IKEA To Make Home Solar Panels More Readily Available In The US
Photo 190236914 © Domenico Fornas | Dreamstime.com
Pretty soon, more people in the US could work from home with some of their electricity powered by the sun. IKEA is endeavoring to make home solar options more accessible to the general public, starting with consumers in California.
The solar panels will come from SunPower, a reputed residential energy services provider, and will include the firm’s Complete Confidence Warranty—which covers the panels, racking, monitoring of hardware and storage, and so on—so customers will feel more comfortable with adopting solar cells.
IKEA will first offer the solar panels in California this fall as part of its customer loyalty program, serving more as a middleman between IKEA Family members and SunPower’s products and services, a representative tells DesignTAXI.
Instead of the panels being stocked on shelves, “SunPower will work directly with customers to design and install a complete solar energy system for their home,” says the spokesperson.
IKEA intends to introduce this solution to other parts of the US later on.
Keep calm & shine on! â˜€ï¸ We’re excited to announce our partnership with @SunPower, a leading #solar tech & #energy services provider, to offer home solar solutions enabling California IKEA Family members to generate renewable energy at home. Learn more: https://t.co/agvfVV2xgq pic.twitter.com/BWDM9ignoR
— IKEA USA News (@IKEAUSANews) May 12, 2022
The US is hardly the only market that IKEA is carrying home solar products into. Last year, Reuters reported that the Swedish furniture giant had already been retailing solar panels in 11 markets outside of America.
It’s just one of the numerous steps that the company is taking to reach its goal of being fully circular by 2030. Last year, IKEA introduced its program to buy back gently-used furniture in the US. It also plans to eliminate plastic packaging by 2028.
“At IKEA, we’re passionate about helping our customers live a more sustainable life at home,” says Javier Quiñones, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA US. “We’re proud to collaborate with SunPower to bring this service to the US and enable our customers to make individual choices aimed at reducing their overall climate footprint.
Quiñones continues: “The launch of Home Solar with IKEA will allow more people to take greater control of their energy needs, and our goal is to offer the clean energy service at additional IKEA locations in the future.”
[via Apartment Therapy and EcoWatch, images via various sources]
