If you happened to be watching the ABC 7 news in Colorado, you might have caught an interview with Shannon Golightly, a SunRun customer in Westminster, CO, and Dan Yechout from Namaste Solar, one of our superb Colorado solar installation partners.

The Golightlys wanted to get home solar for quite a while, but had been deterred by the $30-$50,000 quotes they received from other solar companies.  With SunRun, the family was finally able to go solar and take control of their high electricity costs.   With more than 40 quality home solar panels installed for free, Shannon is “over the moon” with excitement about her new system.

If you missed yesterday’s coverage, watch the video below!

SunRun is happy to announce that for the first time ever, New Jersey homeowners can go solar for little or no cost!  Now, with SunRun, New Jersey homeowners can get their home solar panels installed for free and start saving money immediately with SunRun power plans.

We’re so excited about the news and the fact that now, every New Jersey homeowner who wants home solar can now afford it.  Since SunRun began offering home solar in New Jersey earlier this year, we’ve partnered with trusted, local installers Mercury Solar Systems and Trinity Solar, and signed numerous New Jersey homeowners.  We are confident that this will bring us closer to our mission of making solar affordable to every home in the country.

SunRun’s newest Colorado customers, Bert and Kendra Prospero, were featured in today’s Denver Post as the first Coloradans to hold a home solar lease.

Interested in installing home solar panels, the Prosperos had been deterred by the high upfront cost.  This all changed when they learned of SunRun’s solar lease program, which has allowed the Prosperos to go solar for $1,000.  With a SunRun solar lease, homeowners can skip the costs, avoid the hassles associated with owning solar panels, and cut right to the chase: saving energy and money.

Check out today’s Denver Post article to learn more about the Prospero’s journey into home solar and affordable home solar leasing programs!

Is your home perfect for solar? Not sure? Take SunRun’s new solar quiz to check if your home has solar potential! Select your roof pitch and level of shade, enter your ZIP code, and find out if your home makes the grade.

Chances are that if you didn’t know your home was ready for solar, your friends and family won’t either — make sure to share the home solar quiz with them by installing the widget on your blog, Facebook page, or website.  Home solar electricity is a great way for you to save money and support clean energy so don’t wait to see if your home’s ready. For a more accurate assessment of your home’s solar potential or to learn more about solar energy across the nation, visit SunRun’s new Solar Calculator and Map.

SunRun has expanded our relationship with our trusted partner PetersenDean Roofing and Solar Systems in order to bring affordable solar to new homes across California.  While residents will still be able to retrofit their existing homes with solar panels through SunRun financing, this new partnership will allow buyers to purchase new solar homes in the future without paying any money upfront for the solar panels through SunRun’s solar lease program.  With top quality solar systems and electricity savings already built into their homes, new homeowners can settle in without the fear of rising utility prices.

You can read more about SunRun’s and PetersenDean’s partnership in the latest article by San Francisco Business Times.

Buying a home is a big step, but we at SunRun are excited to bring affordable solar solutions to new homeowners all across California!

Near Fresno, CA in the little city of Laton, a local cop named Todd was looking for a way to lower his parent’s whopping electricity bill. In the summer months Todd’s dad paid between $1,100 and $1,300 each month for his electricity. So Todd started exploring options that would help dramatically reduce his dad’s energy costs.

Since Todd’s family’s electricity bills ran about $300 a month, he and his wife weren’t seriously looking into any energy alternatives for themselves. Todd’s wife had voiced an interest in going solar but thought their monthly bills weren’t high enough to invest a lot of upfront money in getting solar panels. But while doing the research for his dad, Todd and his wife came across REC Solar, one of SunRun’s partners, and they immediately clicked. REC Solar’s explanation about SunRun’s home solar financing to get panels on both Todd’s house and his dad’s house. Going solar with SunRun was a great solution to his dad’s astronomical electricity bills and Todd’s desire to go solar without the huge upfront investment. With SunRun, Todd got started with home solar power for $1000 and he hasn’t had to worry about any additional costs since.

Todd has been a great advocate of SunRun by referring friends and neighbors to SunRun. In exchange for his referrals to SunRun, we have rewarded him with an equal amount of free months of electricity.   SunRun gives all of our customers who refer us to someone else a free month of solar electricity. Todd also participated in SunRun’s Holiday Lights Contest with a unique design that showcases his enthusiasm for going solar.

