Everything You Should Know Before Your Next BillYour contract, your bill, your rights, your options — the independent 16-chapter consumer guide for everyone who has solar panels on their roof. No email required to read.
An independent, 16-chapter consumer guide covering your contract, your bill, your rights, and your options — written for the millions of homeowners with solar panels on the roof who feel like nobody is in their corner.
This guide is published by SolarPanelExit.com, an independent consumer-research publication focused on residential solar contracts. Its editorial work is performed separately from any commercial partner, and its research is built from publicly available regulatory filings, bankruptcy records, and homeowner complaints.
You feel trapped. Maybe you signed a 25-year solar contract after a salesperson knocked on your door and promised you’d save hundreds every month. Maybe you’re staring at a combined electric and solar bill that is higher than what you were paying before. Maybe you just found out your monthly payment goes up every single year — something nobody mentioned at the kitchen table.
If any of that sounds familiar, we want you to know two things.
You are not alone. According to Google Keyword Planner data reviewed in March 2026, U.S. searches for “cancel solar contract” rose roughly 767% year-over-year, with related queries like “solar exit” and “solar cancellation” showing similar surges. Tens of thousands of homeowners across the country are looking for a way out right now.
This is not your fault. Industry sales-training materials we have reviewed teach professional closing techniques designed to produce signatures within a single visit. Patterns frequently described in homeowner complaints — high-pressure tactics, verbal promises that diverge from the written contract, manufactured urgency (“this price expires today”), and large document stacks presented for late-evening tablet signature — are consistent with those techniques. Many of the homeowners who reach out to us simply wanted to save on their electric bill.
The fact that you’re reading this guide means you’ve already taken the most important step: you’re taking back control.
We created this guide because we were tired of watching homeowners make costly, irreversible mistakes out of desperation — paying scam exit companies, damaging their credit by stopping payments without a strategy, or simply giving up because they thought they had no options. This is not a sales pitch. It is the resource we wish existed when homeowners first started reaching out to us for help. Everything you need to know about exiting a solar contract — your rights, your options, the costs, the scams to avoid, and a step-by-step plan — is in the pages that follow.
We provide this guide for free because we believe informed homeowners make better decisions.
Send us your contract and we’ll flag the escalator clause, buyout formula, arbitration provisions, and assignment language — in plain English — before you read another page.
Start My Free ReviewBefore reading the full guide, this five-question diagnostic helps you identify which chapters are most relevant to your situation. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for attorney consultation.
Editorial framing: The answers below are general informational suggestions about which chapters of this guide may be most relevant. They are not legal advice, do not evaluate the merits of your specific case, and should not be relied on without consulting a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
Three types of residential solar contracts. Each creates a fundamentally different situation when it comes to getting out.
Before you can exit your solar contract, you need to understand exactly what kind of agreement you’re in. Most homeowners who contact us haven’t read their full contract — and many were never given adequate time to review it before signing.
There are three main types of residential solar agreements. Each creates a fundamentally different situation when it comes to getting out. (For a side-by-side primer, see solar lease vs. PPA vs. loan.)
In plain English: You’re renting the solar equipment. The solar company owns the panels on your roof. You make monthly payments for 20-25 years, regardless of how much energy the system produces.
Consider a homeowner who signs a solar lease with a $155/month payment after being told a door-to-door salesperson promised $80/month in electricity savings. Twelve months later, the combined solar payment plus remaining electric bill is $40 more per month than the old electric bill alone. A 2.9% annual escalator — common in older lease contracts — would push that $155 payment over $290 by year 25. This pattern appears repeatedly in homeowner complaints reviewed by our editorial team.
In plain English: The solar company puts panels on your roof and sells you the electricity those panels produce. Instead of a fixed monthly amount, you pay a per-kilowatt-hour rate for the energy you use from the system. (For PPA-specific exit strategies, see our PPA exit guide.)
In plain English: You borrowed money to buy the solar system. You own the panels. You make monthly loan payments.
Many solar installers charge a dealer fee — sometimes called a “channel fee” or “origination fee” — that gets quietly built into the loan balance.
