How Sunrun uses Helioscope to scale multifamily housing solar

Sunrun, a leader in bringing solar energy to multifamily housing, partnered with HelioScope to streamline their complex design processes. By integrating HelioScope’s Commercial Modeling Services (CMS), Sunrun overcame operational inefficiencies and design bottlenecks, achieving a 27% year-over-year increase in proposal delivery.

The Villa Loma project in California exemplifies their impact, saving residents an average of $60 per month on electricity. CMS enabled Sunrun to deliver accurate 3D designs within 24 hours, saving 2,208 hours annually. This partnership has revolutionized their approach, setting new standards in solar project efficiency and scalability.

Learn more in this Aurora Solar / Helioscope case study

Navigating the solar industry’s complexities requires not only vision and commitment but also the ability to overcome significant operational challenges. Before integrating HelioScope and the introduction of Commercial Modeling Services (CMS), Sunrun’s path was littered with several obstacles that threatened to impede their growth and efficiency.

Recognizing the need for a more streamlined approach, Sunrun adopted CMS — a service where customers can submit a design request and, within 24 hours, receive accurate and efficient 3D designs. This rapid turnaround is critical for overcoming design backlogs and operational bottlenecks, enabling Sunrun to expedite their workflow and meet demanding RFP deadlines more effectively.

Complex Design Processes | The intricate design requirements of multifamily homes posed a significant challenge for Sunrun. The previous software solutions fell short in terms of usability and flexibility, complicating the design process and impacting overall project timelines.

Operational Inefficiencies | To scale up in the highly competitive solar industry your operations need to be as efficient as possible. But Sunrun faced hurdles in streamlining their processes, particularly during the sales and design stages. This inefficiency not only slowed down project execution but also limited the company’s ability to expand into new markets.

Global Supply Chain Challenges | Module shortages, a consequence of global supply chain disruptions, presented another significant challenge. The inability to secure necessary components on time affected project planning and execution, compromising the quality and timeliness of solar installations.

In response to these challenges, Sunrun’s multifamily division sought a partnership that could help them navigate the complexities of commercial and multifamily designs with precision, speed, and scalability. Their solution: Integrating HelioScope and Commercial Modeling Services — both renowned for transforming solar project design and execution — into their processes.

Rapid and Accurate Design Processes with CMS

HelioScope and CMS helped Sunrun revolutionize how they approached solar project designs. CMS swiftly provides detailed 3D site models for a wide range of complex property types, ensuring design precision within 24 hours. In addition, HelioScope’s intuitive interface allows for quick design adaptations and facilitates the rapid duplication of designs. This not only saved precious time but also enabled the team to efficiently tackle complex design challenges.

“The ability to rapidly generate and adjust designs has been pivotal, especially during critical periods like quarter-ends,” notes Khalil Suradi, Account Manager at Sunrun.

Streamlined Operations and Reduced Manual Input

The LIDAR technology in HelioScope significantly minimized the need for manual data entry, enhancing design accuracy and reducing time spent on manual corrections. At the same time, CMS’s 3D views expedited the design process, allowing for more accurate and visually comprehensive planning.

Moreover, HelioScope’s ability to handle multiple inputs for production modeling reports is especially beneficial. The software allows users to create and upload detailed horizon profiles, account for soiling conditions, and factor in other environmental variables. This lets Sunrun generate highly accurate production models, tailored to the specific conditions of each site. Lastly, the availability of 8760 reports directly from HelioScope also streamlined the approval processes with Authority Having Jurisdictions (AHJs), further enhancing Sunrun’s credibility and operational efficiency.

Enhanced Pre-Sale Design and Streamlined Transition to Detailed Analysis

HelioScope excels in expediting the pre-sale design phase, a critical factor for meeting tight RFP deadlines and accelerating the sales process. By enabling rapid design iterations during the pre-sale period, HelioScope allows Sunrun to efficiently finalize layouts and initial estimations before transitioning to detailed CAD and traditional analysis tools for final project validation. This streamlined approach significantly reduces the time typically required to create designs with conventional tools, accelerating project timelines and enhancing client trust.

A key aspect of HelioScope’s value is its role in Sunrun’s financial underwriting process. Sunrun’s ability to base its financial projections and underwriting on HelioScope’s reports is highly regarded in the commercial and industrial (C&I) space. Investors and stakeholders place significant trust in these production reports, underscoring HelioScope’s importance for enhancing bankability and reliability in solar project investments

Adapting to Equipment Availability

HelioScope’s flexibility in incorporating a variety of solar modules and inverters into its database has been crucial for Sunrun. Amidst global supply chain challenges, particularly module shortages, the ability to quickly select alternative equipment already listed in HelioScope’s extensive database has minimized delays. This functionality has allowed Sunrun to continue designing without interruptions, effectively mitigating potential impacts from equipment unavailability.

Training and Onboarding

HelioScope’s educational resources have also provided a unique advantage. Sunrun leveraged these training modules to quickly onboard new team members and external partners, effectively scaling their operations. “HelioScope’s training modules were instrumental in expanding our team’s capabilities and integrating external partners smoothly,” shares Jorge Jimenez, a member of the design team.

Through the strategic integration of HelioScope and CMS, Sunrun not only overcame its initial challenges but also set a new standard for operational efficiency and scalability in the solar industry. This partnership has enabled Sunrun to meet RFP deadlines more effectively, streamline its sales funnel, and ultimately reduce project lifecycle and rework significantly.

“The precision and speed of CMS’s designs have been game-changers, positioning Sunrun for unparalleled success,” affirms Rutuja Bhadre, Manager, Storage & External Design at Sunrun.

Tags: Aurora Solar, commercial and industrial, Sunrun