🌐 Multi-Location Company.
Sunrun Overview
Expert Score: 3.4/5
Founded in: 2007
Sunrun, established in 2007, has been an active participant in the solar industry, providing services across 20 states. We dug into what Sunrun offers, how customers actually feel about working with them, and where they stand in the industry to give you the straight story for your solar decision.
Sunrun’s Offerings at a Glance:
- Customer experience: Reviews average out to 3.4, painting a picture that includes both satisfied customers and those with concerns.
- Service range: Along with solar-related work, covering most of what homeowners need, Sunrun handles Solar Panel Installation, Solar Panel Monitoring, Maintenance, Insurance, Roof Warranty, Performance Guarantee, Solar Panels, Battery Storage, Grid Services, Payment Solutions
- Web traffic and visibility: Their site attracts roughly 910111 monthly visits, showing a positive growth trend and indicating where things are headed.
- Coverage area: Operating in CA, NE, AZ, CO, NM, TX, HI, IL, SC, FL, VI, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH. Sunrun is actively expanding solar system installations across various markets.
- Certifications and licenses: They maintain the standard certifications you’d expect – Licenses to provide services in the service area. The BBB has them rated at A+, which factors into how they stack up professionally.
Deciding whether Sunrun fits your needs depends on weighing their track record against some of the mixed feedback available. Getting the full picture requires digging into the details. Our breakdown comes from 10 sources to help you decide if Sunrun is the right fit for your solar project.
Independent Sources
Sunrun Reviews
| 🔗 Source | Votes | Average Score |
|---|---|---|
| energysage.com | 49 | 2.2 |
| solarreviews.com | 3200 | 2.86 |
| yelp.com | 1 | 1.0 |
| bbb.org | 1168 | 2.54 |
| consumeraffairs.com | 3,371 | 4.1 |
| indeed.com | 1777 | 3.3 |
| trustpilot.com | 296 | 3.7 |
| angi.com | 41 | 4.2 |
| birdeye.com | 1 | 1.0 |
| Google reviews | 598 | 4.1 |
| Expert Score | 3.4 |
Learn more: What Made Us Choose Sources for Expert Score?
Based on Company Info
Sunrun Reviews
| Company Website | sunrun.com |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Areas Served | CA, NE, AZ, CO, NM, TX, HI, IL, SC, FL, VI, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH |
| Services Offered | Solar Panel Installation, Solar Panel Monitoring, Maintenance, Insurance, Roof Warranty, Performance Guarantee, Solar Panels, Battery Storage, Grid Services, Payment Solutions |
| Roofing service | – |
| Panel Options | Customized Solar Panels, Premium Solar Panels, Monocrystalline Solar Panels, Polycrystalline Solar Panels |
| Battery Installations | Tesla Powerwall – 13.5 kWh of storage capacity, Shift™ – non-backup battery that helps you maximize your savings |
| Certifications | Licenses to provide services in the service area |
| Solar system leases service | yes |
| Expands dealership network | yes |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Warranty | 25-year free maintenance and repair promise |
Sunrun Website Visits Two-Year Trend: positive
Learn more: Website Visits Trend.
| Avg Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Search Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 978540 | 3.13 | 131 | 53% | 59% | 22% | 2.37% | 8.2% | 0.04% | 4.0% |
Sunrun Social Media
What do Customers Say about the Sunrun?
What’s Working Well:
Sunrun brings solid experience to the table with over 17 years in the solar game, and they really know how to customize installations for different homes. You’ve got choices when it comes to paying – whether you want to lease, go with a power purchase agreement, or buy the whole system outright. Their lifetime support promise is pretty reassuring too – if something breaks, they’ll fix it for free. They also guarantee your panels will produce what they say they will, and if not, you get money back. Plus, if you end up selling your house, the new owners get all the same promises, which their Service Transfer Team helps coordinate.
The Not-So-Great Stuff:
Some folks have gotten hit with pretty steep cancellation fees, which isn’t fun. There’s also the issue of sales reps making promises that don’t always pan out – customers say they’ve been told things that the company later doesn’t deliver on.
The Good News:
When everything goes well, installation can be surprisingly quick and easy. The electric and roof teams were reportedly communicative and efficient. Some people said that their installations were finished sooner than they had planned.
The Problems:
Customer service is where things really fall apart for a lot of people. Getting someone on the phone who you can actually understand is tough, and when you do, you often get cookie-cutter responses and empty promises about follow-ups. If you need to talk to a supervisor, good luck finding a way to make that happen. Some customers also ran into sales pitches with flat-out wrong information, and contract issues where terms weren’t what they expected, with little help after installation.
While the actual installation work gets praise from some customers, the service side and contract handling clearly need work. Anyone thinking about going with Sunrun should definitely factor this stuff in.
What People Like:
Sunrun does solar installations, obviously, and plenty of customers are seeing real savings – anywhere from 5% to 45% in their first year. The company has been around the block with financing and knows how to bring in customers.
