Swedish furniture giant IKEA is already on the top of many people’s lists for furnishing a new apartment or home – they make those updates easy and accessible with furniture that allows you to DIY build everything from a bookshelf to a bed frame. Recently, IKEA has made the jump from home furnishings to rooftop solar through a partnership with SunPower. While this partnership won’t allow you to build your own solar system, it does promise to make solar accessible to IKEA customers. In the United States, this program is currently only available in California, and we’ll cover everything you need to know about it in this article.
Key takeaways
In September 2022, IKEA and SunPower announced a partnership to bring SunPower solar panels to IKEA customers, but it’s currently only available in California.
IKEA is not producing solar panels, but through IKEA, customers will be connected with SunPower to receive a consultation, quote, and home assessment before beginning the solar system installation process.
Want to compare different installation options at a great price? Head to the EnergySage Marketplace to receive multiple quotes for installing solar on your property.
What’s in this article?
Overview of IKEA in the solar market
While IKEA’s solar panel business in the United States remains limited in scope and availability, the company is taking significant and concrete steps to reduce their own environmental impact. IKEA began installing solar panel arrays on its own buildings in 2011 to cut its carbon footprint (they have over 900,000 solar panels installed on-site globally), and has more recently turned to massive solar farms to further offset their energy use. In September 2019, IKEA invested in two solar farms in the US – one in Utah with 636,000 panels and another in Texas with 823,000 panels. IKEA owns 49 percent of the projects.
This model of renewable energy procurement and usage is different from many corporate renewable plans; IKEA actually owns and operates its own infrastructure, while companies like Google that tout their commitments to renewables generally purchase energy from solar and wind farms owned by other companies.
According to IKEA’s holding company Ingka, their green energy infrastructure already generates more electricity than they use in stores, and they expect their entire supply chain to become climate positive by 2030. In addition to their partnership with SunPower in the United States, IKEA has similar solar partnerships with companies in Australia and 10 markets in Europe including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland and Portugal.
Can you buy solar panels at IKEA?
The short answer is no. It’s a little bit more complicated than walking into the nearest IKEA and coming out with brand new solar panels, like you might if you wanted to purchase a new dresser. First, you need to be a member of the IKEA Family program – their customer loyalty program (the program is free to join). Second, you need to live in California because IKEA and SunPower are currently only offering the program in that state, with plans to expand in the future on an indeterminate timeline. Finally, the solar installation process is a little more complicated than most other products IKEA sells, so they’re outsourcing the installation responsibility to SunPower. While you can DIY your own solar installation, having it done by a certified installer is typically just marginally more expensive, much safer, and can provide additional peace of mind that you’ll get the most out of your panels.
Essentially, you can’t buy the physical solar panels at IKEA, but you can purchase them through IKEA and have them installed on your property by SunPower. This partnership is similar to Costco’s program with Sunrun.
Is IKEA producing solar panels?
Through their partnership with SunPower, IKEA is offering solar panel systems for sale on their website (currently in California only in the United States) to their customers. However, these panels are not being produced by IKEA. SunPower has been in the solar industry for over 37 years, and will be installing their own solar panels for IKEA customers. Through their partnership, IKEA and SunPower are hoping to reach a larger group of customers and give them the chance to power their homes with solar electricity.
It is important to note that SunPower does not actually produce its own solar panels, and for the past few years has been offering panels produced by various companies based on supply chain availability. This will be the same for the IKEA Home Solar program. Be sure to discuss what panels are being installed on your home with your installer.
All of the SunPower solar systems sold through the IKEA Home Solar program are SunPower panels, inverters, and batteries, and covered by SunPower warranties. Here are a few key highlights about SunPower’s warranties:
SunPower solar panel warranty
25 years (industry standard is 10 years)
10 year monitoring warranty
Covers labor and shipping for repair and replacement parts
SunPower battery warranty
10 years (industry standard is 10 years)
Includes inverters (SunPower inverters are built-into the battery system)
Covers labor and shipping for repair and replacement parts
How will going solar through IKEA work?
After beginning the process by requesting a quote from IKEA, you will be contacted by a SunPower representative to discuss your energy needs, budget, and financing options. Following this initial consultation, SunPower will provide you with a quote, and then perform a home assessment to determine if there are any major issues (like roof integrity) that would prevent you from installing solar. Once this is complete, a SunPower installer will install your new home solar system. Depending on your energy needs (such as if you experience frequent outages or live in an area with demand charges), you may also elect to install a solar-plus-storage system, which would include a battery as part of the installation.
IKEA and SunPower are offering customers four different packages to choose from. These are broken down by customer’s energy consumption needs:
Solar saver: SunPower’s solar panel system
Solar driver: SunPower’s solar panel system and the Wallbox Pulsar Plus EV charger
Solar independent: SunPower’s solar panel system (with additional choice of panel options) and battery storage system
Solar dreamer: SunPower’s solar panel system (with additional choice of panel options), SunPower’s battery storage system, and the Wallbox Pulsar Plus EV charger
All of the packages above include SunPower’s Equinox system, meaning you get panels, inverters, racking, and monitoring software.
Compare your solar options on the EnergySage Marketplace
Solar energy can help corporations, non-profits, and residential property owners save on electricity bills, moving the electricity grid towards a more sustainable, low-carbon future. If you’re interested in installing solar on your property, the best way to find the right equipment at the right price is by comparing multiple quotes. On the EnergySage Marketplace, local installers compete for your business by submitting solar quotes complete with pricing, equipment options, and estimated savings. If you aren’t sure how to best compare and select your quotes, our unbiased Energy Advisors are always available to talk through your options (for free!).
Comments