Failed Solar in Florida: The Complete Homeowner's Guide

Why So Many Florida Solar Companies Failed

Florida leads the nation in rooftop solar potential. It also leads in solar heartbreak. Between 2022 and 2025, a wave of solar installers shut down or filed for bankruptcy. Some were giants. SunPower, one of the biggest names in American solar, filed for bankruptcy in 2024. Titan Solar Power shut down the same year. ADT Solar wound down its installation business. Pink Energy collapsed back in 2022 after thousands of consumer complaints. Dozens of smaller Florida installers disappeared with far less news coverage.

Why did so many fail at once? Most grew fast on cheap borrowed money and aggressive door-to-door sales. When interest rates jumped in 2022 and 2023, the low-rate loans that made solar look affordable dried up. Many installers had also built their pricing around large hidden dealer fees baked into solar loans. When lenders tightened up, sales stalled, cash ran out, and the dominoes fell.

Here is why this hurts homeowners more than most business failures. A solar company that closes leaves a machine bolted to your roof. That machine needs monitoring, service, warranty support, and a live utility connection. When the installer vanishes, all of that can stop at once. The loan payments keep coming anyway.

• My Solar Installer Went Bankrupt in Florida — Now What? →

Failure Pattern 1: Installed but Never Turned On (No PTO)

Before your system can legally run, your utility — FPL, Duke Energy, or your local co-op — must approve the connection and grant Permission to Operate, or PTO. Until then, the panels sit dead on your roof. We hear from Florida homeowners whose panels went up a year ago and have never produced a single kilowatt-hour.

No-PTO cases usually trace back to unfinished paperwork, a failed or never-scheduled county inspection, or an installer that closed before the final step. The cruel part is that loan billing often starts at installation, not activation. The fix may be as simple as hiring a licensed contractor to close out the permit and finish the utility application. Or it may mean disputing the entire loan.

• Solar Installed but Never Turned On? The No-PTO Problem in Florida →

Failure Pattern 2: The System Makes Less Power Than Promised

Many homeowners were shown a savings sheet promising their electric bill would drop to nearly zero. Then the first summer bill arrives, and it has barely moved. Now the household pays a solar loan payment plus most of the old power bill. That is the exact opposite of what was promised at the kitchen table.

Underproduction has real, findable causes: panels facing the wrong direction, shade the salesperson ignored, a system sized too small for the home, or an inverter that failed quietly with nobody watching the monitoring. Start with evidence. Download twelve months of utility bills and your solar monitoring data. Real production numbers, compared against the sales proposal, are the most useful proof you can build.

• Solar Didn't Lower My Electric Bill — Why? →
• Why Did My Solar Loan Payment Jump? →

Failure Pattern 3: Roof Damage and Leaks

Rooftop solar is attached with dozens of lag bolts driven through your shingles or tile into the roof deck. Done right, every hole is sealed and flashed. Done wrong, every hole is a future leak. In Florida's rain and heat, bad mounts can stay hidden for months, then show up as ceiling stains after a hard storm.

Here is the part many homeowners miss: roof damage claims can outlive the installer. The company's general liability insurance from the year of the work may still respond to a property damage claim, depending on the policy terms, even if the company no longer exists. Document everything now. Take dated photos, keep damaged material, and get a written condition report from a licensed roofer.

• Roof Leaking Around Solar Panels in Florida →

Failure Pattern 4: The Orphaned Warranty

Your contract likely promised a ten-year or even twenty-five-year workmanship warranty from the installer. When the installer dies, that promise usually dies with it. Homeowners left in this spot are often called solar orphans: the system may work today, but there is no one to call when it doesn't.

The good news is that the workmanship warranty was never your only protection. The equipment itself — panels, inverters, batteries — carries separate manufacturer warranties, and those generally survive the installer's collapse. We cover how to use them below.

Failure Pattern 5: Paying for a System That Doesn't Work

Solar loans commonly start billing when the system is installed, not when it is producing power. PACE assessments get added to your property tax bill on their own schedule. The result: Florida homeowners paying GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight Financial, or a PACE line every month for a system that has never worked a single day.

This pattern carries the most legal leverage, because a federal rule connects your lender to your installer's conduct. Under the FTC Holder Rule, explained below, you may be able to raise the installer's failures directly against the company collecting your money.

