SunPower Review: Costs, Quality, Services & More (2025)

EcoWatch Reviews Methodology

I personally went solar through a Master SunPower dealer, and while I didn’t go directly through SunPower’s dealer network, I did very purposefully choose a SunPower dealer to get access to its Maxeon panels, which are some of the best in the industry. This SunPower review draws from my own personal experience working with a SunPower dealer. I use my own experience with its panels and workflow to inform my opinions on the quality of its potential for quality customer service (more on this later).

My own experiences are only one part of the picture. I’ve also read through hundreds of customer reviews, examined SunPower’s equipment specs to compare them to those of its competitors, and performed a financial analysis of the savings you can expect by going with SunPower for each of the company’s financing options.

Finally, to make all of that information easy to understand, I use EcoWatch’s scoring metrics to provide overall scores in each of the following categories: services and financing, extra services offered, environmental impact and sustainability practices, equipment quality and reliability, company reputation, and customer service. I then use those scores to offer an unbiased, quantitative comparison between SunPower and several other major solar installation companies to help you determine if SunPower is the ideal road to renewable energy for your home.

SunPower: Highest Quality Panels

What I Like About SunPower

There’s a lot that I like about SunPower. For starters, the company was founded in 1985 and has reached more than 400,000 installs as of 2022, according to a SunPower press release from that year. SunPower’s experience is an asset that most solar installers don’t have, and its longevity is a testament to its quality and dependability. As I’ll touch on later, a long company history suggests that your warranties will remain intact for decades to come, which is precisely what you want when you spend thousands of dollars on PV equipment.

You can check out the video below to get a quick overview of how SunPower compares to its competitors.

Part of the reason that SunPower has such staying power in the industry is its dedication to quality. The company installs some of the highest-quality panels available to residential customers, with certain specs and warranty coverage that make it the only game in town if you want the best and most robust technology available to you. SunPower only installs panels manufactured by its sister company, Maxeon, a company known for producing high-efficiency panels. While the efficiency gap between Maxeon’s panels and panels from other manufacturers has narrowed in the past few years, Maxeon still makes some of the most efficient panels available to residential customers as of this writing in 2024.

Another thing I love about SunPower is the warranty coverage it offers. SunPower’s warranty covers equipment and performance for 40 years. For comparison, the solar industry’s standard equipment and performance warranty is only 25 years, and the next best company in terms of warranty coverage is 25% shorter than SunPower’s at 30 years. SunPower also offers an unparalleled 92% efficiency guarantee after 25 years, which is higher than any other panel brand out there. Some competitors are close, but for maximum longevity and value from your system, SunPower’s panels are unbeatable.

SunPower also offers all of the financing options you could ask for, including cash purchases, solar loans, solar leases, and power purchase agreements (PPAs). Having so many options is a double-edged sword (more on that later), but it’s also important because SunPower’s systems are more expensive than similar systems from other companies.

What I Don’t Like About SunPower

Let’s get the biggest con to SunPower out of the way immediately: SunPower is a premium company, and its systems cost premium prices. I believe its products are worth paying extra for — which is why I ultimately did pay extra for its Maxeon panels for my own home — but that won’t matter to you if you simply can’t afford SunPower’s prices. SunPower’s financing options make its prices a bit easier to stomach, but they don’t change the fact that you pay more when you choose SunPower.

Something else that troubles me about SunPower is that the company recently announced that it’s dialing back its in-house installation team, which it just began building a few years ago. It focuses more on its dealer network, although manufacturing will still sit with its sister company, Maxeon. In general, I prefer companies that perform in-house installations because they typically go more smoothly and are easier to keep track of for the customer. SunPower is reducing the size of the in-house installation part of its business and offloading installations to Blue Raven Solar (which SunPower purchased in 2021) and its extensive network of third-party installers.

On a related note, SunPower’s reliance on third-party installers leads to inconsistent customer experiences. Some customer reviews report difficulties contacting SunPower after their installation, while other reviews suggest that SunPower’s customer support is solid. The company does vet the members of its dealer network, but you could still end up with below-average service. Plus, struggling to get high-quality customer support is a difficult pill to swallow when you’re paying premium prices. 

