Home solar converts sunlight into electricity your house can use. Panels on your roof absorb sunlight and produce direct current (DC) electricity, an inverter converts it into the alternating current (AC) your appliances run on, and your existing electrical panel distributes it through the house. Anything you don't use immediately goes into a battery or out to the grid. At night, in winter, or under heavy clouds, your home draws the difference from your battery or the utility grid.

A home solar system works through the combination of the six following elements: 

1. Solar Panels: Solar panels convert sunlight into direct current electricity (DC).

2. Inverter: The inverter converts energy into alternating current electricity (AC), which is what your appliances and devices use.

3. Electrical Panel (already at your home): Your electrical panel distributes AC electricity to your entire home.

4. Sunrun Meter: Solar production and usage are measured and monitored by your Sunrun meter so we can make sure your system is producing as much energy as possible.

5. Battery: When solar energy is generated and not immediately used, it can be stored in a solar battery for evening use or during outages. 

6. Utility Meter (already at your home): When the sun is shining, you may get all of your energy from solar, but due to things like weather, winter, and nighttime, you may still have to buy some energy the old-fashioned way. Whenever you send any extra solar energy to the grid, this meter will run “backwards” logging how much energy you exported.

Solar with battery storage does three things: it cuts how much electricity you buy from your utility, it keeps your home powered when the grid goes down, and it locks in a predictable rate instead of absorbing utility rate increases.

Panels generate power on your roof during the day, and a battery stores what you don't use so it's there at night or in an outage. Solar without a battery shuts off during an outage; solar with a battery keeps running. Sunrun serves more than 1.2 million customers and has installed over 266,000 solar and storage systems, with your solar rate set in your agreement for the life of the contract.

Most homes need roughly 15 to 25 solar panels. The exact number depends on your annual electricity usage, how much sun your roof gets, its size and orientation, and changes you expect, like adding an EV or switching to electric appliances.

Sunrun sizes every system against 12 months of your actual usage history rather than a generic estimate, then reviews the final design and panel count with you before anything is ordered or scheduled.

Most homes are suitable for solar. Four things determine how well yours performs: your geographic location, your roof's angle and direction, how much shade it gets across the day, and your roof's age and condition.

South-facing roofs produce the most, but east- and west-facing roofs work well too. Heavy tree shade is the most common limiting factor, and a roof near the end of its life usually needs replacing before panels go on. Sunrun runs a custom analysis using your past 12 months of usage, your expected future needs, and how much sun your roof receives through the seasons, then tells you what your system would produce before you commit.

Sunrun requests a full year of your electricity bills so your system is sized correctly. Usage varies month to month and season to season, so a single bill would produce a system that's undersized in summer or oversized in winter.

Twelve months shows the whole pattern: your summer peaks, your winter lows, and your baseline. Your consultant reviews that year alongside changes you expect, like an EV, a heat pump, or a new family member, so the design accounts for next year's usage rather than last year's.

It depends on whether you want lower upfront cost or full ownership of the equipment and incentives.

Leasing or a PPA is better if you want to minimize upfront cost. You can start for as little as $0 down and pay a locked-in monthly amount, and because Sunrun owns the leased system, monitoring, maintenance and repairs are included for the length of the agreement at no cost to you.

Buying is better if you want to own the asset. You own the system and its production, and any available solar incentives like state rebates go directly to you. In exchange, you're responsible for repairs and maintenance outside your equipment warranty. The trade-off in one line: leasing shifts cost and risk to Sunrun, buying keeps both along with the incentives.

A solar lease and a solar PPA are both ways to get solar without buying the system. The difference is what you pay for. With a lease, you pay a fixed monthly amount to use the system regardless of how much it produces. With a PPA, you pay a fixed price per kilowatt-hour for the power the system generates, so your payment tracks production.

With either one, Sunrun owns the equipment and handles installation, maintenance, monitoring and insurance for the life of the agreement. Which option is available to you depends on where you live. Sunrun pioneered both structures as an alternative to buying a system outright.

Yes. Qualifying customers can go solar for as little as $0 down with a Sunrun Subscription plan. Instead of paying for the equipment upfront, you pay a predictable monthly rate for the solar power and battery storage the system provides.

That monthly rate covers the system itself plus monitoring, maintenance and repairs for the length of your agreement. Qualification depends on factors including your credit, your utility, and whether your home is suitable for solar, all of which a Sunrun consultant confirms before you sign anything.

With a prepaid Sunrun Subscription, you make one upfront payment that covers 25 years of solar power and battery backup, with no monthly Sunrun bill afterward.

