Home batteries are becoming increasingly popular here in Houston. People are using them to keep the lights on, the refrigerator running, and the air conditioning humming during an outage, which is what the Wright family did when Hurricane Beryl in August 2024.
While their whole street was left in the dark, the Wrights kept the lights on in their home thanks to Sunrun. Sunrun is more than just a backup power system; it uses solar and battery to keep families powered on.
The Wright family was unaware of the power outage when Hurricane Beryl struck their home in Houston. Their Sunrun activated immediately as the grid went down, ensuring a seamless transition. “We looked out and the whole neighborhood was dark, but nothing happened at our house,” said Jeff Wright.
A Lesson from Hurricane Maria
The Wrights’ experience with power outages is not new. Having previously lived in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria, they endured six weeks without power. “Once we decided to move to Houston, we thought, ‘That’s never going to happen to us again,‘” they explained. With Sunrun, they found peace of mind knowing that as long as the sun is shining, they would have power, “...even on overcast days,” said Jenny Wright.
Understanding the Sunrun System
Sunrun’s Brent McNiel explained the components of the system, “These are two Tesla Powerwalls,” he said that at the Wright’s home, these are teamed with “...about 19 solar panels. This runs the home.” He likened the system to a laptop that is always powered on and ready to go. When the power grid goes down, the battery takes over seamlessly.
During Hurricane Beryl McNiel, who also has a Sunrun system at his home, had enough power to not only keep his whole home powered but was also able to help his neighbors by running power cables to their homes. This allowed others to tap into Sunrun-generated power for essentials like fans, refrigerators, and phone chargers.
Is Sunrun Right for Your Home?
McNiel emphasized that most homes are good candidates for a Sunrun system. “We will do our own inspection to make sure it works,” he said.
For many families, the cost of energy independence and protection from outages is often less than their current energy bills.
“Peace of mind is priceless,” the Wrights noted. After experiencing weeks without power, they now have confidence knowing they will have electricity no matter the circumstances.
Get in Touch with Sunrun
Since 2007, Sunrun has been dedicated to supporting its customers every step of the way. To determine if Sunrun is the right partner to safeguard your home, visit Sunrun.com or call 888-GO-SOLAR. If you live in Houston, you can contact Sunrun’s sales manager, Brent McNiel, directly at 832-469-9611.