SunPower Installation Process and Timeline

SunPower’s installation process is similar to the installation process you’ll experience with most solar providers. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect from a SunPower installation:

• Initial site visit: When you first reach out to SunPower, you’ll be connected with a third-party installer in the dealer network that operates in your area. A technician from that provider will visit your property to evaluate your home and collect the information the company needs to design your solar system. The technician will ask you about your energy usage, so you should plan to have copies of some recent electricity bills available to show them. They’ll also need to access your roof to take measurements and ensure that the roof is in good condition, as well as access your electric panel to make sure your system can handle the load your panels will place on it. Your site visit will also involve a walk around your property looking for any issues like excessive shading that might affect solar panel performance. Because SunPower has a massive dealer network of third-party installers, getting the initial inspection on the calendar shouldn’t take more than a few days.
• System design: SunPower’s outsourced installer will then take the information the tech collected during the initial inspection and design a system that meets your energy needs and fits within your available roof area. This step typically takes a few days. A representative will get back to you with the proposal, which will include a visual design and layout for the system, the number of panels you need, and the total cost of the system. You’ll then have to review the design and sign off on it.
• Permitting: Once you agree to the proposal and sign contracts for the installation, your representative will begin pulling the necessary permits for your installation. Virtually all municipalities require building permits for solar panel installations. Luckily, your SunPower dealer will pull all of the permits you need, so you don’t need to do anything yourself. This step in the process can be lengthy, and it’s not unusual for it to take at least several weeks. In some cases, the delays might be caused by the demand for solar in your area and a backup on the part of SunPower’s installer, but a lot of the time, your local building department is the cause of the delays. They could take weeks to approve permits if they’re backed up and don’t have special green-lighting measures in place for renewable energy projects like some municipalities do.
• Installation: Once SunPower’s installer obtains your permits, someone from the company will reach out to you to schedule your installation. The vast majority of SunPower installations are completed in a single day, usually over a period of six to eight hours, depending on the size of your system. A crew from your installer will arrive at your home in the morning, mount the panels on your roof, install electrical components like inverters and batteries if you bought a system with storage, and connect everything to your home’s electrical panel.
• Inspection and grid interconnection: Your solar panels won’t be ready to use immediately following your installation. You first need to have a final inspection done by your utility company to make sure everything was installed safely before your panels can be “commissioned,” or turned on. How long it takes to get this inspection scheduled depends on the installer SunPower assigns to your project. If you get a high-quality installer, they’ll schedule the inspection for the same day as the installation, so you’ll have no delays. Less appealing installers could come out to install as soon as they have the equipment on hand, and then you could wait days or even weeks for the final inspection and activation. Once you get the green light, your installer will activate your system, and your panels will start producing power. At that point, your system will be fully operational.

The moment you sign on the dotted line to the moment when you start drawing power from your panels typically is between one and three months. SunPower’s installer is in control of the time it takes to get an initial inspection, design your system, and schedule the installation. The other steps, like obtaining permits, getting a final inspection from your electric company, and connecting your system to the grid, are out of its control. Ideally, your installer will be communicative during these steps, but some dealers in SunPower’s network have fallen short of communication expectations, according to some customer reviews.

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SunPower Standard Services & Financing

22/25

SunPower offers most of the standard services and all of the standard financing options you’ll find from the best solar providers. However, it loses three points in this category because it is moving away from in-house installations in favor of using third-party dealers to install its systems. We rank companies with in-house installation teams more favorably because in-house installations are easier to manage for the customer and tend to go more quickly and more smoothly. This doesn’t mean that you’ll encounter problems with your SunPower installation. It only means that SunPower customer experiences vary more by location than an installer who works solely with in-house teams.

I give SunPower full points for the equipment it installs. The Maxeon panels the company installs use high-quality photovoltaic (PV) cells with higher efficiency ratings than most other panels on the market. The only downside worth mentioning (besides the cost) is that SunPower only installs Maxeon panels. Many solar companies offer a selection of panels you can choose from to suit your budget and efficiency requirements. If you’re looking for options — specifically ones that will keep your up-front costs down — SunPower isn’t the best installer for you.

SunPower can also install solar batteries if you want the ability to store any excess energy your panels produce. SunPower has its own brand of solar storage called the SunVault, which comes in four different sizes: 13 kWh, 19.5 kWh, 26 kWh, 39 kWh, and 52 kWh. It’s nice to see some variation in the sizing, unlike a company like Tesla, which only has a single size for each iteration of its batteries. It’s especially nice because not every home requires the same battery storage. Homeowners in areas without net metering and low sun conditions will likely benefit most from larger batteries, whereas homeowners who get plenty of sun and have net metering only need batteries for emergency backup power, so they can save money by opting for the smaller sizes.

