Solar Panel Installations Scam: How It Works
Solar panel installations and fake products – all are back in the news. This year one of the biggest scams around is the Solar Power System or Solar Panels for Your Home scam. It is part of the home improvement fraud group and is doing its rounds again. We’ll explain in detail how it works below – meanwhile, if you are looking for legitimate solar services here is a verified vendor.
Victims of this scam are consumers who want to cut their energy bills using rooftop solar panels or windmills. How does the scam work?
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Scenario 1: Solar Panel System Fraud:
Watch the video below to see in action the sneaky Solar Panel Installations Scam exposed:
There are reputable solar companies out there that will save you money, but scammers are also in the game, luring you into paying a huge deposit to a contractor who doesn’t deliver the system. Some would just vanish with the deposit, others (the majority) would deliver a bogus system that’s not even close to provide what is supposed to.
It is the same type of fraud that happens when home improvement crooks stop by your porch promising to either fix your shingles or deliver an effective alarm system.
Scenario 2: Solar Companies Upgrades and Warranty
In a different variation of the scam, solar panels owners have been receiving telephone cold calls offering to supply upgrades or accessories alongside extended warranty products. These calls from people claiming to represent solar companies come with misleading claims such as the need for an inverter replacement, that a component is broken or faulty or that the performance of the system will be increased.
Criminals also claim to be official partners of the U.S. Department of Energy, Ofgem (in the UK), or Australian Energy Regulator, which is not the case.
Here’s more:
Scenario 3: Solar Industry Trick – Free Health Check and Service Letter
Did you receive a letter in the mail notifying that “you have not received your free health check and service” and “your warranty may be due to expire”? The solar industry has its tricksters too, just like any other home-related ones (air conditioning, furnace, etc.) What does the letter say? As a call-to-action, it asks the recipient to contact the sender to validate the warranty and request a free health check. It looks like this:
Be wary of any unsolicited approach and never agree to services, to having work done, or for someone to visit your home if approached in this way by so-called solar companies. If you own a solar panel, you should always talk to your suppliers before allowing any work or maintenance to take place on their panels. A solar panel system does not necessarily need servicing, although it may benefit from being cleaned if the panels are dirty.
Later on in this article, we have a Top 5 list with the highest-ranked solar panels systems, in case you think of purchasing one from a safe seller.
Educate Yourself Before Solar Panel Installations: Save Money
However, before considering an alternative energy solar you should get educated about solar panel use. Also, get a good understanding of how the solar panel installation works. Here it is:
When sunlight hits the module on a solar photovoltaic (PV) installation, the modules convert the sun’s energy into electricity that can be used to power your home. Whether the electricity is being drawn from the PV installation or utility company, your home’s power performance will stay the same.
The Direct Current (DC power) that the installation produces is wired to an inverter. This inverter converts the DC power into an Alternating Current (AC). The AC power is the standard electrical current use for powering most home appliances throughout the world.
The electrical current then flows from the inverter to the home’s electrical service panel that feeds electricity into the household. You can also use a tracking meter, which can keep track of the home’s electrical consumption, the total output of the solar installation, and more.
These tracking systems often have live display systems or online monitors, so you can track how much of your home’s electricity needs are being met by your system’s production and how well your system is performing at any point in time.
During the day, if the solar system’s production exceeds the house’s electrical needs, the excess electricity is fed back to the power grid. When this occurs, you can observe the electrical meter spin backward.
Most local governments have a system of credits set in place that require utility companies to buy this excess energy back from various renewable energy standards, portfolios, and goals. In addition to reducing your electric bill, these credits can be sold to utilities.
This generates revenue to pay back your investments for the PV system, and eventually turn into profit.
At night, or anytime a household is using more electricity than a solar installation is producing, the extra energy needed to power the house is pulled from the grid, as it normally would be. When you install a solar system on a home, the only noticeable difference you’ll see is on your electric bill.
How To Avoid The Solar Panels For Your Home Scam:
When it comes to solar panel installation fraud, learn how to distinguish the real companies from the scammers. Think about it. How much do you pay for your energy per year? How about for 10 years?
If you are looking into the solar panel option, get bids from at least three-four companies and then check out their Better Business Bureau reviews. Needless to say, you should never pay the full price upfront or a deposit of more than four figures.
Alternative energy is a new industry. That’s why questionable individuals might take advantage of the novelty and try to sell concepts and products that might not be doable or legitimate. Maybe before asking yourself ‘how much do solar panels cost?’ you should first look at the solar energy pros and cons and evaluate if it’s the right thing to consider for your house.
Are Solar Panels Really Worth It?