Prepaying gets you the lowest available rate for solar power because you're paying for 25 years at once rather than month to month. It also removes the annual escalator, the yearly rate increase built into monthly agreements, so there's no ongoing cost increase to plan around. Everything else works the same: Sunrun continues to monitor and maintain your equipment for the full term.

Sunrun designs every system around your household's current and future electricity use, in five steps:

• Collect your energy data: Sunrun reviews a copy of your utility bill and your 12-month usage history.

• Discuss expected changes: An EV, a hot tub, new appliances or family members all change the right system size.

• Survey your home as needed: A technician reviews your roof space, attic, structure, electrical panel, roof tilt, azimuth and home orientation.

• Design and verify: Sunrun's design team models panel placement, expected annual production, and how many batteries to recommend.

• Review the final design with you: You see your system layout and expected production before installation.

Not to your existing system, but you can add a second one. Sunrun doesn't add panels to a system that's already installed, because each system is designed and contracted as a single unit.

Instead, Sunrun can install a separate second system at your home under its own agreement, with its own design and contract terms. If your energy use has grown, contact a Sunrun consultant or the Customer Engagement team to see whether a second system makes sense.

Solar panels are made primarily from silicon, a durable element that converts sunlight into electricity through photovoltaic (PV) cells.

Monocrystalline panels, which most residential systems use, are cut from a single high-quality crystal structure similar to the silicon in computer chips. They're dark black with clipped corners, and their uniform structure makes them the most efficient and most space-efficient option for a roof.

Polycrystalline panels are made by melting multiple silicon crystals together. They have a blue, shimmering appearance and are generally less efficient, because the gaps between crystals can trap electrons.

Sunrun installs high-efficiency monocrystalline panels and often uses PERC technology, which adds a reflective layer behind the solar cell to capture more light and increase total production.

Your system design is included in your Sunrun agreement. To find it, open the Sunrun app or log in at Sunrun.com and go to Contracts & Docs.

If your agreement isn't showing there, request a copy from Sunrun's Customer Engagement team through live chat in the app or by calling 1-855-478-6786.

With a lease or PPA plan, Sunrun takes complete care of your solar system, which includes making any necessary repairs or replacements to the equipment over the course of your agreement.

If you have reason to believe the solar system is damaged or not working as expected, please let us know by logging into the Sunrun app and navigating to Support where you can chat with an agent.

Installation usually takes one day. Once your design is finalized and all approvals are in, a local Sunrun crew installs your system in five stages:

1. Arrival and setup: The crew introduces themselves and maps out where they'll be working and parking.

2. Design and equipment review: Your foreman walks the plans with you and confirms what equipment goes where.

3. Installation: The crew mounts panels and runs wiring on the roof while the foreman installs your inverter, battery and electrical equipment.

4. Cleanup: The crew cleans up as work winds down, leaving your property as they found it.

5. Final walk-through: Your foreman explains how your system works and how to turn it on.

Your system won't produce power the moment installation ends. It needs utility approval first, called Permission to Operate, or PTO.

Sunrun systems are roof-mounted, so installers drill holes in your roof to anchor the racking that holds the panels. Every penetration is sealed watertight and covered by Sunrun's workmanship warranty.

Drilling into a roof sounds alarming, but sealed penetrations are standard practice for mounted solar and are warrantied against leaks. There's also a benefit most homeowners don't expect: once panels are installed, they shield the roof beneath them from sun and weather, which can extend the life of that section.

A Sunrun installation adds four pieces of equipment to your home and connects to two you already have. Exact equipment varies by home.

Installed by Sunrun: solar panels on your roof converting sunlight into DC electricity; an inverter that directs energy flow and converts DC into the AC your home uses; an optional home battery storing unused solar energy for evenings and outages; and a Sunrun meter measuring production so Sunrun can monitor performance.

Already at your home: your main electrical panel, which distributes AC electricity to your circuits and is also called the fuse box, and your utility meter, which measures energy flowing to and from the grid.

Installation day itself usually takes one day. The full project, from signing to a system producing power, typically runs couple of weeks to three months.

Most of that time is preparation Sunrun handles before the crew arrives: a site survey of your roof, attic and electrical panel; finalizing your custom design; applying for permits and waiting on approval, usually the longest single step; and collecting any approvals specific to your area, such as HOA sign-off. After installation, your system needs utility approval Permission to Operate, or PTO before it can be switched on.

All homeowners associations (HOAs) are different. It’s a good idea to reach out to your HOA to find out about their solar approval process. Let your sales rep and CX Install Expert know, and they’ll help you take care of as much of the paperwork as possible.

