What you need to know about IKEA's solar business

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 expanded 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.

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 its environmental impact. IKEA began installing solar panel arrays on its buildings in 2011 to cut its carbon footprint (over 900,000 solar panels are installed onsite globally). It has more recently turned to massive solar farms to offset its energy use further. 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 renewable energy procurement and usage model differs from many corporate renewable plans; IKEA 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 European markets, including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, and Portugal.

The short answer is no. It's a 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 must live in California because IKEA and SunPower currently only offer the program in that state, with plans to expand 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.

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.

Through their partnership with SunPower, IKEA is offering their customers solar panel systems for sale on their website (currently in California only in the United States). However, these panels are not being produced by IKEA. SunPower has been in the solar industry for over 37 years and will install its own solar panels for IKEA customers. Through their partnership, IKEA and SunPower hope to reach a larger group of customers and give them a chance to power their homes with solar electricity.

It is important to note that SunPower does not produce its solar panels. For the past few years, it has been offering panels made 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 installed on your home with your installer.

All SunPower solar systems sold through the IKEA Home Solar program are SunPower panels, inverters, and batteries 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

• Read the full warranty review.

SunPower battery warranty

• 10 years (the industry standard is 10 years)

• Includes inverters (SunPower inverters are built into the battery system)

• Covers labor and shipping for repair and replacement parts

• Read the full warranty review

After you begin the process by requesting a quote from IKEA, you will be contacted by a SunPower representative to talk about 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 any significant issues (like roof integrity) 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, including 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 the additional choice of panels), SunPower's battery storage system, and the Wallbox Pulsar Plus EV charger

All the packages above include SunPower's Equinox system, meaning you get panels, inverters, racking, and monitoring software.

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 discuss your options (for free!).