The short answer would be yes, the solar panels are worth the investment. The installation just needs due diligence. Connect with owners of homes with solar panels, ask questions, look at the investment, and decide. The same thing you can do if you are a business owner and consider installing a commercial solar. Research, research, research. Check out carefully the online presence of reputable companies and educate yourself some more.
Let’s take a look at some solar panels pros and cons below.
Solar Energy Pros And Cons
Let’s look at some interesting facts about solar energy and the solar industry in general. The amount of sunlight that comes to Earth in a single day would supply all the electricity needs for every human being on the planet for an entire year. Also, experts say that solar is a renewable energy resource that will last for a couple of billion more years. We’ll never gonna run out of it.
One of the most important facts about solar energy is that it is in any way hurtful to the atmosphere. It doesn’t pollute or generate carbon dioxide, which a lot of people believe is changing the global climate. There’s also no noise pollution with solar energy. Electricity is created silently when sunlight hits a solar panel. The sunlight reacts with materials in the panel to produce an electrical charge.
This charge could be converted to direct current (DC current) to be used in homes. If a home with solar panels generates more power than the home uses, the homeowner may even be able to sell some of the excesses to a power company for use on its grid.
The electricity created by home solar energy can be used in dozens of ways – just like electricity from the power company: heating water, running appliances, and providing light are all possibilities for home solar energy. When you have home solar energy, you don’t need to worry about power outages – or rate increases by your utility company. Another of the more interesting facts about solar energy is its potential in the transportation industry, although admittedly, practical solar applications for mass transit in the U.S. are probably still years away.
Solar energy for cars has been developed but it’s not nearly advanced enough yet for the needs of modern vehicles. So those are some facts about solar energy that sound positive and promising. How about the cons?
For one thing, solar panels take up a lot of space. That means solar energy ‘farms’ as they would be called, would have to be huge to provide a significant percentage of a large city’s electricity supply. There is also a large investment or upfront cost of installing solar – especially in a home. It can take years to recover the cost, even though solar equipment is nearly maintenance-free once you have it. Plus, some geographical areas are better suited to solar power than others.
If you live in an area where it’s cloudy a lot of solar energy may not be sufficient for your needs. Furthermore, your output from solar panels will be reduced if they’re shaded by trees or other structures.
Solar Panel Installations Fraud: Locations
The Solar Panel System scam has been reported to make victims in the following cities: New York, London, Sydney, Melbourne, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Antonio, Washington, Jersey City, Brisbane, San Francisco, Newark, Austin, Houston, Phoenix, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Dallas, Aquia Harbour, Santa Clarita, San Bernardino, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Norwich, El Paso, Calgary, Perth, Poway, Charlotte, Perris, Adelaide, Arvada, Rancho Cucamonga, Edison, Albuquerque, Devonport, Anaheim, Fresno, Pflugerville, Chicago, Boston, Riverside, Vallejo, Mesquite, Ipswich, Palm Harbor, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Shrewsbury, Spokane, Fruitville, Dundee, Ventura, Herne Bay, Glendale, Paramus, River Vale, Hartford, Miami, Virginia Beach, Aurora, Lynn Haven, Orlando, Rio Rancho, Prosser, Berkeley, Perdido Key, Peterborough, Beverly, Elk Grove, Dudley, Huntington Beach, Peachtree City, Dover, Gardena, Jacksonville, Goole, Colorado Springs, Elizabethtown, Cincinnati, Four Corners, Carlsbad, Kansas City, Hackensack, Oakham, Santa Ana, Atlanta, Willingboro, Yonkers, Oildale, Amsterdam, Berkeley, Sacramento, Morris Plains, Las Vegas, Nashville and Gold Coast.
Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
Well, unless your friend donates them to you, beware of any offers of free solar panels even if they are thrown in as a special deal from any company trying to promote themselves. We’re not saying refuse them, but do a bit of homework first. Make sure you check the name of the company offering on the Better Business Bureau website. Better safe than sorry.
How To Report The Solar Panels For Your Home Scam – Contact Attorney General or FTC
Make your family and friends aware of the Solar Panel Installation scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the questionable solar panel companies to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:
Top 3 Solar Panel Systems Ranked by Quality and Safe Sellers
We collected a list of the most reliable solar system products that are on the market for sale. They all ranked between 4.5 – 5-stars on Amazon and have over 100 purchases. You can trust the sellers. Here they are – click on their name to see the specs, uses, and various prices:
1. Gelssi 4×100 W Monoflexible Photovoltaic Solar Panel
This one is one of our favourites. It has low weight design, extra durable, no glass. Uses: Marine, Cars, Off Grid. EL tested solar modules; no hot-spot heating guaranteed; It comes with 25-year power output warranty; 5-year material and workmanship warranty. Check it out HERE.
2. ACOPOWER Foldable Solar Panel Kit
The ACOPOWER 100W Foldable Solar Panel Kit comes with 12V battery and generator ready suitcase with charge controller. The product has 5-star reviews only. You can buy it HERE.
This is a HQST 400 Watt 12 Volt Polycrystalline solar panel kit with 40A MPPT charge controller. Designed specifically for customers new to solar. Easy and convenient to install with pre-drilled holes on panels and Z brackets for fast mounting and securing. Check it out HERE.
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About Solar, I’m a retired Electrician, of more than 30 yrs., I’ve built solar generator plants in California, and for homes, one should consider this, for stationary solar panels on a roof, their mounted angle should be your latitude so the sun is perpendicular, at leased. And facing south but from dawn to dusk you get varing light to each panel the only time you get 100% is from about 11am to 1pm, and that vary’s with DST & weather and to the latitude that can vary also from summer to winter( high sun, low sun), so if you want better usable Solar power, you need a solar computer controlled pedestal that changes angle to meet the sun perpendicularly(is that a word) like the one’s I help build in McKittrick,Ca. (for your home, not quite that big, they were huge).
Many solar companies advertise that Florida has a program that pays all of the cost of a solar system. It is all a lie, Florida pays nothing.
Unfortunately, I received a phone call in year 2023 from a salesman telling me that the City of Chicago was giving free Solar panels only if my home qualified. They did the inspection and the salesman wasn’t transparent about the financial obligation I was getting into, This was a horrible scam. He made me signed up on a computer tablet, now I have to pay $75.00 for 25 long years, interest rate increase every year. This company SunRun and their salesman are thieves lying to seniors like me. Any advise out there?
Received a NOTE TAPED onto our Mailbox. Gives the phone number of 1-888-517-8225. NO Company Name given on it. 1. It is ILLEGAL to post onto mailboxes. 2. They try to use Scare Tactics on the note stating it is REQUIRED to have Solar Panels on residence in California. That is a LIE since it is ONLY FOR NEW HOMES from January 1, 2020 on.
While you’re at it. Here’s another one to watch out for. I’m in the middle of a predatory loan as we speak. They are called Dividend Finance. None of my payments goes to the principle, zero. So, I’m assuming my loan will never be paid off. It’s been a nightmare and I’m not sure who to turn to.
US HOME SOLAR phone scam. Calling numbers on DNC lists state and federal. Time for the states and feds to place a $10,000 per call fine.
Meanwhile, if you live in the South and or desert areas, ignore photovoltaic solar UNTIL you have hot water solar. Solar water heat will reduce your electric bill by 30-50% at much less cost and almost no maintenance, also they almost never wear out if good quality.
The solar panel industry is full of crooks dude, especially here in South, Texas and Arizona. If you go to Ripoff report, there is a bunch of companies and sneaky guys that victims complain about: Enviro Solar (KEA Solar), Vivint Solar, Gods Green earth, Graham aluminum and more.
you forgot about zenernet
All the solar companies are scams, or will eventually be exposed "later" as a scam, or the recent solar company (DC Solar, Benicia, CA), a couple from Martinez was running a ponzi scheme from 2011-18 with over a billion dollars, and even scammed Warren Buffett from losing over $350 million.
Then there was the infamous Solyndra in 2010, Fremont-CA that swindled $535 million out of President Obama (remember the news story March 2010 Pres. Obama with CEO of Solyndra), and once Solyndra secured the loan, they filed bankruptcy 9 months later. Also coincidentally, Solyndra is literally just across the road from the former Numi Plant (now, Telsa) which owns Solar City – well if that Elon Musky solar scam business is still running?
Here is my own research summed up in 1 word, in regards of the solar industry, and anyone that is affiliated with that industry, "SCAM!!!"
Have just had a phone call from a company called SDE but he (Jake) would not say what SDE stood for !! On mentioning that our panels are over 5 years old, he was starting to ‘offer’ a free check but I interrupted him stating they were working fine and didn’t need a check. He then became quite angry and started swearing at me !! Have you heard of SDE for me to call back ? !!!!
Beware, UK, someone is calling claiming that you will lost your right to FITS payments if you don’t have their inspection and fit their "safety" installation. May be claiming to represent a US company, but they aren’t. Your own UK provider should inspect your installation every 2 years and will tell you if anything looks unsafe. Never response to cold calls. Also a lot of UK owner details have been stolen and distributed to scam and spam callers. Don’t work with any cold-callers
If you’re in South Africa look out for Energy Spark as they are a scam
Anyone heard of Mareki Solar?
I am shocked to hear all the negativity regarding solar. I have been a solar customer for 4 years and have been saving on my electric bill. I don’t know where this information is coming from regarding the scam but it does not apply to me. i have referred 5 people and all are well pleased that they went solar. Do your homework before you commit and sign up with a good company. There is a company in south Jersey that offers a 25 year warranty across the board. Even on the roof. I will not say the name of the company but If you are serious about going solar, you will find out which one it is. They are very reputable. I just thought this was important to share.
I would like to buy some of your leftover 100 watt Polycrystalline solar panels but can only offer you $10 per watt. Can we make a deal? Also, thanks for the solar scam info. Now I can save myself from you.
aren’t you precious!
Indian street-shitters in boiler rooms are now running a solar panel scam
I wish I had a recorded the vulgar tirade of the Indian scammer that got so mad at me from "US Solar Panels" when I told him I was on do not call list and told the first guy that called me to contact me never. It would make George Carlin blush. Unfortunately, we live in a time where phone companies are unable or unwilling to come up with a way to stop fake phone numbers. If you receive a call from anyone with an Indian accent, just don’t. I’m not saying that all Indians are scammers, but all scammers are Indian.
Visit solarhomeincscam.com for more information regarding Solar Home Inc. Many have been cheated out of their hard earned money to the scrupulous dealsings with Ray Boggs and his company.
I did some research online and here is what other people reported as questionable companies doing solar panel installations and work. All these companies are listed on the ripsoff report page. Watch out for these sneaky companies, folks: InnerSol Global (Kevin Murphy Ryder and Dianne Durbin), Revolve Solar, American, Solar City, Epic Solar Inc, Sun Time Energy Sun, Ambassador solar Energy, Origin Solar, Genssi Solar, Sunna Solar, Top Choice Solar, Hawaii Solar and Wind, Econ Solar, Synergy Solar, Green Monster Solar, Morgan and Morgan Solar, Trinity Solar, Petersen Dean Roofing & Solar, Sunrun Solar, Global Wide Green (Kirby Hanby and Janae Appel), American Made Solar & Wind, Hurricane Wind Power, Solar Home & garden.
Mosaic – This is a loan company that finances Solar panels/installation. We bought our panels from Vergano Solar, and they told us about bein able to finance 100% of the solar purchase, some $28,000 thru a company named Mosaic.
We were told that we would have to apply the solar rebate from our tax return, some $9,000m, when we received it, which we did we also sent in an additional $1,000, as well as all of our monthly payments of $149/month.
When we checked our payment history we found the following, which we have verified with Mosaic:
1. They did not apply all of the extra payment monies, some $10,000, to our principal. Instead, they charged us $188.66 in interest.
2. Since we made the extra payments via check (our regular payments are an automatic deduct each month) they charged us $6 each to process the checks!
I do not knowingly do business that treats its customers like this!
A variation. Cold phone call. ..company ‘Greener Homes’ has been passed my details by another company which acts for the government. Computer chips in my solar panels are faulty and must be replaced .. Which company can do..Function of the chips is to control and vary the amount of ellectricity which my panels feed into the public electricity supply according to. Variations in the feed-in tarrif. this variation is the reason for the quarterly generation payments which I receive differing throughout each year.
I guess some people swallow this rubbish – otherwise the firm would not cold call people.
I reported the scam,but the name the caller gave me and the phone number are fictitious.
They are all a scam there is no goverment insentive, basically you have tonpay for the instillation its that simple, they don’t do finance for them either since the drop in tariff. So basically depending what you get a 4kw solar system shouldn’t cost you anymore than £6k (single inverter) and 7k (micro inverter) all in! although these prives are dropping! Get a decent brand solar world are the usual round the UK, (German company unfortunately!) What it boils down to is the position. And pitch of your roof also an obvious one is shadowing at any part of the day, all these have a factor effect on the efficency, so do your homework, I have a 4kw south facing, I get about 20/25kw a day at the moment even through the winter I was getting between 5 to 8 kw. Another tip is to use all your appliances during the day, I’m at work so I set all mine up on their timers to come on after the last ones finished so I’m uterlising as much of the free energy as I can. (Things like washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers) in my opinion (I’m an engineer as well) solar is the only way forward, everything else is a bit of a waste, but untill the goverments find a way to charge us for it they won’t allow decent funding in to it or realise somone of the technology that’s been researched and is working as it would out alot of people out of business!
Is Solar Vantage a scam??
Scammers or not, I am not really convinced of the efficiency of a solar panel use. What’s the best solar panel for home or the best solar installer? Also, what’s the difference between a commercial solar and solar energy homes?
Similar email today from another bogus UK address: I can (supposedly) save 80% on my power bill because "Your area has been approved for solar incentives". Since this is a mass email how do they know "my area" has been approved?
On the same topic, the scam comes online as well. I received an e-mail today that looks like it comes from the U.S. Solar Dept selling solar panels. First tip-off that it’s a Scam is the sender’s e-mail address is for a non-existent UK (England) site.