• GoodLeap Solar Loan Problems in Florida →
• Mosaic Solar Loan Disputes in Florida →
• Sunlight Financial Solar Loans in Florida →

Failure Pattern 6: Sales Lies

The ugliest pattern is plain deception. "Free solar." "It's a government program." "Your power bill goes away." "You'll get a big check at tax time." "This deal ends Friday." Under Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, known as FDUTPA, deceptive sales practices are unlawful, and homeowners who prove them may recover their actual damages.

Two versions deserve special attention. Some homeowners were told they were joining a government energy program and only later learned they had signed a loan or a PACE assessment on their home. Others — often elderly homeowners — were pressured at their own front door into debts they never understood. Under Florida Statute 163.086, a court may void a PACE agreement obtained through forgery or fraud, or where the three-day cancellation rules were violated, and may order the contractor to restore the property.

The tax credit promise deserves its own warning. The federal solar credit only offsets income tax you actually owe. Many retirees owe little or none. So the promised "30% back" never arrives, and a loan that was designed around that check was never realistic to begin with.

• Promised Free Solar, Now I Have a Loan →
• My Elderly Parent Was Talked Into Solar →
• Promised a Solar Tax Credit and Never Got It →
• Florida's 3-Day Solar Contract Cancellation Rule →

Your Installer Is Gone. These Parties Are Still on the Hook.

Now the useful part. Your installer was never the only party in the deal. Money moved through a lender. Equipment came from manufacturers with their own warranties. Insurance covered the work. The State of Florida licensed the contractor and keeps a fund for exactly this situation. Each of these parties may still owe you something, depending on your documents and your facts.

Work through the list below in order. None of it requires the installer to still exist.

The Lender and the FTC Holder Rule

Look at your loan paperwork for a paragraph in capital letters that begins "NOTICE: ANY HOLDER OF THIS CONSUMER CREDIT CONTRACT...". That language is required by the FTC's Holder Rule, found at 16 C.F.R. § 433.2. In plain English, it means the lender stands in the installer's shoes. Any claim or defense you could raise against the seller, you may also be able to raise against whoever holds the loan now.

There is an important limit. Recovery based on the Holder Rule notice itself is generally capped at the amounts you have already paid on the loan. Paid $6,000 so far? That route generally tops out at $6,000, plus the possibility of stopping future payments in some cases. It is a shield and a partial refund tool, not a jackpot.

But the cap has a nuance worth knowing. The FTC has explained that the cap applies to claims based on the notice. It does not cap claims you hold independently against the lender for the lender's own conduct. And courts have held it may not cap attorney's fees awarded under separate fee-shifting laws. Whether those exceptions fit your case is exactly the question a consumer attorney can answer.

One honest caveat: the Holder Rule is a weak tool against PACE financing, because PACE is structured as a property tax assessment rather than a typical consumer credit sale. PACE problems have their own remedies, covered below.

• The FTC Holder Rule and Your Florida Solar Loan →

Equipment Warranties That Survive: Magnuson-Moss

Solar panels typically carry manufacturer warranties of around twenty-five years. Inverters usually carry ten to twelve. Those warranties come from the manufacturer, not your installer, so the installer's bankruptcy generally does not erase them. Your dead inverter may still be covered even though the company that installed it is gone.

The federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act stands behind written consumer warranties, and a consumer who wins under it may also recover attorney's fees, which helps smaller claims find lawyers. The practical catch is labor: a manufacturer may ship a free replacement part but may not pay a licensed installer to swap it. Find your serial numbers — on the panel spec sheets, the inverter label, or your monitoring app — and register your equipment with each manufacturer now, before you need them.

The Installer's Insurance and Bond

Florida contractors carry general liability insurance. Claims for property damage — like a roof leak from a bad mount — may be brought against the policy that was in force when the work was done, even after the company folds, depending on the policy terms. Your county's contractor licensing office may have the certificate of insurance on file, and an attorney can dig it out in a lawsuit.

Some contractors also post license bonds. Bonds are usually small — often just a few thousand dollars — and get paid out first-come, first-served, so they rarely make anyone whole. But they cost little to claim against, and in a stacked recovery, every dollar counts.

The Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund

Florida keeps the Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund to compensate homeowners harmed by licensed contractors. Solar contractors, who hold the CVC license, fall under Division II of the fund. Payouts are capped: generally $15,000 for contracts signed before July 2024, and $30,000 for contracts signed after.

Two rules trip people up. First, the fund is a backstop, not a first stop. You generally need a judgment or a restitution order against the contractor before the fund will pay, which usually means winning in court or through the licensing process first. Second, there is a one-year deadline to file the claim. And if your "contractor" was never licensed at all, the fund generally will not pay — one more reason to verify licenses before hiring anyone new.

Deadline warning: Recovery Fund claims generally must be filed within one year. If your installer failed months ago, the clock may already be running. Do not wait to get advice.

Regulators, FDUTPA, and the Courts

File complaints even though the company is gone. Complaints to the Florida Attorney General, the FTC, and the state licensing board (DBPR) build the official record, support Recovery Fund and insurance claims, and feed enforcement actions that sometimes return real money. The FTC's 2022 order against PACE provider Ygrene shows how: the $3 million order led to about $2.9 million distributed to consumers in 2025, with a median check of $2,555.

For your own recovery, FDUTPA lets a consumer seek actual damages for deceptive or unfair practices. It also has two-way fee shifting: the winning side may recover attorney's fees. That makes strong cases attractive to consumer lawyers. It also adds risk if you sue and lose. Weigh that with counsel before you file.

Know your court options. Florida small claims court handles disputes up to $8,000 under Small Claims Rule 7.010(b), with filing fees of roughly $55 to $300, a pretrial conference typically around fifty days after filing, and built-in mediation that settles many cases. County court handles claims up to $50,000. And deadlines to sue apply — some Florida claims expire in just a few years, so do not sit on your rights.

• How to File a Complaint Against a Solar Company in Florida →
• Florida Solar Statute of Limitations: How Long Do You Have to Sue? →

If Your Financing Is PACE (Ygrene, HomeRun, Renew, FRED)

PACE financing — Ygrene, Florida PACE Funding Agency (HomeRun), Renew Financial, FRED — is repaid through your property tax bill. That changes almost everything about how you deal with it. Under Florida Statute 163.081, PACE agreements signed on or after July 1, 2024 may be prepaid without penalty. For older agreements, the contract's own prepayment clause governs, though the major providers state they do not charge prepayment penalties on residential deals.

PACE liens also collide with mortgages. FHA guidance in Mortgagee Letter 2017-18 and Fannie Mae's Selling Guide B5-3.4-01 generally require the PACE balance to be paid off when you sell or refinance. Fannie Mae specifically allows a limited cash-out refinance used to pay off a PACE assessment. And if the tax bill itself is the emergency, Florida's homestead tax deferral under Statute 197.252 (Form DR-570) may let qualifying homeowners defer part of it. Ask your county tax collector.

The PACE industry is under real pressure. Miami-Dade County found that contractors working with Ygrene and Renew did unpermitted work on roughly forty homes, which drove the county's September 2023 PACE ordinance. A dispute between the Florida PACE Funding Agency and county tax collectors reached the Florida Supreme Court in December 2025. And the CFPB's Regulation Z PACE rule takes effect March 1, 2026, though it applies only to new PACE originations, not existing loans.

• Renew Financial payoff desk: 844-736-3934
• Florida PACE Funding Agency / HomeRun payoffs: Payoffs@FloridaPACE.gov or 800-969-4382
• Ygrene payoff desk: 866-634-1358
• FRED payoffs: paymypace.com or 888-338-3578

• How to Get Out of a Ygrene PACE Loan in Florida →
• PACE vs. Solar Loan: What's the Difference? →
• Can't Sell Your House Because of a Solar Lien or UCC Filing? →

Your First 30 Days, Step by Step

Move in this order. Days one through seven are about locking down evidence before it disappears.

• Gather every document: contract, loan or PACE papers, the sales proposal, texts, emails, and permit paperwork.
• Take dated photos of everything: panels, roof, inverter screen, electric meter, and any water stains inside.
• Download at least twelve months of utility bills from your FPL or Duke online account.
• Look up your permit on your county's permit portal. Note whether it is open, expired, or finaled.
• Check your county property records for liens or UCC filings tied to the solar system.