A solar system that costs $25,000 to install might be financed with a loan balance of $35,000 after a 28% dealer fee. You’re financing $10,000 more than the equipment is worth — and paying interest on that inflated balance for 15-25 years.
This matters enormously if you’re selling your home: you may owe more on the loan than the solar system adds to your property value. This is called being “underwater” on your solar loan.
The company whose logo is on your contract is rarely the company that owns the money behind it. Who your lease really belongs to, why maintenance disappears, and the math the sales pitch never showed you.
The company whose logo is on your contract is rarely the company that actually owns the money behind it.
If there is one thing we wish every homeowner understood before signing, it is this: a modern residential solar lease or PPA is not a simple agreement between you and “the solar company.” It is a financial product. Your monthly payments are an asset that can be bundled, sold, securitized, and transferred — often several times over the life of your 20-to-25-year agreement.
Understanding who actually owns your contract — and who is on the hook for maintenance when something breaks — changes the entire conversation about how to get out of it.
In a typical residential solar lease or PPA, at least four different entities usually share a piece of your contract:
Why this matters for exiting: When you try to cancel or negotiate a buyout, in our editorial view you are typically not negotiating with the brand on your bill. You are negotiating with an investor-owned asset pool whose contracts are typically structured to maximize continuity of payments over the full term. That is why “customer service” and “exit terms” can feel like they were written by two different companies. They often are.
Between 2024 and 2025, three of the largest residential solar brands in the country filed for bankruptcy or collapsed outright. In our assessment, this changed the practical reality of owning a solar lease more than any regulatory development in the past decade. (For our running tracker, see solar company bankruptcies 2026 and what to do when your solar company goes bankrupt.)
SunPower Corporation, one of the oldest and most trusted names in residential solar, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 5, 2024. The “SunPower” brand and certain dealer assets were acquired by Complete Solar shortly after. Critically, Complete Solar’s purchase did not include customer PPAs, leases, or the installed systems themselves.
A U.S. bankruptcy court instead approved the sale of the lease and PPA portfolio to two investor entities — HA SunStrong Capital LLC and GF SunStrong Capital LLC — for a reported combined $11.5 million. Servicing was handed to SunStrong Management in partnership with Launch Servicing. Many customers only learned about the change when their autopay started going to a name they didn’t recognize.
Titan Solar, once one of the largest residential installers in the country, shut down abruptly on June 13, 2024 and filed for Chapter 7 liquidation days later. Media coverage at the time — including reporting by TIME and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona’s public FAQ for affected homeowners — described a substantial multi-state installed customer base and a creditor list that ran to the thousands in the bankruptcy filings (see Chapter 16 for sources). Specific homeowner-count and creditor-range figures published by the press at the time should be confirmed against the underlying court filings before being relied on.
In a Chapter 7 liquidation, the installing entity is typically dissolved. For homeowners, this generally meant their workmanship warranty — the promise to repair roof penetrations, wiring, and installation errors — vanished overnight. Manufacturer warranties on the panels and inverters (from companies like Enphase and SolarEdge) generally survived, but who performs the labor to honor them became a problem for the homeowner to solve.
Many customers have reported ongoing loan payments on systems that no longer produce properly, with no installer to call for repairs.
Sunnova filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on June 9, 2025. Reported debt at the time of filing was approximately $10.67 billion (with roughly $8.9 billion described as long-term debt), per coverage in pv magazine USA and Sunnova’s own investor communications — figures cited in Chapter 16.
As part of the bankruptcy process, Sunnova agreed to sell its residential servicing and operations-and-maintenance platform, ServiceCo, to Omnidian for a reported $7 million in cash. The underlying lease portfolios — the contracts themselves — are a separate matter, typically held by financing vehicles that remain in place even as the operating company restructures. Customers have been told payments must continue throughout the bankruptcy process.
When a solar company files bankruptcy, most homeowners assume one of two things: either (a) the contract is void and they are free, or (b) nothing changes. Neither is typically true. The payment obligation is usually sold to a new owner. The maintenance obligation is often sold to a different party — or simply dissolved. Homeowners end up paying a new servicer they’ve never heard of, for a system no one wants to repair.
