Your Louisiana Solar Contract Is Costing You More Than You Were Told. Here's How to Fight Back.
The short version: Most Louisiana solar leases have an escalator clause. It raises your payment 2.9% every year. Over 25 years, a $150 payment grows to more than $300. Big solar companies that worked in Louisiana have gone bankrupt. ADT Solar is one of them. If your solar panels aren't saving what you were told, you have real rights. Start with a free Solar Relief Assessment to see what's actually in your contract.
There is a reason solar sales teams have been hitting Louisiana neighborhoods hard - especially in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and along the Gulf Coast. And there is a reason they keep coming back to the same streets.
It's not just the sunshine. It's the rising electric bills. Louisiana homeowners who are tired of watching Entergy and CLECO rates climb are the perfect audience for a pitch that sounds too good to pass up: "We'll lower your bill. Guaranteed."
But what happens when the guarantee turns out to be a 25-year contract with a payment that goes up every year? What happens when the company that made the promise files for bankruptcy? And what happens when a hurricane takes out your panels - but your payments don't stop?
If you signed a solar contract in Louisiana and the math isn't working the way your salesperson said it would, you're not alone. And you have more options than you think.
The Bigger Picture for Louisiana Solar Homeowners
Louisiana has not seen a named AG lawsuit against a solar installer yet. That doesn't mean Louisiana homeowners are safe. Big solar companies have worked here too. The list includes ADT Solar. Some of these companies went bankrupt. Some were sued in other states. Some were both. The same contracts, the same sales tactics, the same escalator clauses — they're in Louisiana homeowners' filing cabinets right now. Your state's consumer protection law covers solar sales just like any other deal.
What's actually in your Louisiana solar contract
Here's what most Louisiana homeowners don't find out until they've been paying for a year or two: the deal you signed isn't the deal you were sold.
Your salesperson told you solar would save money. But did they mention the escalator clause buried deep in your lease agreement? That's the line that raises your payment every year - by as much as 2.9%. On a 25-year lease, that takes a $150 monthly payment past $300! Most Louisiana homeowners never see it coming until they compare last year's bill to this year's.
Did they mention what happens if you try to sell your home? Your buyer has to agree to take over your solar contract. Most won't. That means you're stuck paying a buyout - often $7,000 to $30,000 or more - just to close the sale on your own house.
And did they tell you what happens when your solar company goes bankrupt? More than 100 solar companies filed for bankruptcy in 2024 alone, per SolarInsure. Pink Energy - which operated heavily across the Gulf South - is gone. Sunnova filed Chapter 11 in June 2025. When your installer goes under, your payments don't stop. Your contract doesn't disappear. But the warranty you were counting on is gone with them.
Your rights under Louisiana law
Louisiana gives you real legal tools. Here's what your salesperson almost certainly didn't explain.
Your 3-day cancellation window. If you signed your solar contract at home, you have 3 business days to cancel under the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. Louisiana's Home Solicitation Act - part of La. R.S. 51:1401 et seq. - reinforces this right at the state level. If your salesperson didn't tell you about this window, that affects the enforceability of your contract. How do you know if you were told? Pull out your contract. If there's no cancellation notice on the front page, that's your answer.
Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act (LUTPA). La. R.S. 51:1401 et seq. is the same statutory scheme that houses both the Home Solicitation provisions and Louisiana's broad prohibition on unfair and deceptive trade practices. If your solar company made misleading claims about savings, system performance, or contract terms, LUTPA covers your situation - and it allows consumers to bring private lawsuits with the possibility of recovering attorney's fees.
Hurricane and storm exposure. Louisiana's hurricane season puts your solar panels at serious risk every year. Storm damage can destroy panels, reduce system output, and leave you paying for a system that produces nothing. Your contract doesn't pause for weather. And if your installer has gone bankrupt, the workmanship warranty that was supposed to cover installation damage is gone with them. If hurricane risk was never discussed during the sale, that's a gap in what you were told - and a gap in what you agreed to.
State solar tax credit expired in 2017. Louisiana's state solar tax credit is gone. It expired in 2017. If your salesperson mentioned a state credit as part of the savings pitch and you signed after that date, the numbers they showed you were wrong from day one. Your financial case relied entirely on the federal credit and utility offset. If those numbers were inflated too, the deal never made sense.
Hidden dealer fees in your loan. If you financed your Louisiana solar system through a loan, there is a good chance a dealer fee was added to your loan balance without being clearly explained. Under the federal Truth in Lending Act, every finance charge must be disclosed. If yours wasn't, that's a violation - and it means you've been paying interest on money that went to the solar company, not to your system.
