#CWNYC is the official hashtag for Climate Week kicking off today in New York City. The organizer of Climate Week is The Climate Group, an award-winning non-profit organization committed to a low-carbon future. I have an immense amount of respect for this organization and their belief that investing in low carbon energy and technology is part of the solution to low carbon growth.

“Solar is cost-competitive with any other fuel source on the planet.” – @SteveWestly http://t.co/MNwRaSPHXF #CWNYC pic.twitter.com/70w0xNgWnp

— The Climate Group (@ClimateGroup) September 17, 2015

This week-long event gives innovative business and government leaders a high-profile platform to share their climate change agendas. Their intention is to pressure United Nations delegates to adopt more robust policies when they meet at The World Climate Summit (COP21) in Paris this December.

Businesses like Sunrun are already walking the walk to support these efforts. That is why I’m so proud of the 87,000+ customers (and growing) who have chosen clean, affordable electricity from Sunrun. They’ve seen first-hand how adopting an earth-friendly lifestyle has an immediate impact on their daily life by helping them save money on their electric bill. They are also doing their part to combat climate change and contributing to Sunrun’s mission—a planet run by the sun. I want to extend that mission to everyone this week and in the future.

Climate Week reminds us what’s at stake if we don’t make significant policy changes to reduce the effects of climate change on the planet. Even Pope Francis is concerned. He addressed the topic in his encyclical letter “Laudato Si” (“Praised Be To You”). He’ll also be making his first visit to the U.S. this week and is scheduled to attend discussions on sustainable development goals at the United Nations General Assembly.

Sharing how you’ll celebrate Climate Week on social media is a great way to bring us together. Collectively our voice can add to the thousands who have already spoken up in favor of significant environmental policy changes across the globe.

Please show your support by sharing #CWNYC on your social channels this week. We also invite our customers to share why they went solar with #IWentSolarBecause on social media.

Power Forward.

Lynn Jurich is the CEO of Sunrun

Solar is making headway in the Southeast, and South Carolina is taking the lead. Today we’re announcing that Sunrun is the first to offer solar leasing to homeowners. With our solar lease, also known as BrightSave, South Carolina residents now have the choice to go solar and begin saving immediately on their electric bills with little to no money down. Homeowners simply pay for the power, not the panels.

Sunrun began offering home solar in South Carolina in June, giving homeowners the option to purchase their system with BrightBuy or finance it with BrightAdvantage, a simple loan arranged by Sunrun. Now, with the addition of the BrightSave lease, we can offer even more choices to South Carolina residents looking to make the switch to solar.

By removing the upfront cost of going solar with our BrightSave lease, we hope to make solar even more accessible for homeowners in South Carolina and beyond, so they can focus on putting savings back in their pockets each month.

To learn more about the different ways you can go solar with Sunrun, visit www.sunrun.com.

Andrew Pontti is the Corporate Communications Manager at Sunrun

To accomplish our mission to create a planet run by the sun, we’re determined to make solar as accessible to as many homeowners as possible. Today we announced our enhanced suite of solar offerings to consumers. This includes the Sunrun BrightAdvantage loan, which is now available with either a 12- or 20-year term.

For homeowners who want to own their solar system, Sunrun’s BrightAdvantage removes the barriers that were previously associated with owning a solar system, such as high upfront cost, demanding interest rates and limited financing options. With BrightAdvantage, Sunrun provides easy access to financing through select financial partners, and both loan options offer competitive borrowing costs with the 12-year term offering a 3.99% APR and the 20-year offering 4.99% APR.

Sunrun has also added new tools and information about solar payment options to our website to help homeowners navigate the process of going solar and choose the right product for them.

For homeowners who aren’t interested in owning their solar system through a BrightAdvantage loan or with BrightBuy, homeowners can also opt for either BrightSave Monthly or BrightSave PrePaid. BrightSave is Sunrun’s lease and power purchase agreement (PPA) option, which offers homeowners the ability to go solar with little or no money down. Sunrun owns, installs and maintains the system, so the homeowner pays only for the electricity it generates – not the panels – either through easy monthly payments or in full.

By enhancing our solar service options, we hope more homeowners will realize how easy it is to go solar, so they can start saving an average of 20 percent on their electric bills.

For more information about all of Sunrun’s offerings, visit www.sunrun.com.

Andrew Pontti is the Sr. Corporate Communications Manager at Sunrun

A college education helps create a bright future, but the costs are rising rapidly. That can leave parents and students with tricky choices to settle on, like whether or not to take on debt. With some simple planning, paying for college won’t seem so daunting. Below are some tips on creative ways to start saving for college.