This is the piece that surprises homeowners most, and it deserves its own paragraph: when a solar company is bought out of bankruptcy, the buyer often acquires the right to receive payments without assuming the full obligation to maintain the equipment.
In many cases, the purchasing entity is a financial holding vehicle, not an operating company. It may contract with a third-party servicer to handle calls and dispatch repairs, but the underlying lease agreement usually says maintenance is limited to what is “commercially reasonable,” subject to available parts, and often excludes labor for manufacturer-warranty claims. In our experience, the result can look like this:
Our editorial view: A solar lease or PPA is only as valuable to a homeowner as the maintenance that backs it. When that maintenance weakens — because of a bankruptcy, a portfolio sale, or simply a shift in the owner’s priorities — the economics of the contract can change materially. This may, in some circumstances, strengthen a homeowner’s case for renegotiation or exit. An attorney can assess whether any of this applies to your specific contract.
Now the uncomfortable math.
According to data published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the benchmark installed cost of a residential solar system was approximately $3.18 per watt DC in 2022 and $2.68 per watt DC in 2023. On a typical 8 kW residential system, that is roughly $21,000–$25,000 to design, install, and commission.
Yet the financed balance on a consumer solar loan for that same system is routinely $30,000, $35,000, or even more. The gap is not physics. It is a dealer fee — a markup charged by the sales organization and baked into the loan principal.
In August 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a formal issue spotlight on the residential solar financing market. Among its findings:
In the CFPB’s own framing, the August 2024 release was titled CFPB Report Finds Lenders Cramming Markup Fees and Confusing Terms into Solar Energy Loans. The Bureau’s issue spotlight described the practices summarized above; it is descriptive of market practices the Bureau identified, and is not, by itself, a regulatory finding of liability against any specific lender. Readers can review the full report (linked in Chapter 16) and draw their own conclusions.
Here is where the finance question collides with the sales pitch.
Most homeowners were told, in some form, that solar would save them money “from day one.” In our experience reviewing homeowner complaints, that statement relies on a narrow set of assumptions that frequently do not hold in practice:
“Your solar payment will be lower than what you pay the utility, so you save from day one.”
The savings projection typically assumes: (1) an escalating utility rate matching or exceeding your solar escalator, (2) no meaningful drop in panel production over time, (3) you still receive a full utility bill each month for grid standby, (4) you receive favorable net-metering treatment that may change during your contract, and (5) you have the tax liability to capture any promised tax credit.
Before assuming you are saving money, pull 12 months of utility bills from before installation and compare them to your current combined bill (solar payment + any remaining utility charge). Do this in dollars, not percentages. Many homeowners are surprised by the result.
Consider a 9 kW residential system financed at $38,000 over 25 years at 6.99%. Based on NREL benchmark cost data, the installed cost of that system would likely be in the $24,000–$27,000 range. The remaining ~$11,000 of the loan balance is a dealer-fee markup built into the principal — an amount the homeowner will also pay interest on for the life of the loan. The “savings” projected at a kitchen-table sales meeting rarely account for this gap.
Eight clauses that decide your fate — and what they actually say, in plain English.
Solar contracts are written by lawyers who specialize in keeping their clients protected, signed by homeowners who have never been trained to read them. Most homeowners who contact us can name their monthly payment but cannot find the clause that allows that payment to increase, the clause that waives their right to sue, or the clause that lets the contract be sold to another company without their consent.
This chapter walks you through the clauses that matter most, what they typically say, and what you should watch for. None of this is legal advice. It is a roadmap so that when you sit down with your contract — or hand it to an attorney — you know what you are looking at.
What it’s usually called: “Annual Rate Adjustment,” “Payment Escalator,” “Annual Increase,” or embedded inside a section titled “Monthly Payment” or “Rate.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: Your $150/month payment becomes $154.35 in year 2, $158.82 in year 3, and so on — compounding every year for the entire term. Over 25 years, industry analysis indicates this roughly doubles the starting payment. (See our deeper explainer on the escalator clause.)
