Sunrun vs Trinity Solar: Plans, Warranties and Service Areas for Northeast Homeowners

Sunrun vs Trinity Solar is a choice between a national company that mostly owns and maintains the systems it installs and a regional Northeast installer that mainly sells systems you buy. Sunrun's subscription plans include 25 years of repairs and a 90% production guarantee, while Trinity offers cash purchases, loans through partner lenders and leases or PPAs through partner companies, with warranty terms that depend on how you pay.

All facts below were checked on company sites and recent reviews in November 2026.

Key takeaways

• Both serve parts of the Northeast; Trinity lists nine states and Sunrun says it operates in 20.
• Sunrun's monthly lease and PPA plans include 25 years of maintenance and repairs and a 90% production guarantee (not in Florida).
• Trinity's public warranty overview for upfront purchases lists a 25-year panel warranty, up to 12 years on inverters, 10 years of labor and 5 years on roof penetrations.
• Trinity's leases and PPAs come from partner companies, so the contract terms come from that partner.
• No federal 25D credit is available for expenditures made after December 31, 2025, which for solar means installations completed after that date.

Sunrun vs Trinity Solar at a glance

Feature	Sunrun	Trinity Solar
Company type	National; owns most systems it installs	Regional installer; in business 30+ years
Payment options	Monthly lease, PPA, Flex, prepaid, purchase	Purchase, loan (partner lenders), lease or PPA (partners)
Upfront cost	$0 on monthly subscription plans	$0 down on loans through partner lenders
Repairs	25 years of maintenance and repairs on subscriptions	"Up to 25-year parts and labor guarantee"; details vary by agreement
Labor / workmanship	Covered under the Sunrun Guarantee	10 years of labor on upfront purchases
Roof penetrations	Up to 10 years	5 years on upfront purchases
Production guarantee	At least 90% (not in Florida)	None stated
Roofing services	Not described on the Sunrun pages we reviewed	Offers new roofs, alone or with solar

Where Sunrun and Trinity Solar operate

Trinity Solar's website lists Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Ohio. It says it has installed on more than 140,000 homes.

Sunrun says it serves more than 5,000 cities in 20 states. Its state page names California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Texas, plus Washington, D.C. So the overlap is mainly Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. If you live in Delaware, Pennsylvania or Ohio, Trinity is listed and Sunrun does not name your state on that page.

Check local rates and solar output on your state page, such as solar in New Jersey, before you compare quotes.

Payment options: own it or subscribe

Sunrun

EnergySage reported in June 2026 that about 95% of Sunrun customers choose a subscription. Options include:

• A 25-year monthly lease or PPA with $0 upfront
• Flex, offered in Texas, Illinois and California
• A prepaid plan that covers 25 years with one payment and no escalator
• Cash purchase, chosen by about 5% of customers

Monthly subscription payments rise each year by the escalator in your contract, and Sunrun lists every year's rate in the agreement.

Trinity Solar

Trinity's payment page lists three paths:

• Lease or PPA, which it calls "most popular." A third party owns the system, and Trinity says these are provided by partners. Availability varies by state.
• Loan with $0 down through partner lenders. Trinity says it is not a financial institution, does not make loans or decide eligibility, and that lenders set all loan terms.
• Purchase upfront.

Trinity also says it does not guarantee savings. When a partner owns your lease, the partner's contract decides your escalator, buyout and transfer rules, so ask who that partner is. Our guide on solar lease vs buy walks through the trade-offs.

Warranties and guarantees compared

Sunrun: The Sunrun Guarantee includes 25 years of maintenance and repairs (parts and labor), 24/7 monitoring and a watertight roof warranty. On monthly lease and PPA plans, Sunrun guarantees at least 90% of estimated production and pays the difference. It is not available in Florida, and Illinois terms differ. Sunrun's annual report for 2025 says roof penetration warranties run up to ten years.

Trinity Solar: Trinity's homepage advertises an "up to 25-year parts and labor guarantee." Its warranty article says its public overview for upfront purchases lists:

• 25-year solar panel warranty
• Up to 12 years on inverters
• 10 years of labor
• 5 years on roof penetrations

Trinity notes that coverage "may differ by equipment, provider, payment arrangement, signed agreement and installation date," and that the documents supplied with your proposal control. It does not state a production guarantee. Ask for the warranty documents with your quote. Our guide to solar installer warranties explains what to look for.

Owner reviews and complaints

We do not rank installers. Read owner reviews on our Trinity Solar page and Sunrun page. EcoWatch's undated Trinity review (titled 2025) summarized complaint themes in negative reviews, including savings that fell short of expectations, little communication after installation, installation delays and aggressive door-to-door and phone sales. It also noted that service reviews are mixed and vary by local branch. Those are worth asking any installer about, not just Trinity.

Trinity's site says it starts with a free 60-minute in-home consultation, and Sunrun sells through its own consultants. In either case, you do not have to sign at the first meeting. Ask for the proposal, the contract and the warranty documents to review at home, and compare them against at least one other quote.

Questions to ask Sunrun and Trinity Solar before signing

Whichever way you lean, get these answers in writing. They are the points where contracts from a national subscription company and a regional installer differ most.

• Who owns the system? With Sunrun's subscription, Sunrun does. With Trinity's lease or PPA, a partner company does, so ask for its name.
• What is the escalator? Ask for the payment for every year of the term, not just year one.
• Who fixes the system in year 12? Ask which warranty or service plan covers an inverter or panel failure after the labor warranty ends.
• What happens if I sell? Sunrun runs transfers through an online portal with a soft credit check for the buyer. For a Trinity partner lease, the partner's rules apply.
• What is my cancellation window? Federal and state cooling-off rules may give you a few days to cancel a home sale; ask where the cancellation form is.
• What is the production estimate based on? Ask how shading and roof direction were modeled, and whether any guarantee is tied to that number.

Comparing those answers often settles the decision faster than comparing first-year savings estimates.

Which should you choose?

• You want to own the system and need a new roof: Trinity offers roofing alongside solar, which can mean one contractor for both jobs.
• You want no upfront cost and long-term repairs included: Sunrun's subscription is built that way, but your payment may rise each year and you will not own the panels.
• You want a production guarantee: Sunrun states one for monthly lease and PPA plans; Trinity does not state one.
• You are in Delaware, Pennsylvania or Ohio: Trinity lists those states; confirm Sunrun availability by address.

Since the federal residential credit no longer applies to solar installations completed after 2025, compare the full lifetime cost of each offer rather than the first-year bill.

Next steps

Ask both for written quotes, including warranty documents and, for any lease, the full payment schedule. Then compare them in our solar quote checker and browse more installers in our solar company directory.