Yes. Anything blocking sunlight from reaching your panels reduces how much energy they produce, most commonly from nearby trees, fallen branches, or accumulated debris.

Shade doesn't have to cover a whole panel to matter; partial shading across a string of panels can cut output disproportionately, which is why Sunrun models your roof's shading across the day and the seasons when designing your system. Keeping trees trimmed back from your roofline is your responsibility as the homeowner and it's the simplest way to protect production. Never climb onto your roof to trim branches or clear debris; hire a professional.

Check the Sunrun app or log in at Sunrun.com. The number next to kWh on the home screen means your system is on and producing power. In the Charts section, compare your annual production against the green Target Zone at or above it means your system is performing as designed. You can also read your inverter display directly for production data, though the app is easier.

You don't have to check at all, though. If you have a lease, a PPA, or own your system with the Protection Plus program, Sunrun's monitoring team watches your production for anything unusual and contacts you about issues, often before you'd notice them yourself.

Weather changes your daily output but not your annual production much, because your system is designed around your local climate.

Clouds and rain reduce daily output, though rain also washes dust and light buildup off your panels. Cold actually improves efficiency, since panels perform better when they aren't losing energy to extreme heat. Snow typically melts or slides off on its own, and a few low-production days won't meaningfully affect your annual total. Hail is rarely a problem, as most panels are rated for high-impact hail and heavy weight. Ash and heavy pollen can accumulate enough to matter, which is why an annual professional cleaning is worth it.

For extreme weather like hurricanes or wildfires, your system is protected by installation standards and warranty coverage, and Sunrun designs your array to be as resilient as the site allows. You can check real-time performance in the Sunrun app after a storm. If weather causes a significant shortfall against your predicted production, Sunrun's Performance Guarantee compensates you for unmet production as outlined in your agreement.

Solar production peaks in summer and dips in winter. Longer days and a higher sun angle mean summer often generates more than your home consumes, while shorter days and a lower sun position reduce winter output. Your system is designed around that swing, so seasonal variation is already built into your production estimate rather than being a shortfall.

There are two ways the summer surplus carries you through winter. A home battery stores it for use at night and during peak-rate hours. Net metering credits, if your utility offers them, bank it against your winter bills. Because credit rules differ by utility, check your utility's solar plan to see how it values exported energy. That's what determines whether a battery or net metering is the better fit.

Yes, for homeowners on a Sunrun subscription plan. Sunrun provides 24/7 proactive monitoring, which means you're typically notified about an issue before you'd notice it yourself. It works in four steps:

1. Production is recorded. Your Sunrun meter counts kilowatt-hours as they're produced. You can see the same data in the Sunrun app or at Sunrun.com.

2. Data is collected. Your meter sends production data to Sunrun's monitoring team, where it's stored and analyzed.

3. Production is evaluated. Sunrun compares your output against the estimates in your contract, and cross-checks weather and nearby systems to confirm you're capturing as much sun as your neighbors.

4. Issues are resolved. Sunrun troubleshoots remotely and dispatches a technician if the problem can't be fixed that way.

If you already have solar and need a roof replacement, you pay Sunrun to temporarily remove the panels and reinstall them once the roofing work is finished. Panels can't stay on the roof during a replacement. Cost depends on your system size and roof complexity [Verify — publish a typical range], and Sunrun's Customer Engagement team schedules the removal and reinstall around your roofer's timeline.

If you don't have solar yet, Sunrun assesses your roof's age and condition during the site survey and inspects it if needed. If a replacement is coming, it's far cheaper to replace the roof before panels go on than to remove and reinstall them later. Sunrun offers roofing services in some markets at https://www.sunrun.com/roofing

Yes. Your panels produce power year-round, including through winter. Output is lower than summer because days are shorter and the sun sits lower, but panels don't stop working in cold weather; cold actually improves their efficiency.

Two winter-specific points. Snow usually melts or slides off panels on its own, helped by the fact that panels are dark, tilted, and warm slightly while producing. And winter lows are already priced in: Sunrun designs systems with seasonality in mind, so your production estimate accounts for winter output rather than assuming summer levels year-round. If your utility offers net metering, credits you bank over summer help offset winter bills.

Not usually. Rain washes away most light dust on its own. Cleaning becomes worthwhile when buildup gets significant bird droppings, heavy pollen, ash or caked dirt can gradually reduce how much power your panels produce. Think of it like a windshield: rain helps, but a proper wash gets you full clarity.