California’s San Francisco Bay Area is well known as the center of the information technology and internet industries.  But increasingly, solar power companies are giving a second meaning to the name Silicon Valley.

In Fremont, California, which is just to the east of the heart of Silicon Valley, Sanjay Gangal is part owner of an internet company called Internet Business Systems – and is a very eco-conscious homeowner to boot.  In order to green his home’s power supply, he started paying his local utility a monthly premium to support wind energy in his home’s power mix.  But he felt that their constant rate increases weren’t fair – and not providing enough green benefits to his home – so he decided to add even more renewable energy to his home’s power supply with home solar power.

After researching several traditional solar purchase options, Sanjay decided to use SunRun home solar financing to get panels installed at his Fremont home.   According to Sanjay, “SunRun was able to create a program that costs less to go solar upfront and still makes great financial sense. I believe it’s a win-win for me and the environment.”

In addition, Sanjay likes that SunRun is going to take care of his home solar system over the long run:  “I think SunRun’s ongoing maintenance is a great deal. If they didn’t do it, it would be my problem.   Plus, I love that I can monitor my solar system online.”  Sanjay is confident knowing that SunRun is on the hook to deliver his home solar electricity – and that he doesn’t have to get up on his roof to make sure his panels are getting the job done.

According to Sanjay, going solar through SunRun was a win-win: “I was able to freeze my electric bill so I don’t have to pay the utility’s rate increases, and I can save a lot of money in the long-run.”

Does it seem tougher each year to find a gift for Dad? What do you get for the man who has everything?  If your dad is anything like mine, he’s probably much better at selecting a gift for himself than you are…which isn’t to say you shouldn’t try to find him something special this year.  You could add another tie to the heap, but getting dressed for work is probably the last thing dear old dad wants to think about on Father’s Day.  Wallets and watches work well, but sheer practicality isn’t the most heart-warming quality in a gift.  Cologne?  Forget about it.  The last thing you want to do is try and mess with another man’s odor.

In years past, Dads were craving cool gifts such as a backyard swimming pool or a shiny SUV, but today’s families are seeking a lifestyle upgrade that saves money and contributes to the planet. No surprise–for many that choice is home solar . With utilities raising power rates hand over fist, and companies such as SunRun putting home solar within reach through affordable solar plans, there’s never been a better time to forget the tie and tap into the sun.  Enter the perfect gift Father’s Day 2009: home solar service.

For your king of the castle, home solar can appeal in a variety of ways:

Home Improvement Dad: For the man who wants to up the value of his home and take control of his family’s energy consumption, home solar service fits the bill.  Studies show that adding solar panels to your house boosts its appraisal value, and with companies such as SunRun who will monitor and maintain your dad’s system, he never has to dread spending his weekend tinkering with his panels or inverter to keep the solar power flowing strong.

Techie Dad:  Does the inside of your home look like the Sharper Image catalogue?  Well, what about the roof?  Solar panels are the essence of hi-tech.  Plus, dad can feel good recharging his self-cleaning nose-hair trimmer knowing that Mr. Sun is providing the power.

Frugal Dad:  Home solar saves dad money.  Every month of the year.  With a fixed, predictable cost for solar power that’s less than his current power bill, SunRun home solar means there’s more moolah left over for green fees and the like.

Proud Dad:  If your dad is anything like mine, he shudders to think of all the money he sends overseas every year to oil-rich nations that aren’t the friendliest places in the world.  Not to mention giving hundreds of dollars a month to the utility company, which he could stop doing entirely by making the switch to solar at home.

In a timely coincidence, this year Father’s Day falls upon June 21st, the summer solstice. This official start to summer means 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle and the longest day of sunshine for the rest of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Just imagine the power you’d get to bank if you kick started the summer with home solar service?

Bet dad would be happy too.

After Obama signed the stimulus bill last week, the renewable energy media was buzzing. Every reporter wanted to weigh-in on how the 1200 page bill would affect cleantech industries like solar and wind.

But, what homeowners want to know is how the bill will help them.

Especially for those who have been looking into home solar electricity for awhile, many homeowners were hoping that the new administration would bring increased solar rebates from the federal government. No such luck with this bill.

So what’s in it, anyway?

There are two main provisions for solar electricity:

1. Cash grant

At the end of last year, as part of the “bailout” plan of 2008, Congress extended the federal solar rebate for 8 years. Under this law, both businesses and homeowners can receive a 30% rebate for the cost of the system in the form of a federal tax credit. Previously homeowners’ rebates were capped at $2,000.

