What Homeowners Should Know When a Solar Installer Goes Out of Business

Our owner, Luke Makar, met with Pavlina Osta of WKMG News 6 in Orlando recently to talk about a problem we’re hearing about more often. Homeowners with a solar system on their roof and no company left to call. If you already watched the segment, you have the short version. Here’s the fuller picture, and what it means whether you’re dealing with this right now or just starting to look into solar.

Nine major solar installers have filed for bankruptcy in the past two years, including some of the biggest names in the industry:

For homeowners who signed with one of these companies, the system on the roof didn’t disappear. The company that installed it did. Luke explained the pattern to News 6 this way. Large installers carry a lot of overhead: national marketing, big sales teams, rapid expansion. All of that costs money before a single panel goes on a roof. Congressman Darren Soto pointed to one specific shift in the same segment, the removal of a federal solar tax credit that many companies had built their pricing around. When revenue drops, that overhead doesn’t shrink fast enough to keep up, and the result has been bankruptcies across some of the biggest names in the industry. That includes Sunnova, whose struggles we’ve covered separately.

This isn’t unique to solar. It happens in a lot of fast-growing industries. But a solar system is tied to your home and financed over years, so it lands differently when the company behind it disappears.

This is usually the first question homeowners ask. The honest answer is that it depends, but you’re rarely out of options entirely.

Your equipment warranty may still be valid. Solar panels, inverters, and batteries are typically manufactured by companies separate from the installer, so the manufacturer’s warranty on the equipment often still applies even after the installer is gone. Check your paperwork or contact the manufacturer directly to confirm.

What you usually lose is the workmanship or installation warranty, the piece that was backed by the installer rather than the manufacturer. That’s the part that becomes hard to enforce once a company closes its doors.

Local solar companies can often step in. Many local installers, including Aspire Solar, service and repair systems we didn’t originally install. It works a lot like how a mechanic can service a car they didn’t sell you. The fundamentals of these systems are consistent enough that a qualified local team can pick up where a national company left off.

One detail from the segment deserves a closer look. Part of the story includes a close-up shot of a homeowner’s financing agreement, the kind of document that gets signed quickly during an installation and rarely gets a second look afterward. Interest and total payments on solar financing can add up to significantly more than the original project cost over the life of the loan.

That doesn’t mean financing a system is a bad choice. For a lot of homeowners, it’s the right one. But read the full lending disclosure before you sign anything, not just the monthly payment number, and ask your installer to walk you through the total cost over the full term. If you’re still weighing your options, our breakdown of purchasing versus leasing solar in Florida covers how ownership affects long-term cost.

News 6 reached out because homeowners across Central Florida were calling local companies, frustrated and unsure who to turn to. As Luke put it in the segment:

“They’re super upset. They’re very frustrated. And I’m the one who has to pick up the phone.”

We set up a discounted first service visit for homeowners in this situation, with most issues addressed the same day. Every homeowner in that spot deserves a straight answer, not another runaround.

If you haven’t gone solar yet, this whole situation is genuinely useful information, not a reason to be scared off. A few questions worth asking before you choose an installer:

None of this means bigger companies are automatically the wrong choice, or that smaller companies are automatically safer. Every business carries its own risks. Asking these questions before you sign is just one of the more useful ways to make an informed decision. For a deeper look at how to spot trouble early, see our guide on avoiding solar scams in Florida.

A solar system is meant to be a long-term investment in your home, and the company behind it matters just as much as the equipment itself. If you’ve been affected by one of these bankruptcies, or you’re simply doing your homework before making a decision, we’re glad to answer your questions.

Every home is different. Results vary based on your location, usage, and system design, which is exactly why we recommend starting with a personalized consultation rather than a generic quote.