When it comes to monthly energy bills, you might not feel like you have much control. Yes, you can take steps to decrease your energy consumption, but there’s no denying it – you can’t live without electricity. What if you could harness limitless power from the sun to produce energy for your home? That’s exactly what you get when you go solar.
Choosing a solar panel brand to install on your Rockland or Orange County home requires some research. After all, not all solar panels are created equal, and the brand you choose could impact your satisfaction for decades to come. Explore SunPower vs Vivint to help narrow down your options.
SunPower
SunPower vs Vivint: Network Growth
SunPower has been in business for 30 years. The California-based company was launched by a Stanford engineering professor who had visions of using solar energy to power residential, commercial and utility-scale projects.
SunPower has provided solar solutions for NASA, Honda and power plants endorsed by President Obama. Solar arrays manufactured by this company have been installed around the world, including in Bavaria, Japan, Australia and the Philippines. A worldwide network consisting of hundreds of thousands of residential, commercial and industrial customers makes SunPower a global leader in solar energy.
SunPower vs Vivint: Panel Technology
This brand is a top pick for customers who want to take advantage of the most efficient solar panels in the industry. SunPower began breaking solar industry records in the 2000s and continues to innovate to this day. The most efficient monocrystalline silicon solar cell belongs to SunPower. At 24.2% efficient, Maxeon solar cells convert more energy from the sun into usable electricity than any other cell available today.
As for the panels themselves, those from the SunPower X-Series deliver a record-breaking 21.5% efficiency. This impressive efficiency combined with a 0.75% slower degradation rate per year means that SunPower panels produce an average of 70% more electricity over the first 25 years. Talk about getting the biggest bang for your buck!
SunPower vs Vivint: Financing Options
Taking advantage of efficient SunPower solar panels doesn’t require you to break the bank. Choose from three flexible financing options to make your transition to solar as smooth as possible:
- Lease: With this option, SunPower owns your panels and your home simply acts as an energy production site. You pay a monthly rate to rent the system and access the energy it produces. For most customers, the lease payment and residual energy bill are lower than the previous electric bill.
- Loan: Own your solar panels and pay off your loan gradually with monthly payments. For most customers, the loan payment and remaining energy bill are lower than the previous electric bill.
- Purchase: If you can afford it, this is the most economical way to go solar. You can also take out a home equity home to purchase your panels, which may be tax-deductible.
Vivint
SunPower vs Vivint: Network Growth
Vivint started as a home security system company in 1999 called APX Alarm. In 2011, it underwent company-wide rebranding and adopted the name Vivint. By the end of that year, Vivint Solar launched and currently offers services to customers in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New Jersey. The company has more than 850,000 home security, automation and solar panel customers in the US and Canada.
SunPower vs Vivint: Panel Technology
Since Vivint focuses solely on Purchase Power Agreements (PPAs) rather than selling panels to customers, there isn’t much talk about what level of efficiency these panels are capable of. However, it is known that Vivint solar panels utilize microinverters to maximize efficiency in the shade.
SunPower vs Vivint: Financing Options
As mentioned above, Vivint offers only one financing option called a PPA. This involves handing over ownership, operation and maintenance responsibilities to Vivint while you agree to purchase the power produced by the solar panels for a set period of time (usually 20 years).
A PPA allows you to enjoy stable, sometimes lower electricity costs without the high upfront cost traditionally associated with buying solar panels. Vivint claims most customers see a decrease of 20% to 30% in their electric bills with no money down or any extra effort on their part.
The downside to a PPA is that you are not eligible to claim any valuable tax credits, refunds or other solar incentives that allow solar panels to provide a lucrative return on investment. PPAs are all about making the switch to solar fast and easy, but not necessarily about saving a huge amount of money in the long run.
When deciding SunPower vs Vivint, it’s clear that both have good qualities. But when it comes to taking advantage of the best solar panels in the world, it’s clear that SunPower is the way to go. Find a provider in Rockland and Orange County today to begin the installation process.