A true-up is an annual statement from your utility that reconciles all the solar energy you sent to the grid against the utility energy you consumed over a 12-month period. If you exported more than you used, some utilities California's, for example, may retroactively adjust the per-kWh rate they credited you, which can produce an additional charge on that annual bill.

A true-up bill can run higher than expected for three reasons. Increased usage: an EV, new appliances, or additional residents can push consumption past what your system was designed to cover. Seasonal balance: you build credits in summer and spend them in winter, and the true-up settles the net difference. Connection fees: most utilities charge a small monthly fee to keep your home grid-connected, which may be bundled into the annual total.

True-up policies vary by utility. Log into your utility's portal to review usage trends, and ask whether they offer monthly payment options instead of a single annual lump sum. Your utility, not Sunrun, is the right contact for true-up billing questions.

Sunrun is the largest home solar and battery storage provider in the United States and the only company in the category to pass one million customers. Four things distinguish it.

Scale and track record. Founded in 2007, Sunrun serves more than 1.2 million customers as of June 2026 and has installed over 266,000 solar and storage systems.

One company for the whole lifecycle. Sunrun designs, installs, finances, insures, monitors and maintains your system, so there's no coordinating between an installer, a financier and a service company.

Guaranteed production, in writing. On eligible Subscription plans, Sunrun guarantees your system produces at least 90% of estimated production over its lifetime and pays the difference if it doesn't.

Predictable pricing for the contract term. Your solar rate is defined in your agreement for the life of the contract rather than moving with utility rate increases.

Sunrun's Subscription plan includes 24/7 monitoring plus free maintenance and repairs for 25 years. Coverage and guarantees vary by plan and market, they're unavailable in Florida and vary in Illinois.

You have a choice when it comes to solar providers. 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. At Sunrun, we take all the guesswork out of going solar so that you don’t have to worry about the fine print or hidden fees.

Here are some key things to look for in a home solar company:

• A high volume of positive ratings and a great track record of service before, during and after installation.

• Solar companies that take care of the paperwork, inspections, and working with the city.

• Flexible payment options including solar leases and PPAs.

• An honest provider who offers a performance guarantee.

• Choose a provider with the most residential experience.

We’ll just make this easy for you and tell you that yes, our products include these services, and then some. We’re here to make going solar worry-free. That means helping you with designing your home solar system and controlling your electricity costs, and taking care of the technical details like paperwork, approvals, and installation. And when you choose our solar lease or PPA plans, your solar system comes with 24/7 monitoring, maintenance warranties, and performance guarantees.

Sunrun programs your battery automatically, so it charges from your panels during the day and discharges when power is most expensive or when the grid goes down. You don't manage it.

Day to day. If your utility uses time-of-use rates, your battery discharges during expensive peak hours so you avoid buying at peak prices. It always holds a reserve charge, typically 20%, so backup power is ready for an unexpected outage.

During an outage. Your battery takes over the moment the grid fails, powering up to four essential breakers, usually your refrigerator, lights and internet. Expect 8 to 12 hours of backup depending on your usage and the season. Your panels recharge the battery each day, so a multi-day outage can sustain itself if you conserve.

Coverage. Subscription customers get Sunrun monitoring and management, plus repair or replacement if the battery falls below warrantied performance at any point in the contract. Purchase customers get a 10-year manufacturer's warranty covering repair or replacement if it degrades below warrantied levels in that period.

Sunrun is a Tesla Powerwall 3 Certified Installer and offers the Tesla Powerwall 3, Franklin aPower 2 and Lunar Energy Battery, with availability varying by market and eligibility.

The Sunrun Performance Guarantee is a written commitment that your system will produce a minimum amount of energy, and that Sunrun pays you the difference if it doesn't. On eligible systems, Sunrun guarantees at least 90% of estimated production over the system's lifetime.

Sunrun compares your actual production against its estimates every 24 months. If your system underperformed over that period, you receive a credit on your next Sunrun bill.

The production guarantee applies to Monthly Lease and PPA agreements only, and availability varies by location, it isn't available in Florida, and terms vary in Illinois depending on your agreement's initial term and battery manufacturer warranty. See your solar agreement for the terms that apply to you.

On a Sunrun subscription plan, you receive a fixed monthly bill from Sunrun, viewable in the Sunrun app, in your logged-in account at Sunrun.com, or by email. Paper billing is available for an additional fee if you opt in.

How the monthly amount is calculated? Sunrun takes your estimated annual production in kWh, multiplies it by your solar rate, and divides by 12. That's why your payment stays the same each month even though actual production rises in summer and falls in winter.

