Airbnb users can now get a $1,000 discount on solar panels

Have you used Airbnb before? Then you can get a discount on solar panels.

The short-term home rental company is partnering with SolarCity to give Airbnb users a $1,000 rebate on any purchase of solar panels.

The rebate is available to any Airbnb user — guest or host — with a home in one of the 21 markets where SolarCity operates. Airbnb is using the partnership to tout its environmental benefits compared to hotels.

The company says that guests staying in U.S. Airbnb rentals instead of hotels have reduced water consumption by 4.2 billion liters, waste by 37,000 metric tons, energy consumption by the "amount used by 280,000 homes in one year" and greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to "keeping 560,000 cars off the road for a year."

Airbnb reached those statistics through a commissioned report from the Cleantech Group, which estimated that an Airbnb guest uses 63 percent to 71 percent less energy per night than a hotel guest.

"Since 1998 we have had 15 of the 16 hottest years recorded and climate change is changing the way we make decisions – everyone is thinking about making better use of what we have. Travelers, especially millennials, want a more sustainable choice and homeowners want to make better use of the 13 million empty houses and 36 million empty bedrooms in the United States alone," Airbnb Head of Global Public Policy and Communications Chris Lehane said in a statement.

"We're excited to work with SolarCity to make renewable energy more affordable and accessible to everyone in the Airbnb community,” Lehane said.

On SolarCity's part, the partnership provides an opportunity to reach the millions of guests who stay in Airbnb rentals each year and the thousands of hosts who list their property on the platform.

A SolarCity installation can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so a $1,000 discount won't break the bank for the company.

But the costs of solar panels and solar installations are plummeting. Tesla and SolarCity will vote next month on a merger between the two clean energy companies.

“Our partnership with Airbnb demonstrates the important role energy plays in our everyday lives — including travel — and how clean energy can reduce everyone’s carbon impact on the world,” Toby Corey, SolarCity president of global sales and customer experience, said in a statement. “Homeowners that make the simple switch to solar energy can save money on utility bills and fix their energy costs for years to come. This partnership will create the first opportunity for many Airbnb guests to stay in a solar-powered home, and allow them to experience first-hand how easy it is to use clean energy to contribute to a cleaner, healthier society.”