Adding a SunVault battery to your system lets you store extra energy your panels produce and use it later when your panels aren’t generating enough electricity to power your home, like at night, on cloudy days, or on days when your electricity consumption is unusually high. It also functions as an emergency backup for power outages.

Every SunVault battery also comes with a Hub+ to allow you to quickly transition from battery power to utility power without interruptions and an LED panel that provides a real-time display of your system’s charge level and performance. All of the battery information is also available on the MySunPower app.

System monitoring is also possible with SunPower’s app, which is available for free on both iOS and Android. MySunPower lets you view your system’s performance live and see individual panel performance, which is extremely useful for diagnosing problems if one panel stops working.

Cost and Financing Options

We’ve already mentioned that SunPower systems are expensive, but now it’s time to break down the actual costs.

Let’s start with a brief look at the average solar system in the United States. The average solar system in the U.S. has a 9-kilowatt (kW) capacity and costs $29,970, based on our data, making the average price per watt $3.33. SunPower’s systems cost around $4.00 per watt, on average, which means that a 9-kilowatt system from SunPower will run you $36,000, a $6,000 premium. Whether that premium is worth it depends on your priorities. I’ll discuss why SunPower systems cost more in a later section on equipment quality and reliability.

The good news is that SunPower offers all of the standard financing options to help people afford their systems. The company accepts cash purchases, loans, leases, and PPAs. Leases and PPAs are more affordable options with low or no up-front costs, depending on the financing partner you use. While that sounds attractive, I don’t recommend leasing a SunPower system or entering into a PPA because you’ll save far less money in the long run.

To illustrate the point, the average American saves $31,513 in the long run by switching to solar energy. Those savings come in the form of decreased electricity bills for approximately 25 years and an increased home value. Leasing solar panels will only save you around $5,000 total, which means that you’re missing out on more than $26,000 worth of savings by leasing instead of buying. PPAs are even less beneficial and will only save you approximately $4,000 in total.

If you can’t afford to pay up-front in full for your system, you should instead finance your panels with a loan if you can qualify. A typical solar loan will accrue around $5,000 in interest over the lifetime of the loan (typically 25 years). That cuts into your lifetime savings somewhat, but you still stand to save about $26,000 by purchasing solar panels via a loan. A loan will take longer to pay back, which pushes the breakeven point back, but it’s still worth it if you can’t pay cash. That’s $21,000 in lifetime savings you’d get from a loan over a lease or PPA.

If those aren’t enough reasons for you to consider paying in cash or taking out a loan, consider this: Only loans and purchases are eligible for the Federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which allows people who purchase solar panels to claim 30% of their system’s total cost as a credit toward their federal income tax burden. For an average nine-kilowatt system, that lowers the cost from $29,970 to $20,979, effectively saving you $8,991.

Many states also have similar tax incentives and programs that operate at the state level. These programs vary by location, but almost all of them also only apply to purchased systems.

The bottom line is that leasing your panels is a bad long-term proposition if you want to maximize your savings. Purchasing panels in full will save you more than $30,000 in the long run, and it will only take 11 years for you to break even, on average. Taking out a loan reduces your lifetime savings potential to around $25,000 to $26,000, according to our research, and it will take you longer to reach the breakeven point, but it’s still worth it.

Finally, SunPower uses its own in-house financing, which could potentially make the loan application and approval process a bit more streamlined and convenient. Most other solar companies work with third-party lenders, and while many people have no issues at all, that could lead to delays in the loan process.

SunPower Extra Services Offered

1/5

One of SunPower’s biggest weaknesses (aside from cost) is that it doesn’t offer many additional services. I already mentioned that the company makes its own energy storage solution, called the SunVault, but the only extra service the company offers is EV charger installation. EV charging station installs only count for 20% of the points in this category, so SunPower doesn’t score well when it comes to this metric.

SunPower installs the Wallbox Pulsar Level 2 EV charger. It has an adjustable current that you can change from 16 amps to 40 amps, which means you can charge virtually any current EV with one. The Wallbox Pulsar comes with a J1772 plug, which is the industry standard and will work with most non-Tesla EVs. If you have a Tesla, you can still charge using the Wallbox Pulsar using the plug adapter that came with your car. Note that Tesla will be switching to the J1772 plug in the near future, too.

