About Sunrun
Sunrun sells and leases customized residential solar energy systems and its Brightbox battery storage service in 20 states. Customers can own or lease a system with $0 down. Sunrun offers free energy consultations and quotes. Over 250,000 homes across the U.S. have gone solar with Sunrun, according to the company.
Overall Satisfaction Rating
- 5 stars
- 4 stars
- 3 stars
- 2 stars
- 1 stars
Pros
- Flexible payment options
- Daily system monitoring
- Warranty with complete coverage
Cons
- Limited price transparency
- Not available in all states
Bottom Line
Sunrun offers personalized home solar energy system design, with the option to lease or purchase with monthly payments. Customers are generally satisfied with their solar systems, but some say the initial cost was high.
Top Sunrun Reviews
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Sunrun is the best solar company you can find out there. They are very cost effective compared to other solar companies out there. I am very happy with my purchase and would refer...
Read full review… My solar system is producing as much as our Sunrun rep promised us. We are very happy and satisfied with the service. Sunrun offers several solar options, we decided to go with ...
Read full reviewWhat is Sunrun?
Sunrun is a residential solar panel company that designs, installs, finances, monitors, maintains and insures its systems. It customizes home systems based on energy usage history, the customer’s design preferences and the roof space, using an automated site modeling tool that profiles roof characteristics like shading, pitch and sun exposure.
As of the time of publishing, in 19 of the 20 states where it sets up solar energy systems, Sunrun also offers its Brightbox battery service to new customers. Brightbox provides eight to 12 hours of backup electricity in case of an outage.
Sunrun provides a “bumper-to-bumper” warranty on all solar equipment, which features free repairs and replacement of equipment, including parts and labor. Sunrun monitors customers’ systems daily to make sure they're performing optimally and includes full insurance coverage that covers theft and damage.
Sunrun cost
The average cost for a solar energy system ranges from $15,000 to $29,000, but Sunrun’s prices are sometimes higher than other solar energy providers because of the technology it uses. Fill out a form on its website to get a free solar energy consultation and quote. Sunrun partners with Costco to make solar panels available to its members at lower prices.
There are multiple ways to pay for a Sunrun system, with eligible customers able to go solar for $0 down. Sunrun offers monthly leases (BrightSave Monthly), full leases (BrightSave Prepaid, a power purchase agreement), purchases with financing (BrightAdvantage) and full purchases (BrightBuy). The monthly lease option is the customer favorite, according to Sunrun.
Sunrun takes care of paperwork, permits and installation, whether you lease or buy.
Sunrun installations
Sunrun customizes solar system installations based on factors like a customer’s energy usage history and a home’s roof. Solar advisors use a proprietary design technology, BrightPath, to analyze your home and energy needs.
Once you and Sunrun finalize the design, Sunrun submits all necessary paperwork for approval from your local government.
Once the system is approved, installation starts. Installation can take from one to five days. After installation is complete, the crew foreman explains how the system works and shows you how to power it on.
Your local government must inspect and approve the system before you can connect it to the grid. The utility company installs a net meter so Sunrun can track how much solar electricity you produce and use. Upon approval from the utility company, you can begin using your solar panels. The entire process can take several months to complete. A Sunrun project coordinator can give you an approximate timeline.
Sunrun warranty
All of Sunrun’s solar plans come with a “worry-free” warranty, which covers equipment repairs and replacement, including parts and labor. Sunrun installations also come with a roof warranty that guarantees any roof penetrations remain watertight for 10 years.
When you lease a solar energy system from Sunrun, all maintenance costs are covered. If you purchase a Sunrun system, you're responsible for maintenance costs and any repairs that aren’t covered by the warranty.
Sunrun FAQ
Where is Sunrun available?
Sunrun is available in the following states, as well as in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
What solar panels does Sunrun use?
Sunrun uses LG solar panels, such as the NeON 2. LG solar panels are made of monocrystalline cells, which are known for higher efficiency and slower degradation.
Where are Sunrun solar panels made?
Sunrun solar panels are manufactured in South Korea.
What is the Sunrun app?
The Sunrun app, mySunrun, allows you to see how much energy your system is producing, along with system features and billing information. It is available for Apple and Android devices.
What is Sunrun’s cancellation policy?
You can cancel or make changes to your Sunrun solar agreement within 21 days of signing the contract as long as it’s before the installation date.
Who owns Sunrun?
Sunrun was co-founded by CEO Lynn Jurich in 2007. It is a publicly traded company with significant capital investments from Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Sequoia Capital.
