Our Chief Operating Officer, Josie Garcia, was recently featured discussing how homeowners can spot solar fraud before they sign, read on for the highlights, or check out the full feature.
We’re proud to share that Solar Equity Solutions was recently featured by Tiny House, where our Chief Operating Officer and VP of Client Services, Josie Garcia, broke down the red flags homeowners should watch for when evaluating a solar contract or PPA.
It’s exactly the kind of thought leadership we love getting to share, helping homeowners spot deceptive sales tactics before they ever sign, not just after. As residential solar adoption has grown over the past decade, so has the number of homeowners caught in deceptive sales practices. Garcia points to repeated warnings from the Federal Trade Commission, along with ongoing state-level investigations into aggressive solar marketing tactics, as evidence that this is a real and growing problem, not an isolated one.
Here’s a look at what Garcia had to say in the feature.
Watch Out for High-Pressure, Same-Day Sales Tactics
One of the clearest signs of a scam, according to Garcia, is urgency. Legitimate solar companies want an informed customer. Scammers want a signature before you’ve had time to think it over.
If a salesperson tells you the price is “only good today” or that a tax credit “expires this week,” treat it as a red flag. A fair contract can survive a 24-hour delay, and if a company won’t let you sleep on the decision, that alone is a reason to walk away.
Garcia also notes that pressure to use in-house financing, rather than shopping around for your own solar loan, is often a sign that the salesperson earns a commission on the loan itself.
Be Skeptical of Guaranteed Savings
Homeowners are frequently told that solar will eliminate their electric bill entirely, or even generate income by selling power back to the grid. According to Garcia, those numbers are rarely grounded in reality.
Projected savings are often based on best-case assumptions rather than an analysis of your actual home. Real savings depend on your utility’s rate structure, your household’s energy use, weather patterns, system size, and factors that are simply impossible to predict a decade or two out, like future rate hikes or shifting net metering policies.
The fix: insist on a written estimate that reflects your specific roof, shading, and local energy costs, not a generic sales projection.
Vague Contract Language Is a Warning Sign
A solar contract should clearly spell out the size and brand of the system, the total cost and financing terms, the warranty length, and who is responsible for maintenance and repairs.
Garcia notes that fraudulent contracts often leave these details fuzzy, or bury them in separate paperwork homeowners never see until after they’ve already signed. She’s also seen cases where installed systems were too small to meaningfully offset a home’s energy use, a detail that should have been transparent from the start.
Key terms every homeowner should confirm before signing include:
- Escalator clauses
- Equipment and workmanship warranties
- Cancellation windows
- Lien disclosures
- Total system cost
The Bottom Line
According to Garcia, most solar scams don’t look like outright theft. They look like a legitimate pitch, with a few important details deliberately left out.
The best defense is asking questions upfront: request proof of a state contractor’s license, proof of insurance, and references from local customers. A company unwilling to provide these quickly may be hiding something.
Read the Full Feature
Want to see Garcia’s insights in their original context? Check out the full article on Tiny House for more on how solar fraud has evolved and what homeowners nationwide are up against.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to share our team’s expertise with a wider audience, and we’ll keep showing up wherever we can help homeowners make informed decisions — before and after they sign.