, you’ll both sign Sunrun’s service transfer form and we’ll run a credit check on the buyer.
- Then just send us confirmation that escrow has closed and you’ll be home free.
- In the unlikely event that the buyer doesn’t want to take on the agreement, you can prepay for the remainder of your service and bundle it into the selling price of your home.
- You can also buy the system outright and move it to your new home, but is generally easier and more cost effective to transfer the agreement.
There you are, daydreaming about all
the money you’ll save by going solar, the cleaner skies, the lower electric
bill and the… wait. About that electric bill. What exactly happens to your bill
when you make the switch to solar? Before you spend a single minute worrying
about it, let us explain. Paying for electricity is no harder when you have
solar. In fact, it’s a lot easier because you won’t have to worry about
surprise rate hikes or hidden fees. Here’s how it works:
- Your solar system will be connected to your local utility, and your energy usage affects how much you’ll save.
- You’ll owe less or even earn energy credit when you produce more electricity than you use.
- When you use more than you produce, say if you forget to turn off the AC, you could owe the utility company more.
- Annually, electricity costs will be lower with solar, even though your savings will vary month-to-month due to seasonality—you’ll earn more energy credits during summer’s longer, sunny days than in winter’s short ones, but they’ll balance each other out over the course of a year.
- You’ll get two bills if you choose a monthly plan like most customers. One from the utility company and one from Sunrun. The Sunrun bill is your low, predictable solar rate. The utility bill covers any additional electricity used above and beyond what your solar system produces.
Remember back in school when extra
credit was kind of a big deal? Well now that you’re thinking about going solar,
it is again. That’s because when your uber-efficient power-generating panels
produce more energy than you need, you get automatic solar energy credit from
the utility company. It’s like they’re paying you for once. Here’s how it
works:
- When the sun is up, your panels crank out energy like there’s no tomorrow. If they produce more than it takes to power your life, that extra electricity is sent to the utility grid and you earn solar energy credit.
- When you have more power than you use, you owe the utility less.
- Conversely when you use more electricity than your system makes, like at night for example, when the sun is down, you draw from the grid.
- When you use more power than you make, you owe the utility more.
See? It’s a give and take, but you
don’t have to lift a finger because the utility company’s net meter keeps track
of it all. You can expect to see some ups and downs on your utility bill
throughout the year because you’ll likely generate more power in the summer and
less in the winter. But your total annual savings will be greater thanks to
solar. Your system will be grid tied and you'll get credits from your utility
when you're a Sunrun customer whether you choose to own your system or go solar
through a lease or PPA.
What if my panels don't produce enough power?
When the system is designed, we make
sure it fits your household electricity needs to a tee, helping maximize your
electricity savings over time. If the system produces less than predicted,
we'll cover the difference.
How many solar panels will I need?
Yup. Size Matters.You’re ready for a
highly efficient, money-saving solar power system on your roof. Great! So, what
size home solar system should you have? Hey, you’ve got better things to do
than worry about that. Which is why Sunrun will help handle all the details for
you. Not only are we an experienced provider, we have proprietary solar design
technology called BrightPath to help us create a customized system that
maximizes energy production better and faster than if we did it by hand.
So instead of wracking your brain
over “how many solar panels will I need?” or “what kind of inverter do I buy?”,
ask yourself these questions instead:
- How much power do I need? Check your electric bills to see how many kilowatts you use on an average day. A typical system generates 5 kilowatts per day but your home may need more or less.
- What’s your climate like? The number of panels you need depends on how much solar radiation reaches the ground where you are. Believe it or not, solar can work well even if it’s cloudy a lot!
- How much direct sun hits your roof? In general you’ll need 100 square feet of south-facing roof space for every kilowatt of power, avoiding shadows from chimneys, trees or taller buildings. But don’t worry, we can take a look and help with that, too.
After your sign your Sunrun
agreement, you’re ready for solar installation. Now the real fun begins! The
best part? You don’t have to lift a finger because we take care of everything
from scheduling to submitting permits, to working with the city, and securing
those big, beautiful panels to your roof. Naturally you’ll have questions, and
we’ll be right there with you answering them every step of the way. Here’s what
you can expect:
- Site Assessment
A technician will visit you in your
home to confirm your system design, verify measurements, and adjust for shade
and obstructions on your roof. Timing: 1-2 weeks
- Design Approval
Following site evaluation, our solar
design experts will make any necessary adjustments and email you for final
approval. Timing: 1-3 weeks
- Permitting
Once you give the green light we’ll
submit your design to the city for permitting. The timing now depends on how
quickly local government works and can take up to eight weeks. Timing: 2-8
weeks
- Installation
After your permit is granted we’ll
get to work placing those gorgeous new panels on the roof! Timing: 2-5 days
- City/County Inspections
When construction is finished, the
city or county will do a final inspection before your system can be connected
to the grid. Timing: 1-4 weeks
- Utility Interconnection
Now you’re in the home stretch.
We’ll submit your documents to the utility company and they’ll install a net
meter allowing Sunrun to track how much solar electricity you produce and use. Timing:
3-6 weeks
- Power Up and Start Saving
When the utility company grants
Permission to Operate, that means you’re free to flip the switch and start
generating clean, affordable, money-saving energy right from your roof.
