By Ria Rana, renewable energy marketing specialist at Rivertown Solar
If you own a SunPower system in Westchester or the Hudson Valley, there's a good chance you're paying for an app to see your own solar data, waiting on a maintenance request, or wondering who is actually responsible for your roof. You're not alone. This year, Rivertown Solar has fielded a steady stream of calls and emails from former SunPower customers whose systems are now managed by SunStrong Management.
SunPower filed for Chapter 11 in August 2024. Legacy lease and PPA customers were pointed to SunStrong for service, and in early 2025 SunStrong took over the old mySunPower monitoring app (EnergySage, Precis Solar). Here's what we've seen in the field, what's actually on your roof, and how to get your system working for you again.
Your SunPower system is (mostly) an Enphase system
Most SunPower homes we service have Enphase microinverters under the SunPower label. In 2018, Enphase bought SunPower's microinverter business and became the exclusive supplier of a custom line of IQ microinverters, including the IQ7XS, for SunPower AC modules (Enphase).
In other words, the hardware is Enphase, branded as SunPower. The difference is the monitoring layer:
- SunPower systems report through a SunPower PVS5 or PVS6 gateway to the SunStrong Connect app (formerly mySunPower).
- Native Enphase systems report through an Enphase IQ Gateway (Envoy) to Enphase's own app, which installers can access directly to diagnose problems and file warranty claims.
Enphase even runs a separate warranty desk for these units. Its replacement instructions to one of our customers asked for the PVS6 SunPower gateway serial number and the Enphase microinverter serials, sent to a dedicated SunPower address at Enphase. Same hardware, extra hoops.
Paying to see your own system
SunStrong moved advanced monitoring features, including panel-level data, behind a paid premium tier in April 2025. Several sources put it at about $10 a month or $100 a year (Precis Solar, Solar Technologies). Free cellular connectivity ended July 8, 2025. Systems that can't move to Wi-Fi or Ethernet need a paid cellular plan, reported at $59.99 a year for solar only and $149.99 for solar plus battery.
That matters for repairs, not just curiosity. Panel-level data is how a technician finds the one failed microinverter on a roof of 30. Without it, a service call becomes guesswork. Several homeowners we've helped only got panel-level visibility after paying for premium. Lease and PPA customers may have different terms, so check your agreement.
The app itself has a 1.3-star rating from about 3,400 reviews on Google Play, with complaints about lagging data and missing history (Google Play).
Locked out: why independent installers can't easily help
SunStrong limits technical access to its own network of contractors. When one homeowner asked SunStrong to give us access to her system, SunStrong's reply was clear: "only our authorized Field Service Partners are granted access to sites within our commissioning application or ProFleet." The homeowner also found no way to add a "maintainer" in the app.
The result is a loop that's hard for homeowners to escape:
- A microinverter fails, and production drops.
- Enphase will honor the warranty, but wants the claim filed by a professional, not the homeowner.
- The installer of record (SunPower) is gone, and an independent installer can't see the system in SunStrong's tools or in Enphase's installer portal.
- The homeowner pays for a diagnostic, pays for premium monitoring, and still waits.
One customer told us she was losing an estimated $500 a month in Con Edison credits while a single warranty-covered part sat unreplaced. In our experience, the warranty process for these systems is slower and more awkward than for a standard Enphase install, and we've had to own some of that delay ourselves.
Service requests that stall
Homeowners come to us after trying the official channels. Some of what they've told us, with details changed to protect privacy:
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To be fair, SunStrong is not unresponsive across the board. In one case it turned on panel-level monitoring within hours of a homeowner's call. The bigger problem is structural: a premium-only data model, a closed partner network, and three or four companies between a homeowner and a fix. As one customer put it, "We have been lost in the shuffle between SunPower, SunStrong" and others.
Leased system? Plan ahead for roof work and home sales
If SunStrong owns the panels on your roof, you can't just hire anyone to take them down. Before a re-roof, a sale or a move, expect these questions:
- Removal and reinstall. You need SunStrong's sign-off before anyone touches leased equipment.
- Buyout or transfer. One Mamaroneck seller bought out his lease so the panels could be removed before closing. Another homeowner moving houses was working to keep her lease on the new home rather than be pushed into a buyout.
- Timing. Home sales and roofing crews run on deadlines. Start the SunStrong conversation weeks before you need the panels off.
Read your lease or PPA carefully and ask SunStrong for every answer in writing. We're installers, not lawyers, so talk to an attorney about contract questions. Sustainable Westchester has also been a useful resource for homeowners sorting out lease options.
The way out: switch to native Enphase monitoring
If you own your system outright, you can usually drop the SunStrong layer. Your microinverters are already Enphase, so we replace the SunPower gateway with Enphase's own monitoring hardware and register the system to you and to us in Enphase's platform.
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A typical swap includes a new combiner with the Enphase gateway, breakers, consumption CTs and panel mapping. For most homes we've quoted about $1,500, a one-time cost that ends the subscription and makes future repairs faster. Leased systems are different, because SunStrong owns the equipment, so check with SunStrong first.
What to do this week
- ☐ Check last month's production against the same month last year. A drop of 20% or more usually means a failed component.
- ☐ Compare your Con Edison bill credits. Lower credits are often the first sign of trouble.
- ☐ Find your paperwork: owned or leased, install date, and gateway model (PVS5 or PVS6).
- ☐ If you're leased, contact SunStrong in writing and keep a record of every request.
- ☐ If you own the system, get a quote to switch to native Enphase monitoring.
Rivertown Solar is a NABCEP-certified installer based in Irvington, and we service SunPower systems across Westchester and the Hudson Valley. Whether you need a diagnostic, a microinverter replaced, or a monitoring swap that ends the subscription, contact us or call (914) 231-6866.
Sources
- Enphase completes acquisition of SunPower's microinverter business (Enphase, Aug 2018)
- SunPower is bankrupt. What now? (EnergySage)
- What SunPower's transition to SunStrong means for you (Precis Solar)
- Changes to SunStrong monitoring and cellular connectivity (Solar Technologies)
- SunStrong Connect on Google Play
- SunStrong takes over legacy Sunnova systems (Solar Power World, Sep 2025)