The following extra services are some common add-ons that SunPower lacks:

• Roof repairs and replacements
• Energy efficiency upgrades
• Remote company monitoring

Some companies, like Trinity Solar, offer full-fledged roofing services in addition to solar system installations. Choosing a solar company that also does roof work can save you considerable amounts of time and hassle setting up an independent roof inspection. You should have your roof inspected before you install solar panels to ensure that it’s in good enough shape to support solar panels and won’t need to be replaced soon.

SunPower’s vendors will carry out that inspection, but if the tech finds that you need roof repair or a roof replacement, you’ll have to contract a third-party roofer. Choosing a solar installer that handles this kind of work in-house can save time compared to having to coordinate with another company. I understand that SunPower is moving away from handling installations itself, so it’s unlikely that the company will add roofing services anytime soon.

Another nice-to-have that SunPower doesn’t offer is energy efficiency upgrades. Some solar companies, like Trinity Solar,  will perform an energy audit on your home before designing your solar system to look for opportunities to make your home more energy efficient. Replacing old appliances with new Energy Star appliances and replacing leaky doors and windows can significantly reduce your energy usage.

In some cases, these upgrades can help you get away with a smaller solar system since you don’t need as much electricity to power your home after the upgrades. Even if they don’t, though, they’re often worth it because they’ll speed up your payback period and lead you to net savings sooner.

Finally, some companies monitor your solar panels’ production remotely to look for signs of malfunctions. While this isn’t strictly necessary since you should be monitoring your system yourself, it’s still beneficial to have an expert reviewing your system’s performance. It’s somewhat unfair to dock a point from SunPower for not having this because it’s still pretty uncommon, but it seems like more companies are starting to offer remote monitoring, and SunPower will fall behind if it doesn’t up its game.

SunPower Environmental Impact & Sustainability Practices

7.5/10

SunPower scores well in this category, mostly due to the sheer number of solar panels it has installed in its nearly 40 years in business. SunPower has installed more than 400,000 solar systems across all 50 states, making it one of the farthest-reaching solar installers in U.S. history. Installing nearly half a million solar systems has helped reduce the country’s overall carbon footprint but, perhaps more importantly, also helped raise the general public’s awareness of solar power and renewable energy.

SunPower doesn’t receive full points in this category because the Maxeon panels it installs are manufactured in the Philippines and assembled in Mexico. Despite having a generally positive impact on the environment, the solar industry, unfortunately, has a black eye related to a lack of sustainability in its supply chains. It’s much harder to keep tabs on a company’s sustainability practices and labor sources when most of its manufacturing process happens outside of the U.S., and regulations inside the U.S. tend to be stricter, so we deduct some points here.

However, there are some positive notes. Maxeon is a Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze company. Cradle to Cradle is an international organization that rates companies based on their dedication to sustainability and safety in manufacturing. The organization performs independent inspections and audits to rate companies like Maxeon on its sustainability practices. If supporting climate-conscious manufacturers is important to you, buying Maxeon panels through SunPower is a good choice.

Maxeon also does its part in reducing waste generated by solar panel manufacturing by using recycled materials in its panels. The company also has an end-of-life recycling program that processes old solar panels so that their raw materials can be reused to manufacture new panels.

You can check out the video below for a more in-depth discussion of how sustainable solar energy is once you consider the raw materials necessary for manufacturing and practices to acquire them.

  How green is solar energy really?                                                                                                                    

SunPower Equipment Quality & Reliability

23/25 

SunPower scores well in this category thanks to the premium Maxeon panels it installs. SunPower only installs Maxeon panels, which makes analyzing the company’s equipment quality straightforward. Other companies offer a range of panels from multiple manufacturers, which can make it hard to determine the overall quality and dependability of the equipment it installs.

Before I get to specifics about SunPower’s equipment, it will be helpful to review the basic criteria I use to measure solar panel quality:

