To get a refund from a solar company, check if you’re within the 3-business-day cancellation window under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule. After that, dispute payments through your card issuer or lender, file complaints with the FTC or CFPB, or pursue a misrepresentation claim.
Quick Answer: Your Refund Options at a Glance
The fastest path to a refund depends on timing. Within 3 business days of signing, federal law gives you an automatic right to cancel for a full refund, no reason needed.
After that window, a refund usually depends on proving the company didn’t deliver what was promised, misrepresented the contract, or violated a state or federal consumer protection rule. Financed deals add another layer, since you may be able to dispute charges through your card issuer or lender separately from cancelling the solar contract itself.
Why Refunds Aren’t Always Simple
Solar contracts are long-term financial agreements, often spanning 10 to 25 years for loans, leases, or power purchase agreements (PPAs). Once installation begins or a loan is funded, cancelling isn’t as simple as returning a product to a store.
Federal regulators have taken this seriously: the Treasury Department, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jointly issued consumer advisories warning about unfair and deceptive practices in the residential solar sector, and created an interagency partnership specifically to address predatory solar sales and financing.
A 2024 CFPB report added more detail on where homeowners get hurt financially. The agency found that some residential solar lenders mislead homeowners about loan terms and costs, misrepresent expected energy savings, and add markup fees into loan balances, with these hidden dealer fees often increasing loan costs by 30 percent or more above the cash price. Knowing whether this happened to you is often the first step toward building a refund or cancellation case.
How to Get a Refund From a Solar Company, Step by Step
Step 1: Check the Date You Signed
If it has been three business days or less since you signed at your home or anywhere other than the seller’s permanent place of business, you likely qualify for an automatic cancellation under federal law (more on this below). If more time has passed, move to Step 2.
Step 2: Re-Read Your Contract for Cancellation and Refund Clauses
Look for sections labeled “right to cancel,” “termination,” “buyout,” or “unforeseen costs.” Many solar agreements include a clause allowing cancellation without penalty if certain conditions weren’t met, such as roof or permitting issues discovered after signing. Note any deposit, restocking, or early termination fees, since these can reduce what you get back.
Step 3: Contact the Company in Writing
Call the company first if you want, but always follow up in writing, by email or certified mail, requesting cancellation and a refund. State the date you signed, the reason for cancellation, and a clear deadline for a response. Keep copies of everything you send and receive.
Step 4: Dispute the Charge With Your Card or Lender if You Paid Already
If you paid by credit card and the company misrepresented what you were buying, you can dispute the charge directly with your card issuer. You generally need to send a written billing error notice to the card company within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement, after which the company has 30 days to confirm receipt of your dispute.
If you financed through a solar loan, contact the lender directly, since solar loans are often issued by a separate finance company from the installer.
Step 5: File Complaints With Regulators
If the company won’t cooperate, file a complaint with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and with the CFPB if financing was involved. For CFPB complaints, the company is typically notified and must respond within 15 to 60 days, and you can track the response through your CFPB account.
Also file with your state attorney general’s consumer protection division and your state’s contractor licensing board, since they have direct enforcement power within your state.
Step 6: Consider Legal Help for Misrepresentation Cases
If the contract was based on false claims, such as fabricated tax credit savings, inflated energy production estimates, or a forged signature, a consumer protection attorney may be able to help you cancel the agreement and recover money already paid.
Some firms also work specifically on solar contract cancellations and refund disputes rather than general consumer law, which can speed up cases that involve solar-specific financing structures like PPAs and leases.
What Is the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, and Does It Apply to Solar?
Yes, in most door-to-door and in-home sales situations. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule gives consumers three business days to cancel certain sales made at their home, workplace, or a seller’s temporary location, and it also applies when you invite a salesperson to make a presentation in your home.
Your right to cancel for a full refund lasts until midnight of the third business day after the sale, and you don’t have to give a reason. To cancel, you typically need to send a signed cancellation notice, ideally by certified mail so you have proof of the date.
A few states go further than the federal rule. Texas, for example, passed Senate Bill 1036, which requires every residential solar contract to include a 5-business-day right to cancel without penalty, and allows the state licensing agency to cancel a contract outright and order refunds for victims in cases involving misleading sales practices. Check your own state’s contractor licensing board or attorney general’s website, since rules vary.
Refund Eligibility by Situation
| Your Situation | Likely Refund Path |
| Signed within the last 3 business days | Automatic right to cancel under the FTC Cooling-Off Rule; full refund of deposits |
| Signed more than 3 days ago, no work started | Request cancellation in writing; many contracts allow this with a smaller fee |
| Installation underway or completed, but you were misled | Possible refund or settlement through dispute, complaint, or legal claim based on misrepresentation |
| Paid by credit card for a misrepresented system | Card issuer billing dispute within 60 days of the charge appearing on your statement |
| Financed through a solar loan with hidden dealer fees | CFPB complaint against the lender, plus review of the loan disclosures |
| Company went out of business or stopped responding | File with state AG and FTC; check if the loan was sold to another servicer who may still be liable |
Common Reasons Refund Requests Get Denied
- The cancellation request came after the contract’s specific cancellation window closed and no misrepresentation can be shown.
- The homeowner can’t produce written proof of what was promised verbally during the sales pitch.
- The system was already installed and interconnected to the grid, which some contracts treat as a point of no return absent fraud.
- The dispute involves a third-party lender that says it only finances the deal and isn’t responsible for the installer’s promises, even though regulators are increasingly pushing back on this argument.
A Note on Working With Cancellation Specialists
Because solar contracts mix sales practices, financing terms, and utility interconnection rules, it can take real expertise to figure out which refund path actually applies to your situation. Solar Equity Solutions is a BBB-accredited company that focuses specifically on solar contract cancellations and has worked across cases involving many different installers and lenders.
With experience built on roughly 5,000 cancelled solar contracts, the team has seen which documentation and timelines tend to make a refund or settlement more likely, which can be useful context whether you handle the process yourself or get help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a full refund if I cancel within 3 days of signing?
Yes. Under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule, you can cancel for a full refund within 3 business days of signing, no reason required.
Can I still get a refund after the cancellation window has passed?
Sometimes, if you can show misrepresentation, breach of contract, or a violation of consumer protection law tied to the sale.
Does paying by credit card give me extra refund protection?
Yes. You can dispute the charge with your card issuer within 60 days of it appearing on your statement if the system wasn’t as described.
Who do I contact if the solar company won’t respond to my refund request?
File complaints with the FTC, the CFPB if financing was involved, and your state attorney general’s consumer protection office.
Is a solar loan company responsible if the installer lied to me?
It depends on the loan terms and applicable law, but regulators have flagged hidden fees and misleading sales tied to solar lenders, so it’s worth raising with the CFPB.
Disclaimer: This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Refund rights, contract terms, and consumer protection laws vary by state and by the specifics of your agreement. Always confirm current details with a licensed attorney.