Our structural commitment
Solar door-to-door sales produced a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau complaint surge of roughly 500 percent between 2019 and 2024. Investigative reporting by the American Prospect and Grist documented fake rebates, high-pressure same-day closes, bundled consent schemes, and post-install abandonment. Texas enacted SB 1036 and SB 1697 in 2025 specifically to regulate this market.
We do not employ door-knockers. Our advisors are paid a flat fee regardless of system size or financing choice. Your inquiry is never shared with competing installers. These are structural choices, not marketing claims. This page explains why the structure matters and what to look for before you sign anything.
The documented problem
The American Prospect published an investigation in 2024 tracing how national solar sales networks operate through independent dealer networks where no single party has accountability. A homeowner signs a contract through a door-knocker representing a dealer. The dealer contracts with a national installer. The installer subcontracts the actual work. When any link in that chain exits the market, the homeowner is left with an orphaned system and no clear path to warranty service.
Grist reported in 2024 on the sales tactics inside that model: misrepresentation of utility rebate programs, false claims about expiring federal incentives, and high-pressure same-day closes. Grist documented specific cases where homeowners were told a state or federal program was "ending this week" to pressure a signature on a financing contract with a dealer fee that ran to 30 percent of the system cost.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau tracked these complaints and published an issue spotlight in 2025 specifically on solar financing. Total solar-related complaints to the CFPB grew approximately 500 percent between 2019 and 2024. The majority of complaints fell into two categories: misrepresentation of incentive programs during the sales process, and financing terms that were not accurately disclosed before signing.
Legislative response
Texas Senate Bills 1036 and 1697, enacted in 2025, require solar and retail energy sales representatives who knock on doors to carry and present official registration credentials. Companies that sell retail electric products through door-to-door channels must register with the state. Misrepresentation of utility affiliations or rebate programs is a named violation subject to penalty.
The laws were passed in direct response to documented consumer harm, including the San Antonio case where representatives still described a "$2,500 CPS Energy rebate" through 2025 and 2026, years after CPS ended that residential solar rebate program in 2022. Texas is the first state to establish this registration structure, but similar consumer-protection pressure is building in Florida, California, and New Jersey based on complaint volume.
Texas SB 1036
Requires door-to-door solar sales representatives to carry and present registration credentials. Prohibits misrepresentation of utility affiliations or government-program associations. Enacted 2025.
Texas SB 1697
Establishes retailer-registration requirements for companies that sell retail electric products through door-to-door channels. Creates penalty structures for violations. Enacted 2025.
The San Antonio example
Door-knockers described a "$2,500 CPS Energy rebate" to San Antonio homeowners through 2025 and 2026. CPS ended that residential solar rebate in 2022. The program has not existed for three years. Source: San Antonio Better Business Bureau consumer alerts and Texas PUC complaint data.
Documented tactics
The most widely documented tactic in Texas: door-knockers represent themselves as associated with CPS Energy or the local utility and describe a rebate program. The San Antonio "$2,500 CPS rebate" was pitched repeatedly through 2025 and 2026 despite CPS ending that program in 2022. No such program exists for new enrollees. Source: San Antonio Better Business Bureau and Texas PUC consumer alerts.
Documented extensively by Grist (2024): door-knockers tell homeowners that a federal or state incentive expires this week, or that their neighborhood has limited slots, to pressure a same-day signature. In 2026 this tactic has mutated around the Section 48E commercial deadline. The residential credit is already gone, not expiring.
The lead-generation company collects a homeowner's contact information with language that buries consent to share that information with "our partners," which may mean 5 to 20 competing installers. Effective January 27, 2025, the TCPA requires one-to-one company-specific consent. Many comparison sites and door-knocker lead generators still use the pre-2025 bundled consent language.
System cost is quoted high, then reduced to a "net-of-credit" price using the 30 percent federal residential credit that expired December 31, 2025. The original inflated price serves as a false anchor. In 2026 any quote that derives its "you pay" number from a 30 percent residential credit deduction is using expired math.
Documented by the Minnesota Attorney General and the CFPB: solar loans often include a dealer fee of 19 to 35 percent of system cost, which the lender pays to the installer as a buy-down on the interest rate. This fee is folded into your loan principal and never disclosed as a line item. On a $30,000 system, a 25 percent fee adds $7,500 to what you owe.
Learn moreAmerican Prospect (2024) documented cases where door-to-door signed customers were left with orphaned systems after the selling company exited the market. Because the seller was a middleman between a lead generator and an installer network, no single party had accountability for monitoring, warranty claims, or utility interconnection problems.
How we are different
A company can say "we never use high pressure" and still pay commissions. A company can say "we respect your time" and still buy shared lead lists. The commitments below are structural: they are built into how we pay people and how we handle your information, not into a mission statement.
All contact from us is inbound only. We respond to people who reach out to us. We never dispatch a representative to ring your doorbell or knock on your door without an explicit invitation from you. This is a structural policy, not a preference. We do not employ door-knockers or pay independent representatives for residential lead acquisition.
Our advisors are paid a flat professional fee, not a percentage of the system you buy. They earn the same amount whether you choose a $15,000 system or a $40,000 system. They earn the same amount whether you choose a owned system, a lease, or a PPA. They earn the same amount if you decide solar does not make sense for your situation right now. The incentive structure cannot steer the recommendation.
Your inquiry comes to one advisor. It is not sold or distributed to a list of competing installers. It is not entered into a CRM shared with partner companies. We collect only the contact information you provide to us, and we use it only to schedule and conduct your free in-home assessment. No bundled third-party consent. Your information stays with us.
Structural commitment 4: full dealer-fee transparency in every loan proposal.
Every financing proposal we present shows the dealer fee as a dollar amount, not hidden in the APR. The average fee on a typical residential system runs $5,000 to $10,000. We show you the number before you decide whether to finance.
True-Cost Financing Comparison toolProtection guide
This checklist applies to any solar proposal, from any company, whether you found them through us or through a comparison site or through a door-knocker.
A 30 percent credit offer in 2026
The residential Section 25D credit expired December 31, 2025. Any quote that reduces your net cost by 30 percent using a federal credit for a 2026 residential system is using an expired program. This is either an error or a deliberate misrepresentation.
Pressure to sign the same day
No legitimate solar incentive requires a same-day signature. State programs and utility net-metering enrollment have application windows, not walk-up-and-sign closing tactics. Take at least a week to compare at least two independent proposals.
No line-item dealer fee in a loan proposal
If a solar loan proposal does not show the dealer fee as a separate dollar amount in the financing disclosure, ask for it explicitly. "Low APR" and "no money down" are not disclosures of the fee; they are features paid for by the fee.
A utility-affiliated claim from a door-knocker
No major US utility employs door-to-door solar sales representatives. If someone at your door represents themselves as connected to your utility company or a utility rebate program, ask for identification and call the utility's published customer service number to verify before providing any personal information.
A written proposal with itemized costs
A legitimate solar proposal breaks down equipment cost, installation cost, permit cost, and financing cost including the dealer fee. It shows the payback period calculated at zero federal residential credit for 2026 purchases.
A reference to your specific utility and its current net-metering rules
A solar proposal that quotes the same savings number regardless of whether you are on SCE or LADWP, or on Eversource or NSTAR, is using national averages rather than your actual rate structure. Your utility and current export credit rate matter enormously.
Time to review the contract with your own attorney or CPA
Any installer who objects to you taking a few days to have a contract reviewed by an independent advisor is signaling that the terms will not hold up to scrutiny. Legitimate advisors welcome independent review.
How do solar comparison sites work?
Sites like EnergySage and SolarReviews generate revenue by selling your contact information to multiple installers simultaneously. This is the lead-sharing model. It is not the same as working with an independent advisor.
How comparison sites really workCommon questions
Direct answers to the questions we hear most often. No redirects to a sales call.
A free in-home assessment takes about 90 minutes. An independent advisor reviews your utility bills, your roof, and your specific options. No sales pressure. No shared leads. No commissions.
