Your New Hampshire Solar Contract Was Sold on High Electric Rates. Here's Why the Savings Aren't Showing Up.
The short version: Most New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire 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 reason solar sales teams target New Hampshire more aggressively than most New England states. And it has nothing to do with sunshine.
New Hampshire has some of the highest electricity rates in the country. That single fact makes the solar pitch sound incredible on paper. A salesperson can point at your Eversource or Liberty bill, show you a lower number on their proposal, and the deal looks like a no-brainer.
But here's what they don't show you: the gap between your current rate and the solar payment shrinks fast when you factor in escalator clauses, winter production drops, and rate assumptions that haven't played out. What looked like guaranteed savings at signing looks very different two years into the contract.
If you're a New Hampshire homeowner paying more for solar than you expected - or saving less than you were told - you're not alone. And you're not stuck.
The Bigger Picture for New Hampshire Solar Homeowners
New Hampshire has not seen a named AG lawsuit against a solar installer yet. That doesn't mean New Hampshire homeowners are safe. Big solar companies have worked here too. The list includes Sunnova Energy, Vivint Solar, and Sunrun. 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 New Hampshire homeowners' filing cabinets right now. Your state's consumer protection law covers solar sales just like any other deal.
What's actually in your New Hampshire solar contract
Here's what most New Hampshire homeowners don't discover until they've been paying for a year or two: the deal you signed isn't the deal you were sold.
Your salesperson pointed at your high electricity bill and told you solar would cut it down. But did they mention the escalator clause buried in your lease? 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. Your New Hampshire electric rate is high, but a solar payment that climbs every year catches up fast!
Did they mention what happens from November through March? New Hampshire's winters are long, cold, and snowy. Solar production drops hard during those months. If your savings projection used annual averages without showing you the month-by-month reality, the actual returns are very different from what was on that proposal sheet.
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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire law
New Hampshire gives you real legal tools - including a private right of action most states don't offer. Here's what your salesperson almost certainly didn't explain.
Your 3-day cancellation window. If you signed your solar contract at home, the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule gives you 3 business days to cancel. If your salesperson didn't tell you about this right - and most don't - that affects the enforceability of your New Hampshire contract. Pull out your paperwork. If there's no cancellation notice on the front page, that's your answer.
New Hampshire Consumer Protection Act. RSA §358-A prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices in New Hampshire. This is a strong statute - and here's why it matters: it allows you to file a private lawsuit without waiting for the AG to act. If your solar company misled you about savings, system output during New Hampshire winters, or contract terms, you can take action directly. That's a tool most homeowners don't know they have.
High rates made inflated projections easy. New Hampshire's electricity rates are well above the national average. That made the solar savings pitch sound dramatic on paper. But if your salesperson assumed your Eversource or Liberty rates would keep rising at 4-5% per year and they haven't, the projected savings are overstated. The high rate that made solar sound good is the same number that got manipulated in the projection.
Winter performance gaps. New Hampshire's winters cut solar production for five months of the year. Snow cover, short days, and low sun angles all reduce output. If your New Hampshire savings projection used annual averages without disclosing that you'd produce very little from November through March, the month-by-month math doesn't hold up. You're still making full payments in January while your panels sit under snow.
Eversource and Liberty rate structures. Your solar savings were projected against your utility's rates. If Eversource or Liberty rates haven't climbed as fast as projected in your New Hampshire contract, the savings gap is smaller than promised. Ask yourself: are you saving what that proposal sheet said you would?
Hidden dealer fees in your loan. If you financed your New Hampshire solar system through a solar 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 New Hampshire homeowners.
File a complaint with the New Hampshire Attorney General. Go to https://onlineforms.nh.gov/home/cf4b0e17-c1ca-4bab-a5fe-4eefc1a3acb2. Or call 1-888-468-4454. 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 New Hampshire. Find Out Whether Those "Savings" Are Real.
New Hampshire's high electricity rates made the solar pitch sound great. But escalator clauses, winter production drops, and rate assumptions that haven't played out change the picture fast. 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=new-hampshire)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 New Hampshire, 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 New Hampshire?
Did a salesperson come to your home? If yes, you have a 3-day right to cancel. That's under RSA 361-B et seq. and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. New Hampshire also has NH Consumer Protection Act (RSA 358-A). That law covers unfair or deceptive sales tactics. You can file a complaint with the New Hampshire Attorney General. Go to https://onlineforms.nh.gov/home/cf4b0e17-c1ca-4bab-a5fe-4eefc1a3acb2 or call 1-888-468-4454. If your salesperson didn't tell you about the 3-day cancel rule, that can affect your contract.
Which solar companies in New Hampshire have faced legal trouble?
Several big ones. Companies that worked in New Hampshire include Sunnova Energy, Vivint Solar, Sunrun. 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 New Hampshire solar contract?
Most New Hampshire 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. New Hampshire's average electricity rate is about 26.32 cents per kilowatt-hour in early 2026. That's well above the national average of 17.45 cents. New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire solar contract?
Did the salesperson come to your home? Then New Hampshire law gives you 3 business days to cancel. That's under RSA 361-B 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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire?
Go to the New Hampshire Attorney General's website at https://onlineforms.nh.gov/home/cf4b0e17-c1ca-4bab-a5fe-4eefc1a3acb2. Or call 1-888-468-4454. 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.