Where is Sunrun headquartered?
Sunrun is based in San Francisco.
Is Sunrun a good company?
We like that Sunrun guides clients through the design and installation process. The company strives to offer the easiest and smartest way to join the clean energy revolution. Solar energy systems with Brightbox battery service give you more than savings — they also give you control of your electricity, letting you save power to use during peak times or when there’s an outage.
Sunrun video review
Sunrun Reviews
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When the fellow came out and installed the meter on August 25th of last year was when there was the ability to record the difference. And when the Sunrun app became operational the day after, so it would give you your daily generation. Because August and September were still peak production months, I was surprised about how it offset the electrical bill for that first couple months. I was impressed.
Sunrun's communication was good. But it could have been better. I sat down with the sales rep back in March of 2022. She probably didn't know all the specifics. But I was under the impression at the end of March of 2022 that the installation process would have occurred a bit more rapidly. And there was a lack of communication on as to far as when all this would happen. From signing the contract in the early part of March of 2022 to having a fully functional system at the end of August of 2022, it took longer than what I expected.
The crews that came out to install the system were good. We didn't get the initial installation until July. They came out, put the panels on and put everything that they could together. The inverter was not available until a month later. Another crew came out and finished the installation. And that was at the first part of August. And it kind sat there for three weeks until Xcel decided to make an appearance.
I understand that there are delays with permitting and with supply chain issues etc. But a bit more detailed communication and say, "Hey, we got your contract. We got this. Don't expect anything for three months. We're not gonna be scheduling things out for three months." The next week, one of their planning guys showed up to do a house inspection to make sure that the roof was capable of carrying the load, that the electrical service was would be adequate. So I figured, "That was pretty quick." The guy was out here the next week. But after that, things dropped off and I didn't hear anything until the project manager called me in June and said, "Will July 8th work?" And I said, "Well, I guess so."
The system was designed to produce so much power and that Sunrun guarantees that their system will produce that. That's not gonna happen until August of this year to see in fact if their production estimate is gonna actually be accurate. But they sent out these little maintenance tips. It says, “When your panels get dirty, spray them off with water from the ground. We really don't want you going up on the roof and endangering yourself and everything,” which is good advice. But they did not mention snow removal. We'll get more snow than typical in Denver. Also, it has been sticking around longer than it usually does.
I purchased a Poly snow rake basically because I'm not gonna get up on the roof with snow on it. It snowed in December 28th and it snowed here about a foot. And for 10 days there, there was no production for me because there's no sunlight to get through the snow. I'm now able to clean those panels off from the ground, so I'm not endangering myself. But that works well. Maybe mentioning that in their maintenance brochure may be helpful. As soon as I cleared the snow off the panels, they started producing again. So, we're still good.
I've recommended Sunrun to several people. I have two daughters and I showed them my electric bill after the installation was complete. They were shocked. I also recommended it to the neighbor across the street. She came over and asked how it was working. Also, my stepson was in from Florida, and he asked if Sunrun operated in Florida. And I found out that they did. So, I sent him the contact information.
Thank you for sharing your story, Charles. Your feedback helps us continue to improve our solar experience.Thank you for choosing us as your solar provider!
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Sunrun is one of the largest companies in the industry. I spoke to four different solar companies and the parts with some of the other solar companies, but I did not like them. What I got, was purely just a sale. Sunrun at least made more sense of what they were saying, the way they said it. Even when I met the sales rep, I got the same thing, it was a sale, but genuine. There was great eye contact and energy.
For the original installation, we needed to get a roof as well. So, part of Sunrun that I also liked was they had a roofing company attached to them when they took over. I liked the idea that you have one place where you could hold someone accountable and responsible. The tough part about it was, to get the roof installed, I had to go through my homeowners' association, which has nothing to do with Sunrun, but that was very frustrating. I finally got that all approved, but then it still took six weeks after that to get the roofing done.
When the installation of the solar came on, they destroyed the new roof and broke the new roof. So, we had to get the secondary roof installed, which was very frustrating. The saddest part of all was, for the first installation, I paid for my family, to get out of here, knowing how bad and funky it was going to be. That was a couple of thousand bucks out of my pocket just to get them out so we didn't have to deal with that. But then, they had to deal with it the second time around, which I appreciate Sunrun saying, "We knew we're the ones that screwed it up. We'll cover this cost, all of that." But to me, it would be the waste factor and the timing factor that was very disturbing.
