The Reality of Solar and Sunrun

Sunrun-Photo-4

While this is a sponsored post, we actually have Sunrun solar service installed at our house!  And when people here we have Sunrun there are always questions because people have so many different ideas as to what solar service is. It is great that solar energy is good for the environment. It is also great that it reduces the amount of money that goes to PG&E. But people find the process mysterious and so they don’t even check to see if Sunrun is the right fit for them. So I am going to address just a few questions that we have heard!

1)Isn’t solar always so expensive to start? No, it isn’t ALWAYS expensive to start. It depends on what you do for solar. When you do the Sunrun solar service you are actually leasing the solar panels and everything from them. So there isn’t an upfront purchase.

2)Isn’t having solar a lot of work with the maintaining, cleaning, monitoring, etc? No! 1 of the great things about Sunrun and leasing the solar is that they monitor the system constantly. If there is a problem with your system and it quits producing, Sunrun takes care of it. 

3)So does that mean people are always around in order to monitor your system? No, all monitoring is off site. You can even see how your system is doing online. 

4)A lease? Don’t you always lose money on leases? Remember, this isn’t a car. This is a 20 year lease agreement. Technology will probably change a lot in 20 years and you probably can’t sell the panels off your house.

5)20 years? So what happens if I move? The new owner of your home takes over your solar lease. There is a simple process where a credit check is run and some forms are filled out. 

This is the actual Sunrun production graph I accessed online.
This is the actual Sunrun production graph I accessed online.

6)But are your bills really lower? Yes, they really are! My husband just put together a spreadsheet on our savings for our realtor. We have saved over $750 in the last year alone. Sunrun customers save an average of 20% on their electricity costs.* *Actual savings will vary. See http://clvr.li/1dwHGKc for details.

7)What if I do all this and my house isn’t good for solar? Some houses are solar challenged but if Sunrun can’t save you money, they won’t sell you on a system! I like honestly from a company like that. 

8)So did you get all those cool cash back rebates from the government? Well, no. Those rebates will go to Sunrun because they actually own the system and not you. But just remember, those rebates are just a portion of the money invested in your system. And you don’t have to cough up those funds. 

We have been very happy with our Sunrun solar service and encourage you to check it out! I also really encourage you to pop over to the Sunrun’s Facebook page and enter win a really neat programmable Nest thermostat!
 

Sunrun-Photo-4

Sunrun-Photo-7
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

 

 

3 thoughts on “The Reality of Solar and Sunrun”

  1. Ooh I’m glad you posted about this! We’ve done some cursory looks into solar but I still feel like I don’t get it. The savings you mentioned – does that factor in the amount you are paying to lease the panels? Like, are you still saving $750 a year after factoring in the lease payments? I worry that the savings will be negligible and then we might move and it’s only worth it in the long run. Also, does it impact the roof of the house? Like, what happens when I need a new roof?

  2. The $750 was after the lease payments! As far as the roof… We had a 5 year old roof when we got solar and haven’t noticed any issues. If you need to replace the roof, I have no idea. Ask Sunrun!!

  3. Thanks for answering all these questions. I was planning to look into solar. So glad you have all the important into all in one place. I might have to give sunrun a call soon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *