It would be great to work in an industry that is self-policing and largely above any major ethical breaches. While most solar dealers are good people, driven by ideals of a better world, there are shady solar companies out there, and you need to stay away from them. Why is it so important in this industry, and how do you steer clear? There was recently a big stir when a solar panel manufacturer in Florida was caught selling and installing solar panels with fraudulent UL listing labels. These panels are […]
Julnor Jean, 82, installed solar panels on his home in Miami-Dade through a program called PACE. While it allows people to make improvements regardless of income, which Jean had little of, it can also leave homeowners in a big financial hole. An octogenarian and nearly blind, Julnor Jean was a soft target for a salesman with a creative finance gambit: Install solar panels now, pay them off over 20 years through his yearly taxes, and effectively have an energy bill near zero. The homeowner of Haitian descent speaks broken English […]
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA) year-long investigation into the solar industry has revealed the exploitation of vulnerable populations that prey on the elderly and those on fixed-incomes, misleading consumers about installation costs, providing shoddy craftsmanship and higher utility costs, and unconscionable contracts that leave little possibility of recourse. Executive Summary Installing rooftop solar panels should be an easy decision for customers looking to lower their electric bills and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. Net-metering and generous tax credits have made it more affordable than ever for homeowners to install […]
Reported on November 25, 2019 by Ted Daniel and Patricia Alulema / Boston 25 News: Shoddy installations, predatory sales tactics, panels that do not work, savings that do not materialize, and poor customer service are some of the complaints consumers filed against the growing solar industry in Massachusetts. 25 Investigates reviewed hundreds of complaints registered with the Attorney General’s office and found a common theme: customers say they are getting burned by their solar providers. More than 200 complaints were filed during a one-year period. 25 Investigates first came across the […]
Over the last decade, consumer complaints against U.S.-based solar companies have multiplied.By ELI WOLFEMAY 9, 2020 6:59PM (UTC) This story was produced by FairWarning, a nonprofit news organization based in Southern California that focuses on public health, consumer, labor and environmental issues. You can sign up for their newsletter here. This sounds too good to be true, was one of Brenda Ortiz’s first thoughts when a salesman showed up at her front door in Riverside County, California, in October 2018. He was with Vivint Solar, Ortiz recalled him saying, and […]
I agree that rooftop solar is generally a good thing for a whole lot of reasons. But because of the following, I’m just not ready…yet. Paul Mauldin JAN 26, 2015 Living near Boulder, Colorado, we enjoy more than 300 days of sunshine every year. That’s more than Miami or San Diego have. We have a south-facing two-story home with the roof positioned about optimally for panel arrays. Several of my neighbors have large arrays, and the colorful trucks and cars of solar install crews and salesmen are as plentiful as […]
The loan training video also appears to conflict with the solar company’s ethics policies. BY THE CAPITOL FORUM NOVEMBER 28, 2019 Garage with rooftop solar panels to generate electricity for a nearby house, Billings, Montana, May 2019. The Capitol Forum is a premier subscription-based investigative reporting outlet covering complex M&A issues, consumer protection situations, and government contracts. We are pleased to be able to republish some of their dated articles on a select basis for our readers. For more information about The Capitol Forum please contact editorial@thecapitolforum.com. “So, every time […]
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The sales pitch for residential solar panels can be pretty tempting: save on electricity at little or no cost to you. But a Troubleshooters investigation found you need to enter into an agreement with your eyes wide open to see beyond the sunny sales pitch that includes promises of substantial savings and free panels. With the solar business booming, a growing number of homeowners are looking to save money on electricity and help the environment. That included 82-year old Elaine Connor. Her daughter, Terry Fetrow, told the […]
By Larry Bell |March 31st, 2015 Last December Rep. Paul Gosar (R, AZ), a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, along with 11 other House members, sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission warning that the new solar-leasing market industry has engaged in “deceptive marketing strategies” to sucker unsuspecting homeowners into misleading zero-money-down teaser loan deals. Some of these purchasers who are now struggling to sell their homes were not “fully aware of the terms of their 20- to 30-year leases” which will exceed the life of the roof […]
by Graham ShorrLast Updated: February 26, 20219 min read Solar energy has hit the mainstream. Once limited to consumers with deep pockets and strong environmentalist values, solar panels are less expensive than ever and are saving customers huge amounts of money per year.1 As a result, solar has a fast-growing appeal among middle-class Americans. But if you’re considering making the solar switch, how will you pay for the equipment? Who installs the panels, and under what terms? There are two ways to switch to solar panels for your home– leasing […]