1) Make Saving a Family Affair

While the most significant portion of saving for a college education is usually held responsible by parents and students, asking family members to participate in the process can be both helpful to parents and rewarding for gift-givers. When possible, encourage grandparents, aunts, uncles, and close family friends to specifically donate to a child’s college fund with a crowdfunding tool rather than simply buying gift cards or giving cash. That way, everyone pitch in.

2) Make a Plan

Long-term savings options like Roth IRAs and 529 College Savings Plans can help you easily save money and enjoy modest tax benefits as well. IRAs may have retirement in the name, but these accounts can also be used as a savings vehicle for college. Roth IRAs are a particularly attractive option, since they deduct taxes at the holder’s current tax rate and then provide a tax-free disbursement later on. Starting an account early means kids will be able to benefit from compounding and could potentially withdraw penalty-free when it’s time for college.

3) Lower Your Bills & Go Solar

Utilities can be greatly reduced by unplugging electronics and using energy-efficient appliances. (See Sunrun’s list of ways to save on your electric bill here.) Additional bills such as cable, internet and cell phone service can also be reduced with just a few phone calls. In fact, going solar can seriously cut electric bills, and making the switch isn’t as pricey as one might think.

4) Earn Rewards

Cash-back shopping portals like eBates and Extrabux can help you earn cash as you shop. Additionally, many credit cards offer cash back that can add up quickly. Each time you withdraw your cash back earnings, deposit it into a college savings account.

5) Refer a Friend

If you’re already a Sunrun customer, you can earn big rewards when your friend goes solar with Sunrun. That’s more money in the bank for your child’s bright future.

Have ideas for how to save for college? Share them with us in the comments.

Christa Keizer is the Social Media Manager at Sunrun

We love hearing from our Sunrun customers, and Kim is no exception! Being comfortable is more than just the temperature. It’s about peace of mind. During the hot, hot summer days, Kim and her family are doing more than escaping the heat in their solar home, they’re escaping the stress that come with high summer bills.

What made you decide to go solar and what was your life like before your Sunrun solar system?
My electric bills in the summer began getting to be $700-$800 a month. We have a pool and have to run the system several hours a day, not to mention that my daughters like to bring the grandkids over to swim. We also run our air conditioner many hours a day as the temperatures in our area will reach well into the 100s in July, August, and September.

It just so happened that a Sunrun rep was visiting our neighborhood, and a few of us neighbors were out front chatting. As he started to explain the program to us I became quite interested! It sounded like it could save a lot of money and save us from the stress of opening our electric bill every month!

What’s been the biggest change you’ve seen since switching to solar?
My bills are so much lower than they used to be. I don’t worry about the pool going for hours, nor do I worry about running my air conditioning. I don’t stress over hearing that the electric company is requesting huge rate increases. None of that affects me anymore. Electricity has become stress free!

How has switching to solar impacted you specifically in the summertime?
On average, I’m saving between $300 and $400 a month, without sacrificing our comfort! We don’t worry about having the pool run extra hours with the kids here. We don’t have to be uncomfortable in our home because we don’t have to worry about running the air!

What do your friends and family say about your solar system?
A lot don’t know much about the solar system, so I try and educate them and encourage them to look into it. Then I give them Sunrun’s phone number. They are all amazed when they hear what we are saving a month.

How much are you saving with solar?
My electric bill before solar was approximately $6,500 a year. Now I pay $200 a month to Sunrun, and my new electric bill is approximately $2,000 for the year. That is a savings of $2,100 a year, and no more worries about rate increases from the electric company.

What would you say to someone considering going solar?
It doesn’t hurt to just check it out. Sunrun will send someone out to your home, they will explain the program and there is no pressure to purchase. You can also check with others in your neighborhood that have panels to get a testimony. Solar is the way to go!

Haven’t gone solar yet? You can get a free solar quote here. If you’ve got your own savings story—fun summer vacations, college savings account, peace of mind—you name it, we want to hear it! Shoot us a note, or post on our Facebook page, and who knows, maybe you’ll be featured on the Power Forward Blog next! In the meantime, here are 45 ways that you can save on electric bills around the house.

Christa Keizer is the Social Media Manager at Sunrun

Since Sunrun’s inception in 2007 our goal has remained the same: provide Americans with a choice for clean, affordable power.

Our listing today as a publicly traded company on NASDAQ (ticker: RUN) validates that the world is beginning to recognize the transformational potential of residential solar. Now more than ever we are motivated to create a planet run by the sun.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone that has helped us reach this milestone—our investors, partners, employees, and most importantly, our customers. We know that the future holds both great opportunity and significant challenges. We are excited to conquer these together.

We can’t wait for what’s to come.

Lynn Jurich is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sunrun

Batter up! Sunrun will be the official residential solar company for the New York Yankees beginning with the 2015 baseball season.