What to check: (1) The escalator percentage (0%, 0.99%, 1.99%, 2.9%, 3.9% are all common). (2) Whether the escalator is capped or tied to an inflation index. (3) Whether there is any mechanism to pause or reverse the increase if utility rates drop.
What it’s usually called: “Purchase Option,” “Early Buyout Option,” “Customer Purchase Right,” or a defined term “Fair Market Value.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: You can buy out your system — but at whichever number is higher: a pre-set table value (usually designed to pay off the investors), or an appraiser’s valuation chosen by the solar company. Industry guides commonly describe Fair Market Value as the net present value of the electricity the system is expected to produce over the next 7–10 years, which tends to keep buyouts elevated well into the contract. (Run scenarios with our solar buyout calculator, or see how early termination fees are typically structured.)
Watch for: Language stating the appraiser is “selected by Provider,” “mutually acceptable,” or “in Provider’s reasonable discretion.” Whoever picks the appraiser has an enormous influence on the buyout number. In our assessment, contracts that allow the homeowner to select an independent appraiser are rare — and valuable.
What it’s usually called: “Assignment,” “Successors and Assigns,” “Transfer,” or hidden inside “Miscellaneous.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: The solar company can sell your contract to anyone — including a financing vehicle, a bankruptcy successor, or an investor fund — without asking you. You, by contrast, cannot transfer the contract (for example, to a home buyer) without their written approval, which they can deny for almost any reason.
This is the clause that activates in the event of a bankruptcy. It is how your original brand disappears and a new servicer takes over.
What it’s usually called: “Dispute Resolution,” “Binding Arbitration,” “Waiver of Jury Trial,” or “Class Action Waiver.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: You agree in advance that if the company harms you, you cannot sue them in court, you cannot have a jury, and you cannot join other affected homeowners in a class action. All disputes are heard privately — often under rules that limit discovery and appeals.
Good news: These clauses are not always enforceable. Courts have in some cases refused to enforce arbitration provisions in door-to-door solar contracts where the terms were one-sided — for example, requiring the consumer to arbitrate while allowing the solar company to sue in court for most of its claims. A consumer protection attorney can assess whether your arbitration clause may be vulnerable to challenge.
What it’s usually called: “Default,” “Events of Default,” “Remedies,” or “Acceleration.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: If you miss payments, the company can demand the entire remaining contract value as a single bill, charge you to remove the panels, ding your credit, and send you the lawyer’s invoice. This is why simply “stopping payment” is rarely a viable strategy — and why we do not advise it.
What it’s usually called: “Production Guarantee,” “Estimated Energy,” “Expected Production,” or an exhibit labeled “Guaranteed Output.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: The “guarantee” is often conditional on you noticing the shortfall, you sending a formal written notice inside a narrow window, and the shortfall not being attributable to any of a long list of carve-outs. Many homeowners never trigger it because they never knew they had to.
What it’s usually called: “Security Interest,” “UCC Filing,” or a sentence buried in “Ownership” or “Title.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: A public filing in your county records shows a financing claim on the solar equipment. Although the contract often says it is “not a lien on the real property,” in practice title companies and mortgage underwriters may treat it as a cloud on title — complicating home sales and refinancing. See Chapter 13’s discussion of where to get help if you need one removed.
What it’s usually called: “Entire Agreement,” “Integration,” or “No Oral Modifications.”
What it typically looks like:
What this means in plain English: The company argues that anything the salesperson told you verbally — promised savings, “free” panels, tax-credit claims — doesn’t count unless it’s written in the four corners of this contract.
Important nuance: Integration clauses are not an absolute shield. Consumer protection statutes, fraud-in-the-inducement claims, and state unfair-and-deceptive-practices laws generally allow homeowners to introduce evidence of misrepresentations made during the sale, regardless of what the written agreement says. This is why documenting verbal promises, marketing materials, and text messages from the salesperson matters so much. Your attorney can evaluate whether the integration clause is likely to bar your specific claim.
Your rights under federal and state law — and the protections solar companies rarely disclose.
Options often exist; whether any of them apply to you is a legal question.
In our editorial review of homeowner cases, some form of option has typically been worth exploring — though “an option exists” is not the same thing as “your option will succeed.” Many homeowners do not realize how many federal and state consumer-protection mechanisms may be relevant to their situation. Whether any specific mechanism applies to your contract, your sale, and your state is a question only a licensed attorney can answer.
Reminder: This chapter summarizes federal and state consumer-protection mechanisms in general terms. It is editorial opinion, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for review of your specific contract by a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule gives you the right to cancel certain contracts within three business days of signing. This applies to sales made at your home, workplace, or a seller’s temporary location.
Critical detail: Saturdays count as business days, but Sundays and federal holidays don’t. If you signed on a Friday, your deadline is typically the following Wednesday at midnight.
What the seller is legally required to do:
If they failed to do this: Your cooling-off period may not have started yet. In some jurisdictions, your right to cancel could extend indefinitely until proper notice is given. An attorney can evaluate whether this applies to your specific situation.
For loans that fall within its coverage, TILA generally requires clear disclosure of the APR, total finance charge, total amount financed, total of all payments, and the payment schedule. In narrowly defined circumstances — principally for loans secured by the consumer’s principal dwelling, where specific disclosure violations occurred — some borrowers may be eligible to seek rescission under TILA, with the relevant statutory window often described as up to three years after consummation.
Whether TILA applies to your specific financing, whether any rescission remedy is available to you, and how to invoke any such remedy are legal questions that depend on the type of loan, the disclosures actually delivered, and your state. A consumer-lending attorney is the right person to evaluate whether any TILA-related remedy may apply.
Beyond the federal Cooling-Off Rule, many states have specific statutes governing door-to-door solar solicitation, including required disclosures, prohibitions on high-pressure tactics, and language requirements for written contracts.
Five paths, from cooling-off cancellation to contract buyout. Which one fits your situation?
There is no single way to exit a solar contract. Below are five general paths we have observed, summarized in editorial terms. Which one (if any) is appropriate for your specific situation is a legal and personal-finance question, not something this guide can decide for you.
Reminder: Each path described in this chapter is an editorial summary of options some homeowners pursue — not a recommendation for your case. Cost, timeline, and “success” ranges are general impressions from publicly reported cases and our review of homeowner complaints. Before pursuing any of these paths, consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
Generally relevant to: Homeowners who signed within the last few days. Whether the rule applies to your specific contract is a legal question best answered by an attorney.
In our editorial experience, the steps typically taken in this scenario include:
State requirements vary. The template in Chapter 14 is a starting point only and should be reviewed by an attorney before sending.
Generally relevant to: Homeowners who believe they have evidence of fraud, misrepresentation, or violations of consumer-protection or lending laws. Rescission is a legal remedy — whether it is available in your case is a question only a licensed attorney can answer.
Rescission generally refers to a remedy in which a court treats a contract as if it never existed. Grounds reported in the academic and consumer-protection literature can include material false claims, missing disclosures, TILA violations, forged signatures, and significant divergence between verbal promises and the written contract — but availability and elements vary by state and by claim. A consumer-protection attorney can evaluate whether rescission, or some other remedy, may be appropriate in your specific situation. For a list of consumer-protection attorneys we’ve reviewed, see our solar panel lawyer guide.
A common rescission fact pattern: a homeowner is told by a door-to-door salesperson that solar panels are part of a “federal energy program” and will be “free.” The signed paperwork is actually a 25-year PPA with an annual escalator. Where the verbal pitch and the written contract diverge on material terms, an attorney may file for rescission based on misrepresentation and failure to provide adequate disclosures. Outcomes vary by state, by contract, and by the strength of available evidence.
Generally relevant to: Homeowners who want out relatively quickly and have access to financial resources. The actual buyout amount and your right to elect a buyout are governed by your contract.
Lease (illustrative): $175/mo × 15 years remaining × 2.9% escalator × 5% discount rate ≈ ~$28,000–$32,000
PPA (illustrative): Fair market value of a 3-year-old system with 22 years remaining ≈ ~$18,000–$25,000
Loan (illustrative): Remaining balance of $30,000 ≈ $30,000 (assumes no prepayment penalty)
These are illustrative scenarios only. Your actual amount depends on your specific contract formula and should be calculated by your provider in writing and reviewed by an attorney.
Negotiation considerations homeowners commonly explore (in our editorial experience): requesting the amount in writing first; asking about lump-sum or settlement discounts; documenting complaints as leverage; and considering whether an attorney should send the letter on the homeowner’s behalf. None of this constitutes legal advice or a recommendation for your specific case.
Best for: Homeowners selling their home. The buyer may assume your contract, though many buyers are reluctant — especially with escalator clauses. (See also: buying a house with solar panels.)
Best for: Homeowners with documented issues who want to handle the correspondence themselves rather than hire counsel. A document package typically includes customized cancellation, complaint, and negotiation letters — you do the work, send the letters, and follow up. This is not legal representation, no outcome is guaranteed, and these companies are not law firms.
Examples include TRU Solar Cancellation ($450 document package). For attorney-led options, see Stonegate Legal Group or our full company comparison.
Ownership disclosure: SolarPanelExit.com and TRU Solar Cancellation share common ownership. We mention TRU here because it is a current document-package provider in this category, not as a paid recommendation. Full ownership disclosure.
Two minutes. We’ll tell you which of the five exit paths is most realistic given your contract type, signing date, and state.
Get My Free Path RecommendationSeven warning signs that the sale wasn't what it seemed — and what each one may mean for your legal options.
Not every unhappy solar customer was misled. In our editorial review of homeowner complaints, however, certain patterns appear repeatedly. The seven signs below are signals worth investigating, not legal conclusions. Whether any of them give rise to a viable legal claim in your case depends on your evidence, your state’s laws, and your specific contract — an attorney is the right person to make that call. For broader context, see our pieces on when a solar salesman lied and our running list of solar panel scam warning signs.
Reminder: Phrases like “may constitute a misrepresentation” in this chapter describe general legal concepts, not the merits of your specific case. Whether a particular sales practice qualifies as actionable misrepresentation under your state’s law is a legal determination only an attorney can make.
What they told you: “You’ll save money from day one.”
What happened: Your combined bill is the same or higher.
Why it’s worth investigating: A material gap between promised and actual savings is the kind of fact attorneys we have spoken with sometimes evaluate as a possible misrepresentation under state consumer-protection statutes.
What they told you: “This is a government-sponsored program.”
The truth: No federal program provides free solar panels. The federal Investment Tax Credit goes to the system owner — in a lease or PPA, that is the solar company, not the homeowner.
Why it’s worth investigating: Describing a lease/PPA as “free” or “government-sponsored” is a pattern that consumer-protection attorneys have at times treated as a potentially misleading sales claim. Whether your specific facts support such a claim is, again, a question for an attorney.
What they told you: “This deal expires today.”
The truth: Legitimate offers rarely expire in hours. High-pressure tactics, in some states, are independently regulated under consumer-protection statutes — an attorney can advise whether any of those statutes apply.
Discrepancies between verbal promises and written terms can be relevant evidence in consumer-protection cases. Documenting every discrepancy and preserving texts, emails, and marketing materials may be useful if you later consult an attorney.
What they told you: “$150 per month.”
What’s in the contract: $150 starting, increasing 2.9% annually. By year 25: $310/month.
Why it’s worth investigating: Where a material payment-escalation term was not clearly disclosed at the sale, attorneys we have spoken with have at times argued the sale failed to disclose a material term.
What they told you: “You’ll get a $7,500 tax credit.”
The truth: In a lease or PPA, the solar company — not the homeowner — generally claims the federal Investment Tax Credit. Statements implying otherwise are a pattern consumer-protection attorneys have flagged in past cases.
Chronic underperformance or installation damage may, depending on contract language and state law, give rise to separate breach-of-contract claims. An attorney is the right person to evaluate the merits.
You've already been burned once. This chapter makes sure it doesn't happen again.
You’ve already been burned once by trusting the wrong company. This chapter is here to make sure it doesn’t happen again. For our editorial review of providers in this category, see best solar cancellation companies.
Write down the answers. If they won’t answer clearly and in writing, that tells you everything.
“100% money-back guarantee” and other phrases that rarely mean what you think they mean.
Sounds like: If we don’t get you out, full refund.
Often means: If we don’t achieve the outcome in paragraph 14(b), within the timeline in 7(c), and you’ve complied with paragraphs 3, 8, and 12, we may refund a portion minus admin fees.
Sounds like: We guarantee results.
Often means: We guarantee we’ll perform services — not that they’ll achieve any particular outcome.
Sounds like: Not happy? Money back.
Often means: We decide if your dissatisfaction is “reasonable.”
The uncomfortable truth: A guarantee is only as reliable as the company behind it. If they go out of business, their guarantee disappears with them. Ask yourself: will this company still exist in 12-18 months?
Solar exit scams are their own industry. Here's how to spot them before you pay.
Company charges $3,000-$10,000, promises everything, then goes silent. Protect yourself: Pay by credit card for chargeback rights.
Company claims “partner attorneys” who don’t exist or aren’t licensed in your state. Protect yourself: Verify licenses through your state bar association’s website.
Company tells you that stopping payments is part of their “strategy.” Your credit suffers while they collect fees. Protect yourself: Decisions about whether to continue, modify, or pause payment under a solar contract should be made only with a qualified attorney who has reviewed your specific contract and circumstances. SolarPanelExit.com does not advise homeowners to stop making payments or breach contractual obligations under any circumstances.
Company claims they can “buy” your contract from the solar company. That’s not how contract law works. Protect yourself: The solar company must be directly involved in any transfer.
Someone claiming to be from a government agency offers exit help — for a fee. Protect yourself: Government agencies don’t cold-call consumers. Hang up and call the agency directly.
We do not advise it. But you should understand exactly what happens if you do.
We do not advise homeowners to stop making payments or breach contractual obligations. This chapter exists so you understand, in general editorial terms, what is commonly reported to follow non-payment. None of the below is legal advice, and none of it should be relied on as a guide to your individual case. Before taking any action that puts your credit, your contract performance, or your home title at risk, consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state.
Months 1-2: Late notices, calls, late fees.
Months 3-4: Serious delinquency. Credit bureau reporting begins.
Months 5-6: Default. Collections. Intensifying calls.
Month 6+: Potential legal action for the full remaining contract balance. Credit damage lasting 7+ years.
A UCC-1 filing gives the solar company a legal claim on the equipment (like a car lien). It appears on title searches and can block home sales or refinancing. Liens can be disputed if improperly filed, but this generally requires professional help — see our UCC lien removal guide.
Five phases. Gather, assess, choose, execute, verify. Everything in order.
This checklist is a general framework. Your situation may involve factors that change the order or relevance of steps.
Use the decision tree from “Start Here” combined with your document review.
Once you’ve gathered your documents, the next step is reading them with someone who knows where the leverage is. Send us your contract for a free review.
Submit My Contract for ReviewSix of their most common talking points — and the exact language to respond with.
When you contact your solar company, they have a playbook too. Knowing their talking points in advance takes away their power.
Whether a cancellation right has expired generally depends on what cancellation notices were actually delivered, when, and what your state’s law requires. That is a legal question, not a customer-service question, and an attorney is the right person to answer it.
“I’d like written confirmation of when my cancellation rights expired, along with copies of the cancellation notices you provided at signing. Please send that to me at [your address].”
A signature is significant, but in our editorial experience consumer-protection law in many states recognizes circumstances in which a signed contract can be challenged — particularly where misrepresentation, missing disclosures, or statutory violations are alleged. Whether any of that is true in your case is a legal question for an attorney.
“I understand I signed an agreement. I’d like to discuss specific discrepancies between what was represented and the actual terms. Can you connect me with your dispute resolution department?”
Early termination amounts are defined by your contract formula. In our editorial experience, the initial “full value” figure presented by a provider is often a starting position rather than a final number; whether and how it can be negotiated in your case is contract- and law-specific.