• Average efficiency rating: A solar panel’s efficiency rating measures how well its PV cells can convert sunlight to electricity. A manufacturer’s average efficiency rating is the average efficiency rating of all of the panels it installs. Higher average efficiency ratings mean the company always produces high-quality, high-output panels, which boost your savings as compared to using a lower-efficiency option. To receive the maximum number of points in this category, an installer must install panels with an average efficiency rating that exceeds 22%. Typical panel efficiencies for residential panels fall between 20% and 22%.
• Maximum efficiency rating: We determine this score by looking at the highest-efficiency panel a solar provider installs. Again, higher efficiency ratings mean more power production in all weather conditions, which translates to higher savings for you over time. To get the maximum score in this category, a company must offer a panel with at least 22.8% efficiency.
• Negative/positive power tolerance: These ratings tell you how much variance there is in a solar panel’s output in real-world conditions. The average tolerance throughout the solar industry is -0/+3, which means a negative tolerance of 0% and a positive tolerance of 3%. Positive tolerance is how much greater a panel’s output may be than the amount listed in its spec sheet. Negative tolerance is how much lower its output may be. A panel needs to achieve a negative rating of -0% and higher than +5% on the positive end to get perfect marks here.
• First-year degradation: Solar panels lose efficiency over time, and they lose the most in their first year of operation. Manufacturers provide two annual degradation rates: one for the first year and one for each year after that. The lower the degradation rate, the more power your panels will generate and the higher your long-term savings will be. We give the highest number of points to companies that install panels with 1% or less first-year degradation.
• Subsequent year degradation: After the first year, solar panels lose efficiency much more slowly than they do in the first year. Still, subsequent year degradation is important to consider, as higher numbers will mean your panel could be producing 20% less energy by the end of your warranty coverage (usually around 25 years). We give the most points to panels with subsequent-year degradation rates of less than 0.25%. We consider panels with degradation rates between 0.26% and 0.35% to be good. We usually recommend avoiding panels with degradation rates higher than 0.35% since you will save significantly less money in the long run.
• Max wind load: If you live somewhere with high winds, you need to make sure you choose a panel with a high max wind load rating. Max wind load is measured in units of pressure on the rear of your panel (upward pressure), typically in Pascals (Pa), but you can convert that into a wind speed using an online wind load calculator tool. Solar panels with a maximum wind load greater than or equal to 3,000 Pa (roughly 156 mph winds) are the most wind-resistant and will serve you well in all but the most extreme wind storms. A wind load resistance rating between 2,000 Pa (127 mph) and 3,000 (156 mph) is considered good, and anything below 2,000 Pa (127 mph) is considered below average. You should choose a panel with a max wind load high enough to give you peace of mind given the frequency of high winds in your area. Consider wind speeds during tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, and other extreme weather events.
• Max snow load: On a similar note, a panel’s max snow load measures how much downward pressure snow it can withstand before taking damage. This rating is also measured in Pascals. A snow load rating greater than 7,000 Pa is considered excellent and means that panels with this rating can withstand approximately 9.5 to 10 feet of snow. You can get away with a much lower rating of between 2,000 and 3,000 Pa if your home doesn’t see much snowfall, and you might not need to worry about this rating at all if you live in a warmer climate with virtually no risk of serious snow accumulation.
• Equipment warranty: Most solar panel companies, including SunPower, pass the manufacturer’s warranty on to customers. The average equipment warranty for solar panels is 25 years. We score this category based on the length of the warranty period. In general, any company that offers warranties of at least 25 years will score well in this section. The longer your equipment warranty, the better, as it guarantees you’ll be without problems and continue to save on your electric bills for longer.
• Efficiency warranty: Equipment warranties don’t cover a panel’s performance. Instead, solar companies and manufacturers use separate efficiency warranties that cover your system’s energy production. Efficiency warranties tend to last for around 25 years and make specific claims about the level of energy production they guarantee. An important subtlety is that a long efficiency warranty by itself doesn’t mean the coverage is good if the panels the warranty covers degrade rapidly. A 40-year warranty that guarantees your efficiency won’t drop below 70%, for example, is not as good as a 30-year warranty that guarantees your panels will produce 88% of their initial value. And, of course, you need to consider the starting efficiency, as a guarantee of efficiency means less when that efficiency level is below average to begin with.

With your new understanding of how we rate solar panels, we can take a look at Maxeon’s ratings:

• Average efficiency rating: 22.35%
• Maximum efficiency rating: 22.8%
• Negative/positive power tolerance: -0%/+5%
• First-year degradation: 2.0%
• Subsequent-year degradation: 0.25%
• Max wind load: 5,400 Pa
• Max snow load: 5,400 Pa
• Equipment warranty: 40 years
• Efficiency warranty: 40 years

Starting with the positives, Maxeon panels have higher-than-average efficiency — some of the highest ratings in the industry — and excellent subsequent-year degradation rates, which means that your panels will start out more efficient than most other panels and maintain more efficiency over time than most other panels. Maxeon’s wind and snow loads are also excellent, so they should be suitable for most climates in the U.S., as are its equipment and efficiency warranties (more on that later).