The Complaints:
That 2.3 out of 5 average rating tells you most customers aren’t thrilled overall. Customer service moves at a snail’s pace according to some people. One thing that’s concerning – at least one customer warns about sharing personal info because Sunrun apparently sells it to other companies.
What Recent Reviewers Are Saying:
Chris from Oakland warns about the privacy thing with personal information
Jose in San Diego is frustrated with slow customer service
Mark in Boston wasn’t happy at first but gives them credit for following through once he complained
Scott in North Carolina is annoyed by pushy salespeople showing up repeatedly
Terri in San Diego bought through Costco and wasn’t impressed with the service afterward
The Positives:
Price-wise, customers think Sunrun beats a lot of other solar companies. They offer different ways to pay and try to make solar doable for regular homeowners. Most people say their systems work like they’re supposed to. Their monocrystalline panels are more efficient and don’t degrade as fast. The battery storage option is nice for power outages or when electricity rates spike.
The Drawbacks:
They’re not great about being upfront with pricing – you have to dig to find out what things actually cost. They’re only in 20 states plus a couple territories, so lots of people can’t even get their service.
Bottom line: Sunrun has done solar for over 830,000 homes across the country and offers free consultations. If you’re considering them, just make sure you really dig into the details and talk to their advisors about what works for your specific situation.
Strengths:
Customers find Sunrun more affordable than competitors, with flexible payment options that make solar accessible to more homeowners. Solar systems generally perform as advertised, and their monocrystalline panels offer higher efficiency with slower degradation over time. Home battery storage lets homeowners use solar power during outages or when electricity rates are highest.
Weaknesses:
Pricing transparency could be much better – customers often struggle to get clear cost information upfront. Service area is limited to 20 states and two territories, leaving many potential customers out of luck.
Sunrun has helped over 830,000 homes go solar nationwide and provides free energy consultations. Anyone considering solar should explore their options thoroughly and work with Sunrun’s advisors to find the right fit for their needs and location.
Happy Customers Say:
Elizabeth at SunRun gets specific praise for making the switch from regular utilities smooth and painless. She handles all the paperwork and approvals, installation goes quickly, and people are happy to see their electric bills drop. Some customers are particularly glad to have solar when regular utility costs keep climbing.
Unhappy Customers Report:
Customer service problems are rampant – delayed responses, communication that turns sour, and simply not returning phone calls. Installation nightmares arise too, like panels that don’t work or dead batteries. Billing nightmares follow, where people are billed for services they don’t get or have to handle systems that simply won’t operate. Inadequate inspections are a common problem as well.
So whereas there are some great experiences with Sunrun, others have serious problems with service, installation, and billing. Anyone considering them should definitely consider both sides carefully.
What Employees Like:
Workplace is friendly with spirited people, thus making the work more enjoyable. Benefits are robust, like educational support that helps develop one’s career. Solar Project Managers enjoy the work, especially with proper training and guidance by experienced solar reps.
Employee Concerns:
Career advancement within the firm seems restricted, disappointing some. Office politics are more significant than customer service or profitability to some managers, it is felt. The door-to-door nature of selling can be an emotional strain, though high producers can make good money.
Overall, Sunrun has some positive experiences, but the few growth opportunities and management priorities are genuine concerns. Although their renewable energy mission is commendable, a few employees believe that the company ethics and culture need improvement.
What Works:
Customers like that SunRun installs high-quality, tier 1 equipment and does installations in-house instead of outsourcing the entire process to subcontractors. No-cost solar estimates enable homeowners to know costs without commitment. They also track and service systems for free after installation, which helps to keep things running and maintained.
What Doesn’t:
Customer service is hit or miss – some are pleased, others most certainly are not. They only do solar work, so if you need other home upgrades, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
One thing that stands out about SunRun is their dedication to high-quality installations and ongoing system maintenance.
Positive comments revolve around Sunrun being affordable and solar systems working well.
There are other customers who have had inverter problems and complain about how long it takes to get them fixed. Aggressive marketing styles are also a complaint.
Positive Feedback:
One customer was impressed with how smooth the transition from their old energy provider to Sunrun Solar was. The panel, battery, inverter, and wiring installation took less than half a day.
Negative Feedback:
Other customers aren’t so lucky. One customer paid for five months but their panels and battery still don’t function. Another customer was discouraged by the company’s lack of basic courtesy and poor treatment of their customer. Problems with non-passing inspections and refusal to fix after that also were cited.
Summarizing:
Do we recommend Sunrun services?
Average Performer
Sunrun gets the Average Performer badge and works in 20 states, but their third-party ratings don’t go above 4. Local community trust isn’t their strong suit either – their score is 3.4 in our evaluation. This badge means they are somehow reliable, but you need to pay more attention to what they have to offer. While Sunrun may not lead the pack, they are certainly recognized for their capacity to meet a broad range of solar installation needs with commendable customer satisfaction. When considering this solar installer, you can add Sunrun to your list as a lower priority and one that requires additional research before you decide to work with them.