They had great installers. I enjoyed the original roofing people and the secondary roofing people, yet we found nails and broken tiles for weeks throughout the garden. Some of the plants got squished too. Then, after all of that, they installed two-thirds of the solar before they had to leave to work on other projects. And it was my continuous follow-up, till we finally got someone to come back out again to put the rest of the solar panels on. It was a full year after we signed the contract before we got solar.
I did not even get the answers that I had requested to know how to use Tesla's power cells until just two weeks ago and just kept being referred to other people. I finally got referred to Tesla themselves and that actually has been my best call. But I appreciate my sales rep, who unfortunately is no longer with the company. His follow-up was amazing. He was the one that kept me in the loop. Even though he was on medical leave, he would still call me or text me.
Thank you for sharing your story, Mark. Your feedback helps us continue to improve your solar experience. We hope you get to enjoy your panels for years to come!
The sales process was really great. The reps were very communicative and gave me a lot of information. Some of the information wasn't exactly correct but I was really excited at the time, because one of the things they said was there's a tax rebate and it could be applied immediately to my loan. They’d take care of the paperwork and it would come off of my loan. After I had the install though, I saw the loan was for the full amount. I contacted the loan people and Sunrun, and everybody said, “No. You're supposed to fill out this paperwork and it has to be done when you file your taxes. And that's the point when the money will come back to you if you actually qualify for it. And then at that point, you can pay it towards your loan to get a lower loan amount.” I wasn't that pleased about that section of it.
The install itself went really fast and everybody on the team was super nice. They gave me a lot of information as well. It took a bit of time to get up and running with utilities though. After I got installed, my system was not working for over a month. It worked for one day then I had nothing on the app. I contacted Sunrun and discovered it's a little hard to deal with customer service. There's a lot of different departments, and I kept getting shuffled between them. It took a month and a week after I initially contacted and told them what was wrong. They got a tech out pretty fast to look at my system, and the tech said, “Oh, nothing's wrong with your system. There's something wrong with the app itself. And your system is connected possibly with the wrong app.”
It was a month and a week after that tech left before they fixed the thing on my app. Nobody contacted me or followed up with me. The app just started working one day, and I contacted Sunrun a few times before that. Everybody I spoke to was very friendly, but every time I contacted them, they said, “Well, it's being looked over by that department and they're going to get to it. It's just taking a little bit of time.” It was a lot of time in which things weren't going well though. Even though they're very nice, they're not able to fulfill the technical side of their job as well as I would like. However, everything is straightened out now. I've had access to the app for two weeks where it's been showing me updated information on my system, and everything has been corrected.
The sales portion was one of the most pleasant sales experiences I've ever had when dealing with a company with updates. I'm also very pleased to have solar. I'm looking forward to what that's going to do with my billing in the future. I was told that Sunrun has a department that allows upgrades later on, so I feel satisfied with the fact that I'm going to be able to get the system updated with what I need. Because when it comes to the installation side of things, they're great.
Thanks for your review, Jennifer! Our goal is to make going solar easy and enjoyable, and we're so happy to hear that you had a good experience with us. Thanks for doing your part by helping us create a planet run by the sun!
I'm a big fan of Sunrun, and I would recommend them to anyone. I interviewed three different companies when I got interested in solar. I did a little research on the companies, which was interesting because I didn't understand the rating that Sunrun got, as opposed to the rating of the company I refused to use. Their overall rating was better than Sunrun's, but Sunrun's customer service rating was better than theirs. After talking to Sunrun's sales rep, I didn't want to do business with them. The other company, the way they’re set up is that the customer has to do everything on their own on the internet. To ask questions, one has to send them a question and they respond back, so you wouldn't talk to a live person until you pre-accepted the deal. I didn’t like dealing with them either.
I appreciated the sales rep that Sunrun had because he answered all my questions. I told him I probably had more, and he said, “Bring it.” He was outstanding. Unfortunately, he doesn't work for Sunrun anymore, but the guy who took over for him was pretty good too. I had a bit of bad experience in the installation part, but it worked out. It wasn’t all Sunrun’s fault. I have a townhouse, and when the installers came in, they went on the roof and drilled a hole in the neighbor's roof. Based on the plan, they said the design wasn't quite right, so they said I had options. They could make an adjustment there, or they could go back to the engineers and let the engineers really look at it. I went back to the engineers, and it took them almost a month to come back out to do the reinstall.