I should mention that Maxeon’s panels used to be significantly more efficient than its competition, but that gap has narrowed recently since some of the patents the company had on solar technology have expired in the past few years. For example, LONGi now makes panels with an average efficiency rating of 21.93%, and Canadian Solar’s panels have an average efficiency rating of 22%. A few percentage points add up over time, but it’s becoming harder to justify SunPower’s high prices when there are more affordable options that get you most of the way there.

With that said, Maxeon still offers value for your money. A 0.25% degradation is still top-notch, although Silfab and REC now also offer panels with 0.25% degradation rates. One advantage Maxeon has over those companies is that it pairs its 0.25% degradation rate with outstanding equipment and performance warranties.

Warranties and Guarantees

SunPower distinguishes itself from its competitors by offering some of the best warranties in the entire industry. SunPower’s equipment warranty lasts for 40 years and guarantees that the panels it installs will be free from manufacturer’s defects. It also guarantees that its panels will maintain an efficiency of at least 92% after 25 years and 87.2% after 40 years. No other company that I know of offers a better performance guarantee. Not only is the warranty more than 1.5x the industry average, but the remaining efficiency after 25 years is the highest I’ve seen.

SunPower’s workmanship warranty is just as solid, covering labor and installation defects for 25 years. The industry average workmanship warranty is 10 years, so SunPower’s labor warranty covers you for more than twice as long. It’s worth noting that SunPower includes that labor warranty even though it uses third-party installers, which should suggest how committed SunPower is to including only high-quality installers in its dealer network.

The takeaway: SunPower is the best solar provider if you want maximum peace of mind. Its 40-year performance warranty is unmatched, and its workmanship warranty lasts more than twice as long as the industry average.

SunPower Company Reputation

22/25

SunPower has a well-deserved stellar reputation, so it scores well in this category. The company maintains an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), an impressive feat given that it has been operating for almost 40 years. SunPower also scores well in many customer reviews and has a 3.49 rating out of 5.0 over 584 reviews on the BBB website. The company scores less favorably in Trustpilot reviews, with a score of 2.2 out of 5.0 in 469 reviews.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that solar reviews are often mixed. People who have negative customer experiences are more likely to make noise about it online than people who don’t encounter problems. You’ll be able to tell from the tone, humor, and style of the negative reviews in the next section that it takes a certain level of frustration for someone to log on or create an account to complain about a company. Of course, negative reviews are still negative reviews, but while you should consider them when choosing a solar installer, you shouldn’t discount this selection effect when you look at a company’s review scores.

SunPower’s 3.49 rating on BBB is one of the higher ratings I’ve seen. Most solar companies hover in the 2.0 to 3.0 range on BBB. For that reason, SunPower gets four out of five points in the BBB review category, even though 3.49 would otherwise seem to be just an average rating.

SunPower gets additional points for having its installers certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), an independent organization that implements solar installation standards and training. This certification helps ensure that your panels are properly connected to your home’s electrical system and the grid, which can help avoid problems like electrical fires.

SunPower is also a member of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which is the United State’s national trade association for solar power. Being a SEIA member gives SunPower access to the latest training materials and best practices, which helps it keep up with its competition as standards and best practices change.

Something that might concern you as a potential customer is SunPower’s recent business decision to discontinue in-house installations in favor of relying on Blue Raven Solar and third-party contractors to perform its installations. SunPower purchased Blue Raven in 2021 to head up its installation branch, so it’s not surprising that SunPower itself is getting out of the residential solar space.

However, it’s unclear to me what SunPower’s role in the residential solar industry will be now that it is going to be operating entirely behind the scenes. What’s more, SunPower lost its exclusivity agreement with Maxeon, which means that other solar installers were allowed to start installing Maxeon panels as of March 2024. Now that SunPower no longer performs its own installations, other companies can install Maxeon panels, and other manufacturers have caught up in terms of efficiency, SunPower’s warranty is really the only significant advantage the company has over other companies, in my opinion.

Consumer Reviews and Testimonials

Let’s analyze SunPower’s customer reviews to get a sense of how current SunPower customers feel about the company. I’ll break the analysis up into separate sections for positive and negative reviews to make it easier to detect trends and patterns within the reviews.

