In general, the more sun your home solar power system gets, the better return you'll get on your money.  The best roofs (or space for a ground mount) get several hours of sun a day, face south or south west and don't have too much shade. SunRun will assess if your roof gets enough sun to make solar cost-effective and a good investment.  Sometimes we can do this imply by viewing a satellite image and other times we will recommend a free onsite consultation.

Across most of the United States, ignoring shade issues on any particular home, the amount of available sunlight is surprisingly uniform, with most areas within plus/minus 20% of the sunlight level of Miami, Florida.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has sunlight data on 239 locations across the U.S. and its territories available.

Most home solar power systems are predicted to last anywhere between 25 and 35 years.  And most manufacturers guarantee that after 25 years your solar panels will make about 80% of the electricity they did in the first year.  When you choose to go solar with SunRun, we will maintain the home solar power system for you, covering all repairs and guaranteeing performance for the life of the agreement (20 years).  

The size you need depends on how much electricity you use and in some cases the available space on your roof or ground to mount the system for the best solar production.  A SunRun solar expert will make a recommendation based on your historical and projected usage.  

SunRun does not currently install on multi-unit buildings, but you may find a local installer who will.   It may be too complicated to make financial sense. Each utility meter needs a separate solar system. So, if the units are small and each has a separate electricity meter, it may not be cost-effective. 

Solar electric systems offset only the electricity part of your utility bill - it won't help reduce your natural gas bill. If you're paying over $100 or $150 per month for electricity only, then solar makes a lot of economic sense for you. 

SunRun can provide an accurate design for you based on past electricity usage, home size and predicted future electricity usage. 

No. Even though your property will increase in value, there is legislation that prevents your property taxes from increasing. In California, the specific legislation is Section 73 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code which provides a property tax exclusion on most types of solar power systems, including home solar power systems.

Usually not.  An HOA may try, but in many states this is not allowed.  In California specifically, the California Solar Rights Act says that homeowners associations (HOAs), governments, and other organizations can't stop you from installing a home solar power system.  However, they may ask you to modify the design and/or location for aesthetic reasons as long as the changes don't significantly impact solar electricity production (a decrease greater than 10%) or cost more than $2000.  

If you haven’t saved your old utility bills to review, you can call SunRun at 1-877-786-6656 and we can help you get this information from your utility directly. Usually this requires that we get them on the phone with you and takes less than five minutes.

Alternately, you can contact your utility provider via the phone or web. SunRun currently only works with the utility companies listed below. Here's their contact information:

Arizona
Arizona Public Service (APS): 602-328-1942
Salt River Project (SRP): 602-236-8888

California
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E): 800-743-5000
Southern California Edison (SCE): 800-655-4555
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E): 800-411-7343
Pasadena Water & Power (PWP): (626) 744-4005
Banning Electric Utility: (951) 922-3260
LADWP: 800-342-5397

Colorado
XCEL: 800-895-4999

Massachusetts
National Grid: 800-322-3223
NSTAR: 800-592-2000
Unitil Corporation: 888-886-4845
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO): 800-286-2000

New Jersey
Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G): 800-436-7734
Atlantic City Electric: 800-642-3780
Rockland Electric Company: 877-434-4100
Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L): 800-662-3115
 

On average, for every kilowatt (kW) installed, a home solar system takes up about 100 square feet, so an average solar system takes between 300 and 600 square feet.  Mounting the solar system on the ground is also a possibility.

Home solar power systems usually add less than four pounds per square foot.  SunRun will guarantee that your solar installation does not cause any roof damage. 

It depends on your roof and your electricity bill. A home solar power system can be built next to gables if there's enough room but the solar panels have to be far enough away from any shade the dormer or gable creates. 

The best roofs for home solar installations are made of composite, are not too steep, have unobstructed space for the solar panels, and have easy access.  That said, you can install a residential solar system on almost any roof type including composite, wood shake, cement tile, S-tile, tar & gravel, and metal.  A solar installer may charge you a little more for an installation on some roof types that are more challenging, such as cement or barrel tile or if the roof is extremely steep.  SunRun works with only the best solar panel installers with extensive experience on every type of roof, and then guarantees the installation. 

The best roofs for solar power production face south or south west and are not shaded by too many trees. This combination will help your system generate the most power, though often there are ways to generate significant power from your solar system even if your roof doesn't perfectly match these criteria. 

If your roof isn't perfect for solar, and you have the space, you can always consider a ground mount solar power system. 

Before installing a home solar power system, it's best to evaluate the age and condition of your roof, and get any necessary repairs or replacements done ahead of time.  Most composite roofs are expected to last 30 - 40 years or longer, and SunRun's solar plans last 20 years, so as a rule of thumb, we prefer to have the roof be less than 15 years old at installation.  

That said, if your roof needs maintenance or to be replaced during your SunRun agreement, we will help you coordinate the removal and reinstallation of the solar panels.  As part of our agreement, we ask that you only unhook the system for seven days, and we don't cover the cost of removal. 

SunRun will cover any damage that occurs to your roof both at the time of installation of the solar panels and for the life of the SunRun customer agreement (20 years).  

The best weather for making the most solar power is a sunny but cool day.

It doesn't have to be sunny for your solar panels to produce electricity because it's the UV rays that do the trick. In fog or on a cloudy day, your solar system will produce 25%-30% of what it normally would. 

Immediately after a snow storm, when your solar panels are covered, they won't produce power. But because snow more easily slides off solar panels and they are installed where there's the most sun and the snow will melt first, your solar panels will be exposed again relatively quickly causing them to produce electricity again.  Also, the reflection off the white snow may even increase how much power your system produces. 

Most solar panels are guaranteed to withstand 3/4 inch hail balls at 120 miles per hour.  With a SunRun solar plan, you are covered with solar insurance and SunRun manages all maintenance and repairs.  

Almost all solar panels are designed to withstand lightning. With a SunRun solar plan, you are covered with solar insurance, and SunRun is responsible for all maintenance and repair.