They were supposed to get it installed before the beginning of the summer. It didn't get installed till the middle of the fall, but that was partially because my HOA was dragging their feet about giving approval. There was that in the scheduling, but Sunrun also had to reschedule another crew to come out to put it in. It was a little more than 30 days. They did a nice job though. They did it pretty fast then there was the time between once they installed it, they had to come in and get approval from the county. That took a little while too. So from the time the system got installed till the time it was turned on to use, it took a little time and I wasn't happy about that.
I've received two bills with a little confusion as well. Their bill was approximately what they said it was going to be, but the electric company’s bill seemed a little high. One was 50 something, and the other was 70 something. My understanding is that I should only be getting a connection bill from the electric company. I was gonna make a call, try to see if I could find out what that's about, but I want to see what the next electric bill looks like.
Thank you for sharing your story, Douglas. Your feedback helps us to keep improving your solar experience. We'll definitely look into your billing concerns for you. We'd appreciate it if you could send us a private message with your service address. Thanks for choosing us as your solar provider!
Our sales rep, Richie, was a great guy. He was honest and straightforward. I told him our bill was between 75 to $150 a month all the time, but I have a backup Generac system that'll run the whole house. I split it in half, so the battery backup system is running half the house, and my generator system the other half. One thing I really enjoyed about their service techs, they were very professional. They did such a great job, and they were nice and neat. Also, the panels I got are made in Germany. I don’t care if they’re made in Taiwan or Vietnam. I just didn’t want China stuff. Even my batteries are made in South Korea. So, I’m happy with that. The only problem I had was it took three months to get the battery, and that was out of Sunrun's hands.
My whole experience with Sunrun was great. Everybody's been happy and very polite. They’re great people. I also get nice emails all the time. This is the first time I’ve ever had solar, and one question I forgot to ask was how to clean my panels. Three weeks ago, I got, “This is how you clean your panels.” They also offered us money if we recommended them, which we have. Friends of ours are getting the same thing we have. We live in a rural area, and when we get monsoon season, we always lose electricity, so everybody up here wants battery backups.
We're leasing the system, so we're paying a bit more than my highest electricity bill that I've ever had. I wanted it for when our electricity goes out. We live up in hunting country where everybody hunts, and we lose electricity, which happens every year, about seven times a year for 20 hours. We've got elk in our freezers and I don't want to lose all that meat. I want my freezers to keep running when we have no electricity. That’s the reason why I wanted the system. My well always runs and my air conditioner runs as well.
My cousin lives down in Peoria, Arizona. He doesn't have the battery backup, and he saves a lot of money. Having a battery backup, I'm gonna save more money because I'm producing my own electricity, and right now, it's a nice, sunny day. It’s not hot, and I can go out in my garage and my battery's charging and producing electricity for my house. I'm not charging off of aps. I’m perfectly happy with the system so far, but I haven't gotten a bill from Sunrun or aps yet. I understood, the first month or two, they have to adjust with the previously owed bill, but I haven’t received anything from Sunrun yet about a bill. I don’t have good internet service out here, so I prefer a paper bill.
You brightened our day, Carl! Our goal is to provide you with the best solar service possible, and we're delighted to hear that you had a good experience with us as you do your part to keep the earth clean. Please send us a private message so we can resolve your billing concerns. Thanks!
One of the best things Sunrun does well is a detailed explanation of the Solar installation process from start to finish. And you can all have it on paper sent to your email where you can review it to your heart's satisfaction. A good roof condition is a plus. Their financing is very attractive. Sunrun is very active where I live. I have seen five homes with completed solar installations within two blocks around me. They are very busy here in Southern California & one has to be patient. I have been a Costco member for nearly 20 years. Getting Costco's additional warranty is a plus. And if you are a member, you get quite a bit of reward from Costco. Many of the employees of Sunrun I came across were professionals. One in particular, Ms. Nichole is exceptional. She kept me up to date even when I was out of the country, on the far side of Africa.
We're thrilled you had a good experience, Solomon! We really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. Thank you for playing such an important role in our solar community and for helping us create a planet run by the sun!

100% DECEPTIVE AND IRRESPONSIVE COMPANY. If you are considering solar energy and hiring SUNRUN, please read my experience with this company, as well as others’ at **, where SUNRUN got 1.52 points out of 5.0 from 817 customers. I have been approached by a SUNRUN employee at COSTCO and I agreed to receive a NO COST/NO COMMITMENT consultation from SUNRUN. The next day, on April 07, 2023, a SUNRUN’s Solar Consultant visited my home. He explained how solar panels worked, provided me with an initial estimate for the service, yet to be confirmed when the roof was examined, and described the next steps, if I was interested.
