Your Massachusetts Solar Contract Has a Problem Most Homeowners Don't Catch Until Year Two. Here's How to Fix It.
The short version: Most Massachusetts 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. Massachusetts has received about 170 complaints against Sunrun since 2023. Big solar companies that worked in Massachusetts have gone bankrupt. Sunnova Energy 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 clause buried in most Massachusetts solar contracts that raises your payment every single year. Your salesperson never circled it. They talked about your Eversource or National Grid bill, how high it is, how solar would bring it down. They showed you numbers on a tablet and it all looked like a win.
But that clause is working against you right now. And it's not the only thing in your contract that doesn't match what you were told at the kitchen table.
Massachusetts has more than a hundred thousand solar systems installed across the Commonwealth, according to SEIA. That's a lot of homeowners who signed contracts. And a lot of those homeowners are now asking the same question: why isn't this saving me what they said it would?
Your payments are going up. Your savings projections assumed SMART incentive rates that have already changed. And the company that knocked on your door? They might not even exist anymore.
The Massachusetts Attorney General Is Watching Solar
Massachusetts has received about 170 complaints against Sunrun since 2023. That's more than any other solar company in the state. The complaints went to the Mass AG's Consumer Advocacy and Response Division. At the same time, Sunrun has filed more than 420 lawsuits against Massachusetts customers. And 24 Massachusetts homeowners have sued Sunrun back. The Mass AG has not filed a formal enforcement case yet.
This matters to you. State enforcement agencies have put it on the record. The same sales tactics used on Massachusetts homeowners are now named in court filings. If what your salesperson told you doesn't match your contract, you're not alone. You're not crazy. And you have options.
What's actually in your Massachusetts solar contract
Here's what most Massachusetts 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 crush your electric bill. But did they mention the escalator clause buried 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 turns a $150 monthly payment into more than $300!
Did they mention that SMART program incentive rates have changed since you signed? The Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target program provides compensation for solar generation, but the rates shift over time. If your salesperson's savings math was built on earlier, more generous SMART rates, those projections were wrong before your first panel went up.
Did your salesperson mention Freedom Forever? Freedom Forever was one of the biggest solar installers in the country. They put in about 2 gigawatts of solar across 35 states. On April 15, 2026, they filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware. They owe $500 million to $1 billion. Between 50,000 and 100,000 people are owed money. Freedom Forever was still installing in Massachusetts when they filed. If Freedom Forever installed your system, your contract is still active. But the company behind your warranty is now in bankruptcy limbo.
Freedom Forever isn't alone. SolarInsure counted more than 100 solar company bankruptcies in 2024. SunPower filed Chapter 11 in August 2024. A company called Complete Solaria bought them. Sunnova Energy filed Chapter 11 in June 2025. Titan Solar Power filed Chapter 7 in June 2024. Pink Energy, Lumio Holdings, and Vision Solar are on the same list. When your installer goes bankrupt, your payments don't stop. Your contract doesn't cancel. But your warranty usually disappears.
Your rights under Massachusetts law
Massachusetts gives you some of the strongest consumer protection tools in the country. Here's what your salesperson almost certainly didn't explain.
Your 3-day cancellation window. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93, Section 48 gives you the right to cancel a home solicitation contract within 3 business days. This is on top of the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. If your salesperson didn't tell you about this right - and most don't - that affects the enforceability of your agreement. Pull out your contract. If there's no cancellation notice on the front page, that's your answer.
Chapter 93A - your biggest lever. The Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 93A) is one of the strongest consumer protection statutes in the country. If your solar company engaged in unfair or deceptive practices - inflated savings claims, hidden fees, misleading SMART projections - Chapter 93A gives you a private right of action with the potential for treble damages and attorney's fees. That means a court can triple what you're owed. This law has real teeth, and solar companies that cut corners in Massachusetts are exposed to it.
SMART program changes erode your projections. The SMART program compensation rates have shifted since many contracts were signed. If your salesperson locked in projections based on earlier rates, your actual returns are lower than what was promised. Did your salesperson explain that SMART rates aren't fixed for the life of your contract? If not, the savings picture they painted was incomplete.
Eversource and National Grid rate assumptions. Your savings projections were built against your utility's rate trajectory. If Eversource or National Grid rates haven't climbed as fast as your salesperson assumed, the gap between what you were promised and what you're getting is wider every month.
Winter performance gaps. Massachusetts winters reduce solar production for months at a time. If your savings projections were based on annual averages that masked the seasonal drop, the month-to-month reality doesn't match what you were told. That $200 in monthly savings your salesperson promised looks very different in January.
Hidden dealer fees in your loan. Most Massachusetts homeowners with solar loans don't know this. A big chunk of your loan went to the installer as a dealer fee. These fees often run 15 to 30 percent of the loan. They get buried in the balance. The federal Truth in Lending Act says every fee must be listed clearly. When a fee is hidden, it can be a federal violation. And you've been paying interest on money that never went into your system.
What you can do right now
You don't have to figure this out alone. Here are the first steps for Massachusetts homeowners.
File a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General. Go to https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint. Or call (617) 727-8400. 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 Massachusetts. Find Out What It's Actually Costing You.
Massachusetts homeowners have rights under Chapter 93A - one of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country, with the potential for treble damages. A free Solar Relief Assessment helps you understand what's in your contract, what went wrong, and what you can do about it for you and your family.
[Get free Solar Relief Assessment →](https://solarhomeadvocate.com/free-assessment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=state-guide&utm_content=massachusetts)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. Freedom Forever filed Chapter 11 in April 2026. If you signed a solar contract in Massachusetts, 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 Massachusetts?
Did a salesperson come to your home? If yes, you have a 3-day right to cancel. That's under M.G.L. c. 93, §48 (Home Solicitation Sales) and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. Massachusetts also has Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 93A). That law covers unfair or deceptive sales tactics. You can file a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General. Go to https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint or call (617) 727-8400. If your salesperson didn't tell you about the 3-day cancel rule, that can affect your contract.
Has Massachusetts sued any solar companies?
Yes. Massachusetts has received about 170 complaints against Sunrun since 2023. That's more than any other solar company in the state. The complaints went to the Mass AG's Consumer Advocacy and Response Division. At the same time, Sunrun has filed more than 420 lawsuits against Massachusetts customers. And 24 Massachusetts homeowners have sued Sunrun back. The Mass AG has not filed a formal enforcement case yet.
How does the escalator clause affect my Massachusetts solar contract?
Most Massachusetts 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. Massachusetts's average electricity rate is about 31.16 cents per kilowatt-hour in early 2026. That's well above the national average of 17.45 cents. Massachusetts's utility rates are climbing fast. That makes your solar math a close call. 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts solar contract?
Did the salesperson come to your home? Then Massachusetts law gives you 3 business days to cancel. That's under M.G.L. c. 93, §48 (Home Solicitation Sales) 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts?
Go to the Massachusetts Attorney General's website at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint. Or call (617) 727-8400. 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.