Ray and his family never had a very high demand for electricity, but given the cost of power in Hawaii and the necessary imports of diesel fuel to power the islands; his electricity bills went up and up. Ray decided it was time to make a difference by taking control of his increasing power rates. Born and raised in Hawaii, he knew that the abundant sunshine available to him was the beginning of an answer. When he looked into the sky, solar power just made sense.

He started by attending a few of the solar open houses in his neighborhood put on by one of SunRun’s installer partners, and made the decision to purchase his system. In the midst of signing up however, he heard about the SunRun option. SunRun had just entered Hawaii to offer its solar power service, and Ray considered the timing to be perfect. He immediately signed up with SunRun and was able to get home solar in Hawaii with a low upfront cost and complete care of his system for 20 years.

Ray has paid close attention to his power bill since going solar, and the savings so far have been better than he and his family expected. To see how much he now pays for power, check out Ray’s story for a breakdown of the costs, then see if home solar is right for you!

SunRun and PV Solar Report today announced a list of the fastest-growing solar cities in California.   The list recognizes cities that added more solar installations than their counterparts throughout the state in 2011. Compare this with our previous joint release of the Top 10 Solar Cities in California to see which cities have both the most solar and the greatest increase in 2011!

While cities like San Jose and Bakersfield are no strangers to the list, newcomers like Rocklin, Hemet and Apple Valley are paving the way for solar adoption on a broader geographic scale. In fact, even at number ten on the list, Apple Valley’s solar installations grew by nearly 70 percent in 2011, reflecting speedy growth. The list is based on the California Solar Initiative’s (CSI) database of residential rebate reservations for 2011. Did your city make the list?

1. 1. San Jose
2. 2. Bakersfield
3. 3. Simi Valley
4. 4. Lancaster
5. 5. Fresno
6. 6. Corona
7. 7. Murrieta
8. 8. Rocklin
9. 9. Hemet
10. 10. Apple Valley

How are these cities seeing such a rapid increase in solar installations? PV Solar Report’s analysis shows a tremendous increase in the number of homeowners who chose solar power service over purchasing panels.

“The cost of solar is coming down, which makes it more affordable for families in a more diverse range of cities,” said SunRun President and Co-founder Lynn Jurich.  “At SunRun we’ve also seen solar expand to more median income communities because our service allows homeowners to make the switch for zero or very little money upfront, and they lock in a low rate for clean electricity.”

Has the falling cost of solar helped you make the switch? Share your solar story with the SunRun community on Facebook.

Bill sees solar everywhere. Ever since he started keeping up with NASA’s solar powered satellites as a boy, he’s had his eye on solar technology. Now he sees solar much closer to home. He sees it on roofs, parking garages, streetlights and even on outdoor cellphone chargers all throughout his neighborhood.

Now, finally, Bill sees solar on his own roof.

It all took shape when his neighbors started investigating home solar options. They had purchased their solar panels outright and began sharing their savings with Bill and his wife. Both were impressed, but didn’t think they could afford the high upfront amount required to buy their own panels.

Bill dropped the idea, but the desire remained, until one day he came across SunRun and its solar lease. With SunRun, he was able to get solar for $0 upfront. SunRun paid for the system, and he and his wife pay monthly for the power it provides. Today Bill is more than pleased. He’s watched as solar grew from a wonder in outer space to a rooftop energy solution. For Bill, solar has come home.

If you want to see how much Bill is saving with rooftop solar from SunRun, check out his solar case study for a run of the numbers.

Once Susan retired, it was hard not to notice the increasingly large bite her electric bill was taking out of her fixed income. Much to her dismay, her electric bill continued to rise, while her income did not. Eventually Susan knew she had to level the playing field.

She had a hunch that rooftop solar would do the trick, and since she has a perfect south-facing roof, the odds of it working were good. Susan signed up for a free consultation and quote over the Internet, then consulted her brother, who used to work for National Grid, her utility company. He said that solar with SunRun was a “no-brainer” because she could get a fixed rate for her electricity and get almost half of her power from the solar panels.

Susan signed up without further ado. What she likes best is that SunRun takes care of all the service for her system, leaving her with nothing to worry about when it comes to monitoring or repairs. She’s excited that SunRun watches over her system and provides a money-back performance guarantee.

As for that playing field? Susan has discovered that since going solar, she’s already pulling in much less power from the utility, even with the addition of a new air-conditioner! To see just how much Susan is saving, check out Susan’s solar case study and compare for yourself!

Season’s Greetings! All of us are overjoyed this holiday season because it’s been such a great year! Of course, we could not have done it without our customers, our partners, our employees and our friends from all over. To help us celebrate, we’ve asked you to send us your holiday lights and brighten up our Facebook page. You answered, and we’ve been dazzled! Check out and comment on the great photos we’ve received, or just enjoy them right here!