Positive Reviews

Some common themes found in positive reviews include the following:

• Solar panels work well and produce electricity as advertised
• Significant savings on utility bills
• Informative and helpful sales representatives
• Smooth installation experience

The following reviews highlight the recurring patterns found in favorable reviews of SunPower and serve as examples of what satisfied customers have to say about the company:

“The experience for me with Leasing the Power has been great, and [I] already have savings. A lot of people who think solar is bad, it’s because they don’t do true studying behind a company. Plus, installation was smooth and quick.” – Sam F on 4/12/2024 via BBB

“Maybe I just got lucky, but I have had very good service from SunPower, and I am very happy with both the solar system and their service. I do know that when I researched companies before deciding on SunPower, there were numerous comments about the service from various companies depending on where you lived. I don’t know where the people who received bad service live, but I do know that PG&E is in northern [identifying location]. I live in [identifying location] and get my electricity through SCE.I would definitely recommend SunPower, but maybe I should only recommend it to people in my area. My system is new, and I beat the April 14th deadline, and any questions/problems have been handled in a professional manner. No complaints.” – Anadel M on 9/22/2023 via BBB

“Great decision. Since having SunPower solar panels installed, we’ve only had one electric bill that was more than the $8 per month connection fee and it was the winter month we had a fair amount of snow and overcast. Through the summer, when demand is high for central air, we are producing over 125% of our energy needs on average.” – R. Foster on 8/11/2022 via Trustpilot

Negative Reviews

Recurring themes found in negative reviews include the following:

• Poor customer service post-installation
• Slow response times for repairs
• Roof damage from the installation
• Underproducing panels

The following selection of reviews provide real-life examples of the patterns found in negative reviews of SunPower:

“Upon my return home from a Military deployment, I found my system not working. I have 20 Solar Panels and 2 inverters. Leased system. It took a while but they sent out a technician who verified that 1 inverter has to be replaced. This was back in Sep this year. I call every week and they tell me that they dont know when the part will be in. I still have to pay the monthly lease payment for a non working system. HORRIBLE SERVICE. Seeking legal counsel!” – Noel R on 11/27/2023 via BBB

“Sunpower is the worst service ever. Horrible customer support and they will make you wait till you die to get someone to come or even fix their problem. I had to wait 6 months to get them to look at one solar panel that was not producing. Then all micro inverters failed one day, all 10 of them and I have been waiting for 90 days to get a replacement part. 90 days! for 10 micro inverters that are available on amazon and can be delivered in 2 days. Initially I recommended them to my friends but never again. I will try my best to dissuade anyone who I know are planning to go with SunPower. Here is a new tag line for you guys: “SunPower…we make you Powerless…”These people know how to take your money. I should never have bought this solar and leased it from these crooks instead.” – Ajay A on 2/16/2024 via BBB

“I am glad I came to this site because at first I thought I was the only one experiencing issues with this company. I had my solar system installed over a year ago and instead of saving money I have ended up paying more to my electric company than I did before the installation. The panels have been producing little energy even on very sunny days and I can’t seem to get a technician out here to look at the problem. When I call Sunpower I am told it’s a problem elsewhere and that I should contact my electric company. During the winter months my electric bill is almost $500 per month keeping in mind that my heating system is gas. The summer months are almost equal in comparison. Today, for instance, it’s a bright and sunny day and the panels are only producing .1 percent of my energy when I first checked and five minutes later it’s producing 3.8 percent. This system seems to be flawed and my attempt to get a tech to look at the panels have been futile because all I keep hearing from their end is that the panels are working.” – Wing Zone Long Island on 4/14/2024 via Trustpilot

SunPower Customer Service

10/10

Despite the negative reviews that mention poor customer service, I still give SunPower full points in this category. My own personal experience dealing with the company weighs heavily in my rating for this metric. I haven’t had any issues contacting the company or getting information when I need it. I also haven’t encountered any serious issues, so maybe my experience would be different if I needed to schedule a repair or have panels replaced. I do think that the third-party installer assigned to your solar project plays a major role in the experience you’ll have with SunPower, so it’s worth looking at reviews for your local SunPower installer instead of the reviews for the company as a whole.