“Please send me the specific early termination calculation, including the formula and all variables. I’d like to review this with my attorney before discussing next steps.”
They may follow through — which is why we do not advise homeowners to stop making payments. In our experience, providers often prefer a negotiated resolution to formal collections, but every situation is different.
“I’m not planning to stop payments. I’d like to find a cooperative resolution. Can we discuss buyout or settlement options?”
Most residential solar contracts we have reviewed contain some form of early-termination provision. The amount, and any legal arguments that might affect that amount in your specific case, are questions for your attorney.
“I’m asking about early termination provisions. Please provide a written buyout quote and the specific contract sections that apply.”
If proper notice was provided, your file should contain a signed acknowledgment. Asking for the full file in writing is a reasonable starting point; what the response means legally is a question for your attorney.
“I’d like a complete copy of my file, including the signed cancellation notice and all disclosures. Please send to [your address].”
Federal and state-level consumer protection resources, mapped.
| State | Key Agencies | Notable Protections |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | AG, TDLR | Strong door-to-door protections |
| California | CSLB, CPUC, AG | Strongest consumer protection nationally |
| Florida | AG, DBPR | Home solicitation protections beyond federal |
| Arizona | AG, ROC | Robust consumer fraud statutes |
| New Jersey | Div. Consumer Affairs | Solar-specific regulations |
| Nevada | AG, Contractors Board | Active solar oversight |
| North Carolina | AG, Utilities Comm. | Broad unfair practices act |
| Georgia | Gov. Office Consumer Protection | Fair Business Practices Act |
| Massachusetts | AG | Active solar enforcement |
| New York | AG, Dept. Public Service | Robust contractor regulations |
For detailed state-specific information, visit solarpanelexit.com/solar-panel-laws-by-state.
Three letters, ready to customize. Click “copy” on any template to use it.
These templates are illustrative starting points — not legal documents and not tailored to your situation.
Important: Sending any of these letters can have legal consequences (including triggering deadlines, waiving rights, or creating admissions). In our editorial view, every template below should be reviewed and customized by a qualified attorney licensed in your state before you send it. SolarPanelExit.com is not a law firm, does not represent you, and offers these templates only as informational examples of the kinds of correspondence homeowners commonly send.
Before sending: The FTC Cooling-Off Rule does not apply to every solar contract. Have an attorney confirm the rule applies to your sale (location, signing date, contract type) and that you are still inside any applicable cancellation window. Sending this letter when the rule does not apply may waive rights or create admissions.
The vocabulary the solar industry uses to talk about your contract.
Where every citation in this guide came from — CFPB, FTC, NREL, bankruptcy filings, and more.
This guide draws on publicly available regulatory reports, federal consumer protection filings, bankruptcy court records, and industry research. The sources below are provided so that homeowners, attorneys, and journalists can verify the statements made in this guide and pursue additional reading. Links were accurate as of publication. Website URLs may change over time; a search of the document title on the issuing agency’s website will generally locate the current version.
Statements in this guide describing “typical” contract language are composites drawn from publicly available homeowner contracts, industry template documents, regulator filings, and our own review of complaints and contracts provided by consumers. Specific wording varies by company, state, and year. Nothing in this guide should be read as a verbatim reproduction of any particular company’s agreement. For analysis of your specific contract, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Our editorial methodology is described at solarpanelexit.com/methodology. Our advertiser and ownership disclosures are published at solarpanelexit.com/advertiser-disclosure and solarpanelexit.com/ownership-disclosure. SolarPanelExit.com and TRU Solar Cancellation share common ownership.
In our editorial view, exiting a solar contract is rarely simple, but it is almost never impossible. The key is understanding your options in general terms, gathering documentation, and bringing what you find to a qualified attorney who can evaluate your specific situation.
Three things to carry with you:
You’re not stuck. You’re not alone. And you’re not the first person to go through this.
Now you know what to do next.
You’ve read the guide. Now let us read your contract. We’ll flag the clauses that matter and tell you what we’d look at next — in plain English.
Start My Free Contract Review