How Sunrun Uses HelioScope to Scale Efficient Solar Solutions in Multifamily Housing
Year-over-Year Increase in Proposal Delivery
On average, the design team saves 8 hours per project using Commercial Modeling Services (CMS)
Sunrun can onboard internal designers and external vendors in just one week with HelioScope
About Sunrun
Sunrun is on a mission to democratize solar energy and make it accessible to more people. More than that, the company has a vision that’s no less than a world powered by the sun. But how do we get there? Well, if your name is Sunrun you’d better move fast. And Sunrun does. The company’s multifamily division has completed more than 500 projects and partnered with more than 50 developers across the country. What’s more, Sunrun is the leading provider of solar through the Multifamily Affordable Solar Homes Program (MASH) and Solar on Multifamily Affordable Housing Program (SOMAH) programs. This puts the company at the leading edge of bringing affordable solar solutions to communities. Just one example of how impactful Sunrun’s work can be is the Villa Loma Apartments in California. The company partnered with BRIDGE Housing on a solar project that provided energy equity to nearly 350 families. What exactly does that mean? In this case, residents are expected to save an average of $60 per month on their electric bill — that’s more than $700 a year. (Read more about this project.) How does Sunrun do it? The company provides a wide range of services, including development and financing, to go with an industry-leading guarantee. To do this, Sunrun relies on sophisticated tools like HelioScope to help them navigate all the complex details of solar project design and execution — quickly, seamlessly, and accurately.
Value of a Multifamily Business-Focus
One in five Americans lives in a multifamily building. And the demand for multifamily housing is only expected to surge from here, with projections indicating the need to build 4.3 million more apartments by 2035 to meet growing housing needs. On top of that, nearly 1.3 million households are living in government-subsidized Public Housing Units, managed by about 3,300 Housing Authority offices. This presents a large target market for commercial solar developers, driven by both intrinsic motivation and financial incentives to adopt sustainable building and operational practices.
Challenges
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.
Innovative Solutions
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.
The Results
Sunrun's internal design team saves 30+ minutes per project
Using HelioScope's Commercial Modeling Service, Sunrun saves ~8 hours per project. Over the last 12 months, this equates to 2,208 hours — or 92 days
The integration of HelioScope and CMS has helped Sunrun transform their operational dynamics, yielding impressive efficiencies and setting a new standard for solar project execution. Below are some key results and metrics that underscore this evolution:
Proposal Delivery and Operational Throughput
- 27% Year-over-Year Increase in Proposal Delivery: By expanding design throughput, Sunrun has significantly increased its deal-closure rate. This improvement directly contributes to accelerated revenue growth.
- Operational Throughput: The duplication and clone feature in HelioScope has been a game-changer, saving hours on complex designs. This efficiency extends across both sales and design teams, streamlining operations and enabling Sunrun to tackle a greater volume of projects with enhanced agility.
Time Savings and Efficiency
- Time Savings: Using HelioScope's Commercial Modeling Service, Sunrun saves ~8 hours per project. Over the last 12 months, this equates to 2,208 hours — or 92 days.
- Time Efficiency: The design phase now showcases a remarkable reduction in time expenditure, with savings ranging from 20 minutes to 8 hours per project, depending on the complexity of the project.
- Targeted Time Savings in Internal Design Phase: When SunRun’s design team handles projects internally — excluding the use of Commercial Modeling Services — they achieve time savings of a minute per roof. It may not seem like a lot, but with an average of 30 roofs per project, it adds up to 30 minutes per project.
Design and Sales Efficiency
- Design and Sales Synergy: HelioScope’s seamless interface and advanced features have not only optimized design workflows but also empowered the sales team to expedite proposal generation and revisions, enhancing customer engagement.
- Decrease in Project Lifecycle: Designs get completed sooner with HelioScope which reduces the contract timeline with Sunrun’s customers.
Training and Onboarding Efficiency
- Onboarding New Designers in 1 Week: With HelioScope, Sunrun has reduced the onboarding time for new designers and partners from several weeks to just one week, greatly enhancing workforce flexibility and responsiveness.
On the Horizon
As Sunrun continues to illuminate the path towards a sustainable future, the strategic integration of HelioScope and Commercial Modeling Services has marked a pivotal chapter in their journey. This partnership has not only addressed the multifaceted challenges of solar project design and execution but has also set a new benchmark for operational efficiency and scalability within the industry.
By leveraging HelioScope and CMS’s cutting-edge capabilities, Sunrun has significantly enhanced its design precision, operational throughput, and project turnaround times — ensuring their continued leadership in making solar energy accessible to multifamily homes across the nation. As we look towards the horizon, Sunrun's commitment to innovation and excellence remains steadfast, promising a brighter, solar-powered future for all.