What Sunreps does

Sunreps (legal entity Sun Ra, LLC) is a Carnation, Washington-based training and materials provider that commercializes NREL-originated fabric transpired solar collector technology for the HVAC industry. The company's flagship system is a passive solar air preheating module that mounts on rooftops or walls of commercial buildings, capturing solar-heated boundary-layer air through a perforated black fabric absorber and delivering it directly into existing rooftop HVAC units via a thermally actuated damper, with no electricity required. The system is engineered for 1-3 ton and 4-5 ton RTUs, achieves 22-30% gas savings during the heating season, and produces 2-5 therms per square foot per heating season, with material costs of $375-$400 per 3-ton installation and approximately 2 hours of build time for skilled installers.

Sunreps monetizes through a self-serve e-commerce channel on Gumroad, selling a $49.95 training course, a $199.95 professional micro-license for HVAC contractors and engineers, and physical fabric collector materials at $80.60-$102 per system. The company targets HVAC professionals, contractors, building engineers, mechanical engineers, and solar enthusiasts, with non-licensed individuals required to partner with licensed contractors for installation. Approximately 80% of materials are sourced locally from Home Depot and L&W Supply, which the company emphasizes as a structural cost advantage. Endorsements from the U.S. Department of Defense, Air Canada, Ford, ASHRAE, and ASME lend technical credibility, though the company characterizes the technology as "virtually unknown" outside laboratory and mechanical circles.

The firm operates with 1-10 employees and discloses no external funding, making it a bootstrapped, lifestyle-scale business in a deliberately narrow niche. The company's stated vision is to deliver solar ventilation air preheating to every building above the 35th parallel north; the practical commercial posture is that of a niche education-and-materials vendor focused on converting a small installer base into licensed fabric-collector practitioners.

Name

Sunreps

Legal name

Sun Ra, LLC

Website

https://sunreps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sunreps, a Carnation, WA-based LLC (Sun Ra, LLC), sells training, micro-licensing, and fabric collector materials for NREL-origin passive solar air preheating systems targeting HVAC professionals, contractors, and engineers operating above the 35th parallel north.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carnation

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Training Courses: Online training course teaching fabrication, installation and testing of fabric transpired solar collector systems. One-time purchase model.
2. Micro-licenses: Licensing fees for HVAC contractors and engineers to design, fabricate, install and test using Sunreps' patented system. Enables licensed professionals to offer the technology commercially.
3. Fabric Collector Products: Sale of engineered fabric collectors and backing fabric for different RTU sizes (1-3 ton and 4-5 ton). Products are fire-rated class 1, 100% Propylene, suitable for outdoor rooftop and wall-mounted applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sunreps trains HVAC professionals, contractors, engineers and solar enthusiasts to design, fabricate, install and test fabric transpired solar collector systems that passively pre-heat ventilation air for rooftop HVAC units. Its commercial offering pairs a $49.95 training course and $199.95 professional micro-license with engineered 100% Propylene fabric collectors (fire-rated class 1) sold in sizes for 1-3 ton and 4-5 ton RTUs.

Product overview

Sunreps offers a solar HVAC training and licensing ecosystem centered on its Fabric Transpired Solar Collector System. The core offering consists of a training course ($49.95) that teaches HVAC professionals to fabricate, install and test the system, followed by a professional micro-license ($199.95) for contractors and engineers who design and deploy the technology commercially. The physical product line includes fabric collector materials sized for 1-3 ton RTUs ($80.60) and 4-5 ton RTUs ($102). The system passively pre-heats ventilation air using solar thermal energy, connecting directly to rooftop HVAC units without electricity, and achieves 22-30% gas savings and 2-5 therms per square foot per heating season.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunreps Fabric Transpired Solar Collector System Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces gas between 22-30% during the heating season
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreTechnology or IntegrationNREL scientists Dr. Charles Kutscher and Dr. Craig Christensen invented the fabric transpired solar collector. Sunreps uses the original NREL-developed testing software and best practices. The technology was originally patented by NREL and Sunreps has developed a training program based on NREL's work.
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASME authored a book 'Engineering the Everyday and Extraordinary, Milestones in Innovation' (2014) that selected SolarWall (the parent technology of Sunreps fabric collectors) as one of 9 energy/power technologies from the past 200 years in the 'Energy Innovations' category.
• ASHRAEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASHRAE references the transpired solar collector technology, providing industry validation for Sunreps' products and training.
• U.S. Department of DefenseminorOthersThe Department of Defense has endorsed and deployed transpired solar collector technology, providing credibility for the technology in government applications.
• Colorado State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelect universities like Colorado State University include transpired solar collector technology in engineering coursework, providing academic legitimacy and future professional pipeline.
• SolarWallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolarWall is the original metal transpired collector. Sunreps fabric collectors work on the same principles and use the same testing protocols. Sunreps targets the other 90% of buildings not suitable for SolarWall.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Intertek: Intertek is a global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) company serving HVAC, solar, and building product manufacturers. It is comparable because solar air heating systems require the kind of performance and safety testing/certification Intertek provides, and because the industry validation frameworks Sunreps leans on (NREL testing software, ASHRAE standards) are administered by similar TIC incumbents.
• Trane Technologies: Trane Technologies is a leading commercial HVAC manufacturer with a large rooftop unit installed base across North American commercial real estate. Sunreps' collectors are designed to pre-heat air feeding into Trane (and similar) RTUs, making Trane a directly relevant incumbent and potential channel or technology partner.
• Carrier Global: Carrier is a major global HVAC and rooftop unit (RTU) manufacturer whose installed base Sunreps' fabric transpired collectors attach to. It is comparable as the incumbent equipment ecosystem Sunreps' solution integrates with, and as a potential OEM/distribution partner if Carrier ever offered bundled solar pre-heat solutions for its RTUs.
• DNV: DNV is an independent assurance and certification body with strong energy and renewables practices. Comparable to Sunreps as a third-party validation/standards provider in solar and building energy, and a relevant counterpart for any future compliance, testing, or certification needs of fabric transpired solar collector systems.

Direct peers

• Solar Energy International (SEI): SEI is a leading solar workforce training organization offering courses and certifications for solar PV and solar thermal professionals. Sunreps competes for the same learner audience of HVAC contractors, building engineers, and solar enthusiasts seeking solar skill credentials, though SEI's curriculum is broader and includes PV.
• HeatSpring Learning Institute: HeatSpring is an online training platform offering NABCEP-aligned courses across solar PV, solar thermal, heat pumps, and building performance. It directly competes with Sunreps for the time and wallet of the same contractor and engineer learner base, especially in solar thermal/HVAC-adjacent topics.
• SolarWall (Conserval Engineering): SolarWall, by Conserval Engineering, is the original metal transpired solar collector and the technological parent of Sunreps' fabric system. Sunreps explicitly positions its fabric product as the evolution of SolarWall for the 90% of buildings SolarWall cannot serve, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Emerging players

• NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners): NABCEP is the dominant solar certification body for installers and PV professionals. While not a training provider itself, it shapes the certification ecosystem that Sunreps' micro-license sits alongside, and represents a channel or potential partner for credentialing fabric-transpired solar collector installers.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sunreps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sunreps