What's on the bill? Your fixed monthly solar charge, your battery charge if you have one, your cost per kilowatt-hour ($/kWh) rate for the year, and your production for the month in kWh.

What changes your total cost? Your Sunrun rate increases each year by the escalator defined in your agreement, and every year's rate is listed in the contract so the increase is known from the start. Separately, in any month your home uses more electricity than your system produces, your utility bills you for that supplemental power plus applicable taxes and fees.

Your Sunrun bill is due each month on your system activation date. If your system was activated on the 14th, your bill is due on the 14th of every month.

Your billing cycle and due date are both listed on your invoice. If the date doesn't work for you, it can be adjusted once per year in the Sunrun app.

Your first Sunrun bill arrives about 30 days after your system activation date, also called your Permission to Operate or PTO date. That first bill is due roughly two months after activation.

Timing varies by agreement type. On a standard subscription, you're billed 30 days after activation and the bill is due about two months after activation. On the Flex product, you're billed on the first of every month. On a prepaid agreement, payment is due on the day of installation.

If you're enrolled in automatic payments, Sunrun processes your payment on the last business day before your due date.

Two reasons: you avoid late fees, and you become eligible for a discount on your monthly bill.

Manual payments are easy to forget, and a missed Sunrun bill means a late fee — autopay pays on time every month automatically. Enrolling also makes you eligible for an automatic discount on your monthly bill.

You can enroll in the Sunrun app or in your logged-in account at Sunrun.com. Sunrun processes autopay on the last business day before your due date.

At the end of your Sunrun lease agreement, you have three options:

1. Buy the system at its fair market value at that time.

2. Renew your lease with Sunrun on an annual basis.

3. Have Sunrun remove the system from your home.

There's no automatic default and no penalty for choosing any of them. Sunrun's Customer Engagement team contacts you as your agreement approaches its end date to walk through the options and timing.

Open the Sunrun app or log in at Sunrun.com, go to Account, then tap or click Contracts & Docs. Your agreement is there, along with your system design.

If you don't see it, contact Sunrun's Customer Engagement team through live chat in the app or by phone and they'll send you a copy.

No, not after installation. Once solar panels are installed on your home, your agreement type is fixed for the term.

Before installation, you can still change. If you haven't reached installation yet and you're reconsidering, contact your Sales Consultant or CX Installation Expert — they can walk through the alternatives and process a change while it's still possible.

The one exception after installation is purchasing your equipment, which is permitted at specific times defined in your agreement. Everything else, including switching between lease, PPA and prepaid structures, has to happen before installation.

Yes. You can purchase a solar and storage system from Sunrun outright, and if you started on a lease or PPA you can switch to a purchase with timing rules depending on where you are in the process.

Before installation, you can switch from a lease or PPA to a purchase at any time. After installation, because of tax credit implications, purchase is only available at the specific times set out in your agreement.

An annual escalator is built into your solar pricing, which means your rate will increase by the rate defined in your agreement annually. Each year's rate will be outlined in your Sunrun agreement. This allows you to know for the life of your Sunrun agreement exactly what you’ll be paying Sunrun for your solar energy each year. If you’d like to have a Sunrun Subscription Plan without an escalator, consider a prepaid subscription.

There can be uncertainty about how long you’ll be in your home and what will happen to your Sunrun system if you move. Not to worry, we can help. We have a 98% transfer success rate and transfer over 24,000 homes to new buyers each year.* 

For Sunrun subscription plan homeowners, there are a few different options for you, but the most popular is transferring your system (more specifically, your Sunrun agreement) to the person who will be buying your home.

Our team will work with you, your real estate agent, and the new homeowner to explain the benefits of your solar energy system and help you easily coordinate the transfer. Learn more about the process here: https://www.sunrun.com/moving-made-easy.

*Based on completed transfers created by Sunrun through September 30, 2021, with "moving" as the reason for transferring the agreement. Includes no upfront, low upfront, and prepaid systems.

Five steps, most of them handled by Sunrun. If you have a Monthly Lease or a Power Purchase Agreement, the process is:

• Submit a transfer request through Sunrun's Transfer Portal at servicetransfer.sunrun.com.

• Sunrun sends you the transfer form, a Transfer of Sunrun Solar Service Agreement  once it has the contact details from your request.

• You and the new homeowner sign it.

• The new homeowner completes a soft credit application online. This is a soft check only: it won't affect their credit score or their home loan.

• The transfer completes after escrow closes. You and the new homeowner both receive a confirmation email.

Start the transfer request as soon as your home is under contract so the transfer can close alongside escrow.