How Does Home Solar Battery Storage Work?
If you’re thinking of going solar, you need to be thinking of storage. If you invest in a solar...
Premium Home Solar Battery Storage in New York
As extreme weather events continue to affect the East Coast, New York State is exploring opportunities to power the state with clean energy while increasing the reliability of its electric grid. The key to energy independence in New York? Solar storage for all.
With Sunrun’s Brightbox™, you can prepare for the unpredictable. Our home solar battery system equips you with reliable backup power, energy independence, and peace of mind. So when the next storm strikes, the sun can still power you forward.*Note - Brightbox solar battery service is currently only available for new Sunrun customers.
Battery Storage Technology
Energy storage technologies are crucial to a clean energy future. Sunrun’s Brightbox™ includes a powerful lithium-ion battery made by trusted partners like LG Chem to optimize affordability, efficiency, and durability. When fully charged, your battery can provide 8-12 hours of backup power on reserve, storing the solar power produced by your panels so you can use it when you need it most.
Sunrun Brightbox Home Battery
3 Ways Brightbox Powers You Forward
- Peace of Mind During an Outage
Historically, power outages are most common in New York during the extreme summer heat.1 As New Yorkers well know, disruptions also occur during severe weather storms. With Brightbox, you can rest easy knowing that you won’t be left in the dark. Your home battery will have a constant reserve of power. You’ll also be able to choose which rooms and appliances you want to back up. That means you can keep your food cold, your phones charged, and the lights on during a power outage. When the sun’s back out, Sunrun’s solar panels will recharge your Brightbox home battery so you can continue to get backup power until the grid is up and running again. - Superior Service
We do the work so you don’t have to. Our flexible solar leasing options come with 24/7 proactive monitoring and maintenance, on us. If we notice that your home battery or solar panels aren’t working at their full capacity, we’ll send an expert over to fix it. We’re always standing by to make sure your home battery is in top condition, so you can keep powering on. - Control Over Your Energy
Brightbox puts your energy needs first. Our smart storage technology and a seamless online user dashboard gives you control over your energy usage. During a blackout, you decide what stays rooms and appliances stay on. The more you know, the closer we get to putting the power back into your hands.
Keeping Your Lights On
Sunrun now offers New York homeowners a battery energy storage solution during blackouts. A power outage is always alarming and never expected - but you can be better prepared to keep your lights on, your food cold and your computers humming with Sunrun Brightbox™. And we’ve partnered with LG Chem, a world leader in lithium-ion batteries to bring you a battery backup system you can trust.
Throughout the day, your solar energy system powers your home and keeps your battery charged. Now, if there is an outage in the night, Brightbox can power the things you care about most for up to 10 hours* or until the sun comes up again.
Keep your food cold, your lights on, and enjoy greater peace-of-mind during a power outage with Sunrun Brightbox.
Stay
comfortable
comfortable
Keep your
food fresh
food fresh
Stay
connected
connected
Watch TV
Power your lights
Open your
garage door
garage door
Use the internet
* Backup time estimates are based on a fully charged battery and typical use of standard appliances, lights, and outlets.
The Future of Home Battery Backup
Governor Cuomo is spearheading the way with “Reforming the Energy Vision”, a plan to build a clean, resilient, and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.2 And with generous incentives like Solar Energy System Equipment Tax Credit,3 solar energy storage systems are all the more accessible for households across New York. And here at Sunrun, we’re here to help you claim your slice of New York sun.
Sunrun is the largest dedicated residential solar company in the country. With over 10 years of experience selling and installing solar, you can rest easy knowing we have the experience and resources to weather the storm with you for years to come. The state’s electricity companies are ready to collaborate with solar partners like us to make your energy future brighter, for the better.See if you qualify today.
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the best reasons to own a solar system in New York is its Megawatt Block Solar Incentive, where you’ll receive a rebate on your system based on where you live, your utility, and the size of your system. The best part? State-approved solar installers will automatically apply the rebate to your bill so you don’t have to lift a finger. Top that off with New York’s generous Solar Energy System Equipment Credit (cover 25% or up to $5,000 of your system cost) and the Federal Tax Credit (30% of your total system cost), and you could cut the cost of your solar system by over 50%.