With Cheer,

SunRun

When Tom moved into his new neighborhood in 2003, he knew he had high electric bills, and he knew his neighbors did too. With an annual electric bill of $2,400, the thought of home solar appealed to Tom, who was only spurred on as he learned that his electric bill was projected to reach $3,200. Something had to be done.

Unfortunately, financial realities came to the fore as Tom learned that the high upfront cost of owning a solar system was much more than he wanted to spend. He began to think solar would be unaffordable until he spoke with an installation company that told him about SunRun and its solar lease. Tom was immediately impressed, and signed up for solar with SunRun.

During Tom’s installation, his neighbor Jim came over to see what was going on. Tom explained the appeal of SunRun, and Jim signed up within 24 hours. The next day, another neighbor named Richard came to visit. Tom explained how he could lock in his electricity rates with renewable energy and add value to his home. Richard, like Jim and Tom before him, was hooked.

In a short matter of time, Tom became the “solar guru” around the neighborhood. Friends and neighbors would come to him to talk about their high electric bills. Others would ask if he knew how to make solar affordable. Tom helped all of them, and all of them switched to solar through SunRun.

The word spread like wildfire. Before he knew it, six of Tom’s neighbors had solar installed. Now when they get together, they talk solar. Tom has upgraded from “solar guru” to “solar patroller”, and keeps track of PV generation for the entire neighborhood. To see what made Tom upgrade to solar, and for a flavor of what got his neighbors to switch, check out Tom’s solar case study.

How big a role did your kids play in your decision to go solar? When we spoke with Lance, an electrical engineer in San Jose, CA, we discovered that his daughter’s impact was pretty big.

Lance has always been interested in solar technology, but was never really serious about it until his nine-year-old daughter started learning about the environment in school and brought her lessons home with her. She started asking how her family could do more to go green, and to Lance the answer was obvious: they would get solar panels for their home.

Lance started doing a ton of research and really shopped around for the best deal. He knew that a solar system would be a big investment, and started keeping a budget. Then he heard about SunRun while in conversation with another solar company, and he knew it was the way to go.

“Dollar for dollar,” says Lance, “SunRun was far and away the best deal for me. I love the fact that it’s absolutely painless and it hasn’t disturbed my life at all.”

Today Lance saves on his electric bill and doesn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on his system. Plus he can tell his daughter that they’re all making a difference by powering their home with clean solar energy. To learn more about how much Lance is saving – and how much you can save – check out Lance’s story in San Jose, CA.

Even if you haven’t gone solar, how do you work to secure a brighter future for your kids? We’d love to see your comments in the space below.

It’s that time of year again, when the Thanksgiving turkey is but a happy memory and neighborhoods begin to glow with the cheery illumination of holiday lights!

Join us in celebration by sharing a photo of your holiday lights display with the SunRun community! It’s easy!

1. Upload a photo of your holiday lights.

2. Once we receive your picture, we’ll post it along with others in our exclusive Facebook album and you can “like” your favorites.

3. Everyone who uploads a picture will get a free shirt!

As an added bonus, there may be something in store for our other fans too! Happy holidays! And we hope to see your holiday lights on Facebook!

No matter where you live, you probably pay some attention to what your neighbors are up to. Naturally, when one of them starts installing solar panels on their roof, you might get intrigued. That’s exactly what happened to Tom in El Cajon, CA, and he’s been reaping the rewards ever since.

Tom is a retired veteran who enjoys kicking back with family and neighbors. When his neighbor Jay, a San Diego Gas & Electric executive, installed solar panels on his roof, Tom took to researching his own solar options. When he found SunRun, it clicked.

“The solar lease program made it affordable – I only paid $225 out-of-pocket costs,” said Tom. “I wanted to go solar because of my high electric bills and I know bills are only going to continue to rise.”

By going solar with SunRun, Tom was able to dodge the high upfront cost that could have put the cost of solar out of his reach. Now he has locked in a predictable rate for clean power and enjoys the benefits of SunRun’s monitoring, insurance and repairs. While his solar system generates power from the sun, Tom is free to spend his time with family and neighbors, just as he’d prefer.

To see how much Tom paid for electricity before going solar and how much he’s paying now, visit his El Cajon solar case study.

Happy Thanksgiving! There’s a lot going on today, but we wanted to take a moment to remember what we are thankful for, and it’s you! We love our customers and understand that if it weren’t for you, solar would never have spread as quickly as it has. In addition to saving money and increasing our energy independence, all of us are making a significant impact on the story of coal, and that’s something to be thankful for!

So whatever you are thankful for, take a moment to think about it today, and remember that you and your family are part of a national effort to clean up our grid and reduce the cost of power for everyone. It’s happening, and you have yourself to thank!