What you can do right now
You don't have to figure this out alone. Here are the first steps for Louisiana homeowners.
File a complaint with the Louisiana Attorney General. Go to https://ag.louisiana.gov/Division/PublicProtection. Or call 1-800-351-4889. Filing is free. The AG's office reads every complaint.
Compare what the salesperson told you to what's in your contract. In most cases, the two don't match. That gap is what makes a case.
Pull your utility bills from the last 12 months. Add up what you're paying the utility plus what you're paying for solar. Compare that to what you'd pay the utility alone. If the numbers don't work, that's a real gap — not just a feeling.
Find the escalator clause and the dealer fee in your contract. These two lines cause the biggest gap between what you were sold and what you're paying. You can spot both by reading your own paperwork.
Every contract is different. But the first step is the same for everyone. Understand what you signed. Solar Home Advocate built the free Solar Relief Assessment for this exact moment. Someone walks through your contract with you in plain English. They tell you your options.
You Signed a Solar Contract in Louisiana. Find Out What It's Actually Costing You.
Louisiana homeowners have real legal tools - including the right to bring private lawsuits under LUTPA when companies use deceptive sales practices. A free Solar Relief Assessment helps you understand what's in your contract, what went wrong, and what you can do about it.
[Get free Solar Relief Assessment →](https://solarhomeadvocate.com/free-assessment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=state-guide&utm_content=louisiana)Get free Solar Relief Assessment →**
No charge. No obligation. No high-pressure pitch.
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"Sal says: A 2.9% escalator clause nearly doubles your payment over 25 years. If you signed a solar contract in Louisiana, these facts hit your math and your warranty."
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are my rights if I signed a solar contract in Louisiana?
Did a salesperson come to your home? If yes, you have a 3-day right to cancel. That's under La. R.S. §9:3524 et seq. and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. Louisiana also has Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (La. R.S. §51:1401 et seq.). That law covers unfair or deceptive sales tactics. You can file a complaint with the Louisiana Attorney General. Go to https://ag.louisiana.gov/Division/PublicProtection or call 1-800-351-4889. If your salesperson didn't tell you about the 3-day cancel rule, that can affect your contract.
Which solar companies in Louisiana have faced legal trouble?
Several big ones. Companies that worked in Louisiana include ADT Solar. Some of these went bankrupt. Some were sued in other states. Some were both. If your system came from one of these companies, your contract may still be valid. But the warranty and service behind your system is usually gone.
How does the escalator clause affect my Louisiana solar contract?
Most Louisiana solar leases have an escalator clause. It raises your payment about 2.9% every year. On a 25-year lease, a $150 payment grows to more than $300. Louisiana's average electricity rate is about 12.46 cents per kilowatt-hour in early 2026. That's well below the national average of 17.45 cents. So the gap between your solar payment and your utility bill was small from the start. Utility rates haven't always gone up 2.9% a year. So your solar payment can climb faster than your would-be utility bill. Your savings shrink instead of grow.
What happens if my Louisiana solar company went bankrupt?
SolarInsure counted more than 100 solar company bankruptcies in 2024. Big names include SunPower (Aug 2024), Sunnova Energy (June 2025), Titan Solar Power (June 2024), Freedom Forever (April 15, 2026), Pink Energy (Oct 2022), and Vision Solar (Dec 2023). If your installer went bankrupt, your contract still stands. Your payments still go out. But the workmanship warranty usually dies with the company. The panel maker's warranty (often 25 years) still exists. But filing a claim without an active installer is hard.
Can I cancel my Louisiana solar contract?
Did the salesperson come to your home? Then Louisiana law gives you 3 business days to cancel. That's under La. R.S. §9:3524 et seq. and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. If those 3 days have passed, you may still have options. Did they skip the cancel notice? Did they use deceptive sales tactics? Did your loan hide fees? Any of those can open a path to cancel. It depends on your specific contract and how it was sold.
What are hidden dealer fees on a Louisiana solar loan?
Solar finance companies add dealer fees of 15 to 30 percent to your loan. They roll the fee into the principal. They don't list it separately. That means you pay interest on fee money that went to the solar company. Not to your panels. The federal Truth in Lending Act says every fee must be listed clearly. A hidden fee can be a federal violation. That's one of the strongest paths to renegotiate or exit a solar loan.
How do I file a solar complaint in Louisiana?
Go to the Louisiana Attorney General's website at https://ag.louisiana.gov/Division/PublicProtection. Or call 1-800-351-4889. Filing is free. Write down what the salesperson told you at the sale. Save your contract. Save any texts, emails, and voicemails with the installer. If you have a solar loan, keep your loan paperwork. A formal complaint creates a record. That record strengthens any legal review later.