When asked, he confirmed that all the steps were cost free and I had the right to decide if I would hire SUNRUN only after the assessment was completed and the final cost of the services were presented for my approval. In spite of that he tried to collect a $500 deposit, that I did not agree to pay. With his assurance that there was no commitment, I consented to have my roof inspected to get an accurate estimate for the service costs. To check if I qualified for the financing, I informed the consultant the last four digits of my SSN.
Without disclosing any terms, without my consent, and my knowledge SUNRUN consultant, from his computer, signed a service contract of $43,114.86 as well as applied for bank loan on my behalf. I am pretty sure that this completely illegal. I refused to sign the bank loan I received by email and he did not insist further. The next day, I received a copy of the contract with SUNRUN, unlawfully signed by SUNRUN consultant, without my knowledge. When I saw the contract, I immediately requested its cancellation, which I had, according to its terms, the right to do within ten days. The consultant contacted me assuring that the contract was terminated.
Suspicious of his word, a couple of hours after talking to the consultant, I called SUNRUN Customer service. This was on April 07, 2023, at 12:45 pm ET. Then, I learned that the contract had not been cancelled as I was told. Again, I requested the customer representative to cancel it immediately and email a confirmation of the cancellation. He said he cancelled the contract and emailed me a confirmation. Two hours later, I had not received the confirmation. I called SUNRUN customer service again, around 2:45 pm. This time, the customer representative said it would take 24-48 hours to process my cancellation request.
On April 10, I called SUNRUN again, and the contract had not been cancelled yet. This time, the customer representative agreed to send me an email that stated that SUBRUN was still working in the cancellation, provided me a case number (**,) and said it would take several days to complete the process. Besides multiples calls, I have contacted Costco, wrote a letter to SUNRUN president Mary Powell, had the case escalated to the superiors of the SUNRUN’s consultant who frauded me, and I simply cannot get the requested proof of cancellation of a contract with SUNRUN, that I have never signed. No one seems to care. So, the only thing I have left is to share my dreadful experience with SUNRUN in social networks, file complaints about the company, and seek legal advice. If you are considering changing for SOLAR ENERGY, read SUNRUN’s reviews on ** and YELP.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, David. We are so sorry to hear that you are having issues with obtaining proof of cancellation, and our team would like to look into this further to see how we can help. We've assigned an Expert who will review your account, and reach out to you as soon as possible to help you further. They do take a few business days to reach out to you, so please feel free to send us a private message if you have any questions in the meantime. Thank you!
What a waste of a year. That's how long it took to get the ball rolling. I had numerous representatives that never kept in touch. Come to find out 2 days before my installation that they changed my system without telling me and that my loan had expired and I would have to apply again for the loan and it would cost more money. Disappointed to say the least. I’m unclear how these people are still in business. Horrible and I do mean horrible customer service. I was told that their job was demanding and stressful why their turnover rate was so high. I had 5 reps that were useless. I had to take care of permitting myself cause they didn’t do it. Again horrible. Needless to say I didn’t get my system and I’ll be looking elsewhere.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Jody. We are so sorry to hear that there was an issue with your loan prior to your installation, and we would be happy to look into this further to see how we can help you. We've assigned an Expert who will review your account and reach out to you as soon as possible to help resolve any concerns you have. Thanks, Jody!
Everything was explained and on the timeline that was said to us by Sunrun. The installation was fine and all the installers were very nice. The solar panels have been installed for months now and the monthly bill went down about 50%.
Hi Haley! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We're happy to hear you're saving money with Sunrun, and the install went well! Thank you for helping us create a planet run by the sun!
Sunrun needs to tighten up their act a little bit when it comes to their people in customer service. After their rep did the presentation over the phone, there were a couple of things that I wasn't clear on, but it was explained in the fine print. I didn't read the whole fine print though, so I'm unclear on some financing programs. Other than that, the installation went smoothly and there were no problems. They did the panels in one day then they had to come back and tie up some loose ends with the box.
We're thrilled you had a good experience, Sheryl! We really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. If there is anything that we can assist you with, please feel free to send us a private message. Thank you for playing such an important role in our solar community and for helping us create a planet run by the sun!
Sunrun Company Information
- Social media:
- Company Name:
- Sunrun
- Address:
- 595 Market Street, 29th floor
- City:
- San Francisco
- State/Province:
- CA
- Postal Code:
- 94105
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.sunrun.com