In the interest of fairness, I’ll include some critical reviews of SunPower’s customer service to balance out my own positive experience:

“SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! [installer’s] reps are professional and nice, but nothing gets taken care of. It seems that reps take notes and send the notes/reports elsewhere. A place where these requests for service sit until someone has time to notice it. I got sick of calling them to replace one of my solar panels. It took them over 15 months to get it replaced. We customers have to constantly follow up with them. I did this at least twice per month. Don’t bother escalating your request or complaint to supervisors and/or managers. No one cares as long as they are billing you and you are under contract already. I wasted so much time on the phone with them. My solar panel was finally replaced and commissioned and now I’m struggling to get them to adjust my account for the panel that was not working.” – Bertha B on 1/23/2024 via BBB

“Confirming that SunPower’s residential solar customer service remains abysmal. Expect to spend at least half an hour on each call reaching your assigned “project manager,” who in turn will take several business days to speak with “upper management” to resolve even the simplest of issues. Unfortunately, there were multiple errors and miscommunications by SunPower on our projects, resulting in months of delay and hours on the phone. Terrible company and customer service, with unresponsive management all the way up the chain. Avoid these company for residential solar.” – Joshua T on 12/21/2023 via BBB

SunPower Comparison

Here’s a table that compares SunPower with two other solar providers of similar size serving in the same areas.

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Who is SunPower Best For?

SunPower is the right choice for you if you value efficiency and peace of mind over price. SunPower’s Maxeon panels are still the highest efficiency, even though other manufacturers have narrowed the gap in recent years. For now, SunPower is still the best place to get Maxeon panels, although that may change soon now that its exclusive deal with Maxeon has expired. SunPower is still my top choice for a solar installer if you want the best panels available that provide the highest level of production and energy savings.

SunPower is also best for homeowners who want peace of mind that their many-thousand-dollar investments in solar will be protected. SunPower’s warranties — particularly its performance guarantees — are still the best in the business and provide more peace of mind than you’ll get from any other solar installer. The magic of SunPower’s warranty isn’t just the duration (although 40 years’ worth of coverage for equipment and performance is outstanding) it’s the duration combined with Maxeon panels’ low degradation rates. If you go with SunPower, you can rest assured that the lowest panel production you’ll get within the first 25 years is guaranteed to be 92%. Other tier-one panels dip as low as 85% in that same timeframe.

Other than its excellent warranties and high-performance panels, SunPower scores well in the customer service, experience, and financing departments. While it doesn’t necessarily stand out from the crowd in any of those categories, you still get industry-standard support and financing options.

However, I’m SunPower will likely change as the company continues to shift its business model away from residential solar installations toward corporate projects, but for now, it remains a solid choice, in my opinion. And if you go solar with SunPower now, you won’t be entirely out of luck if the provider totally refocuses efforts on company projects.

If SunPower’s high prices are too much for you to stomach, you have more other options for high-efficiency panels than you ever have before. Any company that installs LONGi or Canadian Solar panels, for example, will be able to design a system for you that almost matches SunPower’s top-of-the-line Maxeon panels. The only thing you’ll miss out on by choosing another solar provider over SunPower is its excellent warranty support, which remains in a league of its own.

What’s Next? 

If you decide that SunPower is the right choice for you, your next step is to schedule a visit with a local SunPower dealer. SunPower now uses third-party installation companies to install its systems, so you’ll have to find a company near you that carries SunPower products.

On the other hand, if you’re not sold on SunPower, you can continue to research the company to see how it compares to other top solar companies. Our comparisons of SunPower vs. Trinity Solar, SunPower vs. Tesla Solar, and Sunrun vs. SunPower are excellent places to start.

If you’re still feeling confused after reading those reviews, it’s a good idea to read about what makes solar worth it. It can also help to review the potential savings you should expect from switching to solar by using our solar savings calculator.

No matter which solar provider you ultimately settle on, I recommend getting as many quotes as possible before you sign any contracts. Getting at least three quotes is the best way to make sure you’re getting a good deal. Local prices vary quite a lot across the country, so the only way to know what the going rate for solar is in your area is to get quotes from different companies.

Before you schedule any visits, make sure you have recent electric bills on hand. Solar companies need to see your energy usage patterns to be able to design your system to meet your power needs. That will ensure you get an accurate quote based on your actual needs.

Otherwise, take your time, don’t make rash decisions, and make sure you feel comfortable with your decision before you sign up. Buying solar panels is a big purchase and not one you want to rush. The savings you’ll enjoy from switching to solar power will reap rewards for decades, so delaying your decision by a few weeks or months to ensure you’re making the right call won’t matter much in the end.