Overview
SunPower
SunPower
SunPower
SunPower
25 Years
25 Years
Yes
Lease, PPA, Loan, Cash
41 Years
SolarCity
SolarCity
SolarCity
N/A
10 Years
20 Years
N/A
N/A
Undisclosed
Ratings
SunPower
SolarCity
Reviews
SunPower
Reviews
SolarCity
Reviews for SunPower
Helpful Favorable Review
Heather Nuffer
January 10th, 2023
Lindon, UT
DETAILS
Edited March 3rd, 2023
2023-3-2 15:59:19 Mrs. White and Luma hissed, "It's my turn." Ticket to Ride. The Name Game. Solitaire Frenzy. Bunco. Thumb wrestling. What Do You Meme? Monopoly Deal. Dungeons and Dragons. Bananagrams. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago? It's time to clean the O2 filter and enter the id code before the Imposter finds and kills me. Luma and Fluffypuffer want to like musical chairs.
Helpful Critical Review
brian Parks
February 26th, 2022
Fayetteville, NC
DETAILS
This company is horrible and not responsive. Spent $55,000 on solar panels and they hooked them up wrong and I’m not getting and advantage in having solar. Called and got nothing from them. Got an email that didn’t answer the issues with my system. DO NOT BUY
Reviews for SolarCity
Helpful Favorable Review
Sawyer D
April 26th, 2019
Ogden, UT
DETAILS
Thanks for allowing a system size under 3 KW. I was told you wouldn't for a loan, but for cash, you did. Haven't had any technical issues. I'm afraid if I did, I'd be on my own or face long long hold times. Also, your offer of move the panels for $2000 is too good to be true. They should have insisted on attic run for conduit. Very nice crew, they did offer some special install services, but attic run should have been seriously impressed on me.
Helpful Critical Review
Brad
November 21st, 2021
Moreno Valley, CA
DETAILS
Solar city installed solar panels. now Tesla bought them out. Have been trying to get in touch with Tesla for about a year but have had no success. Solar city monitored the system but Tesla will not. The monitor has not worked for a year
The Final Word
SunPower equipment is currently available in 40 states, while SolarCity solar systems are offered in 20 states.
Individuals in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Washington D.C. have access to both SunPower and SolarCity solar energy systems.
SunPower systems are also available in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, while SolarCity does not offer service in these states.
SolarCity operates in Washington, while Sunpower does not.
Payment Options
SolarCity allows customers to purchase a solar system outright, finance a system with a loan, lease a system, or utilize a system by signing into a power purchase agreement (PPA).
SunPower also allows outright purchases, loans, and leases, but the company only offers PPAs to commercial customers, which means residential SunPower customers do not have access to the PPA option.
Equipment
SunPower and SolarCity both manufacture their own equipment. SunPower holds 750 solar technology patents and makes the highest efficiency solar panels currently available on the market. According to testing, SunPower’s panels deliver 44 percent more energy per watt than competitive products and can maintain their production better than other panels in partly-shaded conditions. In addition to being extremely efficient, SunPower solar panels are all black and designed to blend in better with the rooftop than traditional blue panels.
While SolarCity’s panels are not on par with SunPower’s in terms of efficiency, the company does produce and offer solar shingles, which are a unique product in the industry.
Installations
SunPower performs its own installations in select areas of California. Outside of these areas, the company’s installations are performed through a network of dealers. In addition to performing the installation, the dealer also acts as the customer care center for the life of the solar energy system.
SolarCity, on the other hand, performs all of its installations with its own in-house team. However, several customers have reported issues with delayed and incorrect installations.
Warranties
SunPower offers industry-leading warranties, including a 25-year warranty on equipment, a 25-year warranty on labor and installation, and a 25-year warranty on system performance.
SolarCity provides its customers with a 20-year warranty on equipment, a 10-year warranty on labor and installation, and a 25-year warranty on system performance.
Battery Storage
SunPower does not produce its own batteries, but its systems are compatible with Freedom CPAP batteries, which are manufactured by Battery Power Solutions.
SolarCity offers Tesla Powerwall batteries to its customers, which are designed to seamlessly integrate with the company’s solar equipment.
Referral Program
SunPower’s referral program rewards customers with $100 for every qualified homeowner they refer who has an in-home consultation, regardless of whether or not the referee actually purchases a solar system.
SolarCity pays customers $250 for each referral that installs a solar energy system.
Recommendation
SunPower and SolarCity have similar offerings in terms of payment options—although SolarCity provides PPAs for residential customers while SunPower does not—and battery storage.
While SunPower does outsource a majority of its installations to certified dealers, the company offers some of the best solar equipment available and incredibly lengthy warranties, which is why SunPower is recommended over SolarCity for those who live within a state where its products are available.
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