Texas Non-Profit Report on Solar Panel Fraud

Texas Appleseed, a non-profit organization, published a report that contains significant findings related to residential solar panel fraud.

This report, which analyzed complaints submitted to the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) found an exponential increase in the number of complaints related to residential solar panels.

Some of the key findings reported are: 

·      An exponential increase in the number of complaints submitted to the OAG and TDLR from 2018 – 2023.

·      Residents in 141 of the 254 counties in Texas submitted complaints about solar panels, indicating widespread fraud.

·      The counties with the highest number of complaints were Harris County, Tarrant County, Dallas County, Bexar County, and El Paso County.

·      Looking at the rate of complaints by population, smaller counties topped the list: McMullen County, Callahan County, Donley County, Trinity County, and Andrews County.

·      Many of the harmful practices targeted older Texans and people who are not native English speakers. These practices included misleading statements that residents would no longer receive electric bills after panels were installed, false promises of government tax credits, and forgeries of signatures or other deceptive practices used to execute financing contracts.

One consumer from Fayette County writes in a complaint submitted to the Texas Office of the Attorney General, “This complaint is on behalf of my mother...Mr. Perez came by her house and convinced her she would save money on her electric bills and the government would pay for solar panels if she qualified. No mention of a cost to her throughout the entire process. She is 90 years old and is very confused about the whole ordeal...she had no computer, no email account and is legally blind due to complications with Macular Degeneration, yet somehow she has ended up with a debt of $56,930.43. Mr. Perez created an email account on her phone without her knowledge and was using it to DocuSign documents.”

This report from Fayette County illustrates many of the same issues throughout Texas: (1) promising $0 electricity bills; (2) promising government funding; (3) promising “no cost” systems; (4) preying on elderly individuals; and (5) forging documents on behalf of unsuspecting homeowners.

If you or a family member experienced a similar situation, please contact our office for help.