Sunrun’s presence is already visible throughout Yankee Stadium, including signage near the Visiting Team On-Deck Circle and on the stadium’s digital screens. Also, during regular home games our Sunrun solar consultants will be on-hand to discuss the savings fans can achieve by making a switch to solar. For those watching from home, you can participate with Twitter giveaways and other web promotions.

We’re excited for the opportunity to talk directly with Yankees fans about their energy options, and show them how simple it can be to make the switch to solar with Sunrun.

Megan Redford is the Sr. Brand Marketing Manager at Sunrun

Solar panels use energy from the sun to generate electricity, which ultimately, can help you save money by reducing your monthly energy bills. But after they’re installed, how do solar panels actually create that electricity?

Streams of Light

Sunlight might look and feel like a continuous stream of light, but it is actually made up of millions of tiny particles known as photons. Each photon has energy, which solar panels are looking to harvest.

Solar panels are made from a material known as silicon. All materials — from wood or metal to your own human skin — contain tiny charged particles called electrons, but in silicon these electrons are only very loosely held in place. This means that a photon can use its energy to knock an electron out of place, letting it roam freely around inside the solar panel.

A solar panel uses an electric field — which is similar to the magnetic field you might have seen attracting metallic objects to your fridge — to make all the freed electrons travel to one edge of the solar panel. A lot of electrons all moving in the same direction is called an electric current — or “electricity.”

What Happens Next?

Once the electric field in the solar panel has started the electrons moving, they keep on going, traveling from the solar panel into the cables that carry electricity around your whole house, ready to power any appliances that you need to use.

The more brightly the sun shines, the more photons fall onto the solar panels. Each photon that hits the panel frees one electron, which means that more electric current is generated on sunny days. On dull days, the solar panel still generates electricity, but at a much lower rate.

The solar system is set up to use electricity made by the panels if it is available, and switch to energy supplied from the utility grid when the panels are not producing enough.

Rather than buying solar panels, many people choose solar service, where you pay a monthly fee in exchange for the use of the solar panels.

Have a question about solar panels? Leave them in the comments!

Dirk Morbitzer is the Supply Chain Manager at Sunrun

Sources

http://planetsave.com/2014/10/19/how-solar-power-works/
http://solarlove.org/how-does-solar-energy-work-how-solar-power-works-ted-talk/
http://www.livescience.com/41995-how-do-solar-panels-work.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell3.htm

Nothing gets us excited about solar like our Sunrun customers. Their enthusiasm for solar helps keep us working towards creating a planet run by the sun. Recently, we had the chance to get to know one of our customers a little better. Louis Gray has been with Sunrun since 2014. He has shared his journey going solar on his blog here and here.

Here’s a little more about Louis Gray’s journey as a Sunrun customer:

What made you decide to go solar?
Louis: With a family of five, including three young children, we do our unfair share of laundry, washing of dishes, and need to keep the home at a good temperature so everyone can get a good night’s sleep. This saw our electricity bills in the hundreds of dollars each month, and it didn’t seem like I could make many changes to our behavior to bring costs down. But living in California, where the sun is out all the time, I knew going solar was a smart option to consider, and gave us an opportunity to put energy back into the grid instead of being wasteful, both in our energy consumed and how much it was costing us every month.

What do your friends and family say about your solar system?
Louis: Those who haven’t yet gone solar or can’t, for whatever reason, are jealous, and I get questions about our system all the time. They’re surprised to hear how easy it was to get running and how dramatic the savings have been. The solar panels on the roof make the house stand out next to neighbors who haven’t yet made the switch. And everyone I talk to recognizes it is a good idea.

What’s changed since you’ve gone solar?
Louis: I don’t worry about the electricity bill every month, at all. It’s not even a rounding error on our budget. And I don’t feel the need to run around the house and constantly turn lights off, or to try and find the best time to run the dishwasher or get the kids’ clothes clean. We still try to be smart about our energy consumption, but it’s good to know when the sun’s out, we’re saving money.

How have you calculated your savings with solar?
Louis: I’ve tracked our monthly PG&E bills over the last few years, and the monthly comparisons from before we went with Sunrun and afterward. Looking at 12 months of bills shows we took our entire PG&E bill down by 67%, a savings of greater than $2,000. Considering we will have these panels for 20 years, and avoid any price increases from our utility, the benefits will be significant.

What would you say to someone considering going solar?
Louis: Solar makes sense. Home ownership comes with many recurring bills, many of which you have little control over. But your energy bill is one which can be addressed quickly, and for the long term, without your needing to change your lifestyle.

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Check out Louis Gray’s blog here and follow him on Twitter at @LouisGray. Want to share your Sunrun story with us? Email us at social@sunrun.com.

Christa Keizer is the Social Media Marketing Manager at Sunrun

Want to help us create a planet run by the sun? Sunrun has five open marketing positions available in our San Francisco headquarters. You can apply for the open positions here: