Going Solar Lease Option

Twenty-seven SunPower 225 watt solar panels on this home will generate approximately 738 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer in 2008 was 920 kWh per month.

For homeowners to ''go solar'' is an expensive proposition. If you're in the market for a newly built home and want to go solar, one homebuilder has a solution.

The Lennar Corp. has announced a partnership with SunPower Corp., a solar cell/panel manufacturer and installer based in San Jose, Calif., to lease solar panels to its home buyers, in lieu of the home buyers purchasing the technology outright along with the house.

In 2009, Lennar and SunPower launched a test run of the leasing option in 150 Sacramento, Calif. homes, which proved a success.

Lennar, founded in 1954, is a Fortune 500 company based in Miami. In 2008, it was the second largest homebuilder in the U.S., constructing homes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.