Days eight through thirty are about starting every clock in your favor.

• Confirm your PTO status in writing with your utility.
• Register your panel and inverter serial numbers with each manufacturer and start any warranty claims.
• File complaints with the Florida Attorney General, the FTC, and DBPR if a licensed contractor did the work.
• If your facts support it, send the lender a written dispute letter citing the Holder Rule notice in your contract.
• Get a written condition report from a licensed roofer if there is any sign of roof trouble.
• Put the deadlines on a calendar: the Recovery Fund's one-year window and Florida's lawsuit deadlines.

Handle It Yourself or Hire an Attorney?

Self-help fits when your losses are under the $8,000 small claims limit, your facts are simple, your documents are organized, and you have the energy to follow through. Small claims court was designed for people without lawyers. The pretrial conference and mediation resolve many cases without a trial.

An attorney makes sense when the loan balance is large, the sale involved fraud or forgery, an elderly family member was the target, you want a PACE agreement voided under Statute 163.086, you are disputing a loan under the Holder Rule, or roof damage claims involve an insurance carrier. Because FDUTPA and Magnuson-Moss both allow fee shifting, many consumer attorneys will take a strong case with little or no money up front. A consultation costs you nothing but time.

Either way, the file decides the case. Organize your documents before you argue with anyone. A clean, dated, complete evidence file is the difference between a claim that gets paid and a story that gets ignored.

What Realistic Outcomes Look Like

Honesty time. Most homeowners do not get a full refund and a free new roof. When an installer goes bankrupt, customers are usually unsecured creditors, and unsecured creditors typically recover little or nothing from the bankruptcy itself. That is exactly why this guide focuses on the other parties.

Realistic wins look like this: a loan balance reduced or a dispute settled with the lender, capped by what you have paid if it rests on the Holder Rule notice. A manufacturer replacing a failed inverter under warranty. A Recovery Fund check up to the $15,000 or $30,000 cap. An insurance settlement for roof damage. A small claims judgment you actually collect. A regulator-driven refund, like the Ygrene checks with their median of $2,555. Stacked together, several modest recoveries can add up to real relief.

Be realistic about time, too. Complaints take months to process. Small claims moves fastest, with a pretrial conference around fifty days out. Lawsuits and Recovery Fund claims take longer. Nobody can honestly promise you a specific outcome — anyone who does is selling something. Results depend on your contract, your evidence, and your deadlines.

Keep the System or Remove It? A Decision Framework

Start with one hard truth: removing the panels does not erase the debt. The loan or PACE assessment generally must be dealt with either way. So if the system works, or can be revived at a reasonable cost, keeping it and fighting the money fight separately often makes the most financial sense.

• Remove when the roof needs replacement anyway — panels must come off and be reset regardless.
• Remove when leaks trace back to the solar mounts and the roof cannot be sealed around them.
• Remove when the system is dead and the cost to revive it exceeds what it could ever save you.
• Remove when a sale is on the line and the buyer or their lender demands it.

Use licensed contractors for any removal or reset. Solar (CVC) and roofing (CCC) work are both licensed trades in Florida, and unpermitted work is part of what created this mess — Miami-Dade's findings on unpermitted PACE-funded jobs made that plain. One more note: if your system is leased or under a power purchase agreement with a company like Sunnova, you do not own the panels, and exit follows a different path.

• Removing Solar Panels to Replace a Roof in Florida →
• How to Get Out of a Sunnova Lease or PPA →
• Getting Out of a Solar Lease or PPA in Florida →

What to Do This Week

• Find your contract and loan or PACE documents. Make digital copies of every page.
• Take dated photos of the panels, the roof, the inverter, and any damage inside the house.
• Log into your utility account and download twelve months of bills.
• Look up your solar permit on your county permit portal and write down its status.
• Check whether your financing is PACE (it shows on your property tax bill) or a solar loan (monthly statements from GoodLeap, Mosaic, Sunlight, or similar).
• Write a one-page timeline: sale date, promises made, install date, what went wrong, and when.
• Put the deadlines on your calendar: the Recovery Fund's one-year window and Florida's time limits to sue.
• If anything above surprises you, get a professional review of the whole project before you spend another dollar.