When Rob moved to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2008, he was looking forward to building a sustainable lifestyle. He built his home with a budget for solar hot water, a rain catchment system, and energy efficient appliances. Rob was interested in solar photovoltaic panels and although he had heard that the panels  pay for themselves over time, he simply could not afford the high upfront cost.   Going solar seemed impossible without taking out loans.

Homeowners in Hawaii not only pay about the highest electric rates in the nation, they also get much of their energy from imported diesel fuel. Rob dislikes the fact that Hawaii's energy has to be imported from elsewhere, especially when there is so much potential available in the sun.

Rob and his partner signed up for Sunrun as soon as they heard about Sunrun. In fact, they were one of Sunrun’s first customers on the Big Island.

Going solar meant an instant and dramatic reduction in their use of fossil fuels. It was a surprise to then see just how much they saved along the way. “The initial estimates of what we would save have been extremely accurate, maybe even conservative. Our total electrical bills went from $100-135 to only $90 since our Sunrun system was turned on. Over time that difference will increase dramatically.”

Sunrun’s installer partner took care of the installation process, and Sunrun took care of the system after that. “After signing the paperwork we really didn’t have to do much until the system was installed. The local installer Sunrun works with took care of everything from design, to permits, to installation.”