With the new economic stimulus bill passed last week, businesses – but not homeowners – can choose to receive this rebate in the form of a cash grant instead of a tax credit. Homeowners must still take the rebate as a tax credit. So, they must owe enough in taxes to be able to make full use of this government money.

2. Municipal solar financing

There are a few cities, like Berkeley, CA, which have developed programs where homeowners can finance solar electric systems through their property taxes.  Previously it was unclear if homeowners who financed solar in this way were eligible to receive the government rebate. The new economic stimulus bill clarifies that homeowners who go solar with this kind of municipal financing can receive the federal solar tax credit.

So what does all this mean for the solar industry?

The municipal solar financing provision isn’t a big change, but rather just a clarification, and will only affect the relatively small number of people who live in cities with municipal solar financing programs.

The cash grant could be helpful to solar developers who are struggling to raise tax equity, which is what solar businesses need to be able to use the federal tax credit. Unfortunately, though, the cash grant program will likely take several months to get up and running, especially because many Treasury Department positions remain empty. Plus, businesses who rely on the cash grant could stumble in 2010 when the program expires. It’s also a better for a business to use the tax credit instead of the cash grant because it also lets them use a financial tool called accelerated depreciation, which is quite valuable.

Although this economic stimulus bill likely won’t be a game-changer for home solar electricity, solar is still one of the safest places homeowners can put their money in this economy. Call us at 877 SUN MOJO and we’ll tell you more!

a guest post by Mitchell Thomashow

We’re mired in the depths of winter in Unity, Maine. I’ve lived in Northern New England since 1975 and this is easily the coldest winter I’ve experienced. There have been countless below zero nights, many days when the temperature has barely cracked single numbers, and plenty of snow and wind. I’m not complaining because the cross-country skiing is sublime and I have the great fortune to live in a solar home—The Unity House.

Enter Tedd Benson, the founder of Bensonwood Homes in Walpole, NH. In the 1970’s Tedd revitalized modern timber frame housing and shared his techniques with the industry; most timber frame homes built today are based on Tedd’s best practices. Now Tedd wants to bring this same open source approach to creating housing that is adaptable, sustainable, and affordable.

As the result of the Open Prototype Initiative -a design and construction partnership between Bensonwood Homes and the Open Source Building Alliance – we have The Unity House, a zero-carbon, President’s Residence for Unity College, a small environmental liberal arts college in rural Maine. Our college aspires to be an exemplary sustainable campus. So what better way is there to “walk the talk” than to live what you espouse? We worked with Bensonwood to have The Unity House model frugal sustainability, multiple use space, and ecological awareness. In theory it seemed just wonderful. Five months into the project, after another icy cold night, you might want to know how well it’s performing.

On a sunny day, regardless of the outside temperature, even when it’s below zero, there will be enough passive solar gain to keep the house at close to seventy degrees well into the evening. The solar panels -designed and implemented by Gro Solar of White River Junction, VT- will generate over 5000 watts per hour. During the day we produce more electricity than we consume. The Hallowell heat pump won’t be needed until very late evening or early the next morning. Over a three-day stretch of dry, sunny, frigid days in late January, we generated as much electricity as we used. I can safely say that when the sun is shining in the middle of winter, the Unity House is carbon neutral.

However, when it’s cloudy, things change. We moved into The Unity House in early September. Up until around Thanksgiving we were ahead in our solar accounting—more electricity generated from the solar panels than taken from the grid. Two months later, we’ve fallen behind. However, I am convinced that with the warmer and much longer days of Spring and Summer, the balance will be restored and our solar accounting will prevail.

Solar accounting aside, there is another important aspect of solar living, beyond the environmental and economic virtues. It’s just plain fun. It’s interesting and rewarding to observe how following the path of the sun informs how you live. You know that you are contributing to a more sustainable world and you are living the future in the present moment.

Check out the Bensonwood website (http://bensonwood.com/unity/) to get a sense of all the different models of the Unity House. Notice the tight and elegant design, the use of local and recycled materials, the emphasis on intelligence and craft.

And check out my blog (http://www.ucesrealworld.blogspot.com/) at Unity College, Environmental Studies for the Real World, to understand why ecological awareness and sustainable living are at the heart of how we approach education.

Mitchell Thomashow
President, Unity College