Congratulations, you’re in!
How
does Sunrun compare to other solar companies?
You have a choice when it comes to
solar providers. Actually, a lot of choices. With everybody vying for your
business, your ability to compare solar companies effectively is critical. And
since you’ll be working with your provider for the life of your system you’ll
want to choose an established one you can count on for the long haul.
Here are some other key things to
look for:
- A high volume of positive ratings and a great track record of service before, during and after installation.
- The best solar companies will make it easy by taking care of the paperwork, inspections, and working with the city.
- Flexible payment options including lease agreements and PPAs.
- Lifetime maintenance on your system should be included, not an add-on.
- An honest provider won’t sell you solar if it can’t save you money—insist on a performance guarantee.
- Choose a provider with the most residential experience.
Solar
Basics
Until recently, you couldn’t go
solar without buying your system outright, and that meant hefting over a small
fortune—we’re talking anywhere from $18,000 to $25,000 up front, and
maintenance and repairs are extra. Knowing there had to be a more affordable
way to bring clean energy to the people, we invented solar leasing and power
purchase agreements, or PPAs. So instead of waiting years for a return on your
investment, most Sunrun customers see big savings in just the first year.
- The difference between a solar lease and solar PPA is simple: With a lease you pay a fixed monthly “rent” in return for use of the system. With a PPA you pay a fixed price per kWh for power generated.
- Both often require $0 down.
- It’s hassle free—your provider handles installation, maintenance and repairs for the life of the agreement.
- You’re entitled to all the energy your system produces, including any excess energy credits.
- You can transfer the agreement easily if you sell your home.
- Your provider passes down savings from rebates, tax incentives, and credits in the form of a lower bill.
- Flexible financing options let you pay as you go, or you can maximize savings with a prepaid option that eliminates monthly billing from Sunrun.
- Still think solar’s out of reach? Learn all about how it works, then get your free quote.
What
are tiered utility rates?
Tiered utility rates are a structure
in which the more electricity you use, the higher your rate gets. You are
allowed a certain amount of power (kilowatt hours) in each tier. Once you've
exceeded the amount in the tier, you move into the next highest tier. The lover
tier rates are affordable and the higher tier rates are very expensive. In many
cases, we'll recommend a system that only offsets only your expensive tiers to
help you maximize your savings. Solar systems built for people with tiered
rates often are designed to eliminate the expensive high tier electricity from
your utility.
Sunrun
Partners
Depending on where you live, Sunrun
or one of our certified installer partners will do the installation. We partner
city-by-city with local installers. They not only know the ins and outs of
installing in your neighborhood, it also keeps thousands of jobs local. You can
find a list of Sunrun's local installers below.
I heard about Sunrun through another solar company. How does
Sunrun work with partners?
Partnership is one of those terms
that’s easy to throw around. But at Sunrun, it really means something. Our
nationwide network of certified partners are the bedrock our business because
they allow us to provide stellar Sunrun service where you live. How’s that for
convenience?
What’s more, they’re are a huge part
of why it’s so easy to go solar with Sunrun. We only work with the best of the
best so you can rest easy knowing that whether Sunrun installs your system or
one of our trusted partners does, you’ll have top-notch service as long as
you’re a customer.
Sunrun solar leasing makes residential solar energy more affordable. If you don't want to pay a large upfront cost, you can still go solar today by taking advantage of Sunrun's solar service.
- Sunrun purchases your home solar system and has it installed on your roof.
- You pay little to nothing upfront, and then a low, fixed amount every month.
- Sunrun takes complete care of the equipment for 20 years Sunrun passes savings from rebates, tax incentives and credits along to you
- You're entitled to all the energy produced by your home's system, often including excess energy credits from your utility company.
- You can transfer the agreement if you sell your home.
- It’s affordable — and flexible. With a solar lease, you don’t have to pay a lot upfront. But, if you have savings you’d like to use, you can pay more upfront and lower your fixed monthly payment.
- It’s worry-free. You don’t own the equipment, so you don’t have to worry about installation, monitoring, and repairs.
- It’s a fixed cost. Your monthly payment is low and fixed. You have control over your electric bill and don’t have to worry about a higher bill if the panels produces more electricity.
What's the difference between a lease and a PPA?
In most cases, you won't choose between a lease and a PPA. Rather, one or the other will be offered as an option where you live.- Lease: You pay fixed monthly “rent” to provider in return for use of the system
- PPA: You pay a fixed price per kWh for power generated
What types of payment options are available?
You can choose how much you want to pay upfront with a lease or PPA. So, you can pay more upfront and get a lower monthly rate or payment if you would like to do that.- Little to $0 down: You pay little to nothing upfront, with monthly payments that increase each year
- Prepaid: You pay all payments upfront, with no additional monthly payments for the life of the agreement
Cost of Solar Power
On average the total cost of solar installation can be between $15,000 to $29,000 for average sized systems sized between 4kW and 8kW.2Sunrun solar lets you get started for as little as $0 down and helps you lower your electric bill. If you want to own your system, we do that too.
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