For more information on New York solar incentives, click here.
At this time, Brightbox is only available to new Sunrun customers. We can’t install Brightbox if you already have an existing solar installation or if it isn’t offered in your area.
However, if you’re still interested in Brightbox please let us know—you’ll be the first to know when we’ve come up with a solution. We’re hard at work on optimizing our technology to provide an even more seamless customer experience.
Yes. Brightbox is part of Sunrun’s holistic solar as a service offering. When you choose to go solar with Sunrun, you can add a Brightbox home battery if it is offered in your market.
Brightbox works in tandem with the grid, and is not designed as an off-grid solution.
For most households, one solar battery is sufficient to backup your most important appliances. In the event of a blackout, your Brightbox battery provides up to 8-12 hours of backup and powers your critical rooms and appliances when fully charged.
When sun is back up, your solar panels will charge your battery so you can continue to backup your home until utility power is restored.
You can use a portable generator—however, Sunrun doesn’t offer backup generators. If you’re interested in installing a portable generator, you can contact a local electrician or renewable energy installation company. These experts can recommend a system that will be appropriate for your home.
Please note that Brightbox cannot be installed on homes that already have a standby generator.
Our expert electricians will take care of installing and configuring your battery for you. Batteries last anywhere between 10 and 15 years, and manufacturers typically offer a 10-year warranty.
Still, Brightbox is more than home batteries; it’s a holistic service that includes professional maintenance and monitoring during the life of your agreement. Customers who own their battery get Sunrun service for 10 years, while customers with a BrightSave Monthly or Prepaid contract get free battery maintenance replacement for the lifetime of their contract - generally 20 or 25 years.
Having a home solar battery service in New York will help you power through blackouts, lock in low rates with flexible financing options, and get a clean alternative to loud and potentially dangerous diesel generators.
Your system is also covered by our Sunrun Guarantee, so we handle maintenance and repairs at no additional charge.
The amount of available backup power depends on what you choose to back up, what time of day and season the power outage happens, and how much energy your household uses. If the battery is fully charged, it can provide 8-12 hours of backup. If your battery has been discharging throughout the day, it automatically holds a 20% reserve for a backup emergency, or about 3-4 hours for a blackout when the sun is down. When the sun comes back up, your Brightbox will start to charge again!
You can monitor your Brightbox battery’s performance on your mySunrun app. Sunrun also manages the battery remotely using proprietary software so we keep tabs on your system 24/7 to make sure it’s running as it should, and automatically updates your battery’s settings to save you as much money as possible.
Our BrightSave Monthly and Prepaid solar plans come with 24/7 proactive monitoring and maintenance, on us. So if we notice that your Brightbox or solar panels aren’t working at their full capacity, we’ll send an expert over to fix it without you having to lift a finger.
Brightbox is a home solar battery service that offers clean, reliable and affordable power. Brightbox can be used for backup when the grid is down, or give you better control over your home energy use and cost.
The electrical circuits in your home that power your lights and appliances are all connected to breakers, safely regulating the amount of power that feeds each circuit. Multiple appliances can be powered by one breaker. For instance, one breaker could power your refrigerator plus nearby outlets or lighting in your kitchen. While you can’t necessarily target individual appliances, with Sunrun Brightbox you can choose which breakers you’d like to back up. What you can back up depends on the current wiring of your home.
In the event of a power outage, appliances like your refrigerator, electronics chargers for cell phones, laptops, and your TV can be backed up by Brightbox for 8-12 hours. When the sun rises again, your solar panels will recharge your Brightbox. The most important rooms and appliances in your home will be powered by your home battery until the grid is up and running again. To learn more about how home solar batteries work, click here.
Brightbox stores the electricity your rooftop solar produces during the day for when you need it most, such as in the evening, at night, or when the electric grid fails.
In the event of a power outage, your Brightbox automatically discharges power to your critical home appliances.
To learn more about how home solar batteries work, click here.
