Your North Carolina Solar Contract Is Costing You More Than You Were Told. Here's How to Fix It.
The short version: Most North Carolina 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. North Carolina AG Josh Stein opened an investigation into Pink Energy in October 2022. Big solar companies that worked in North Carolina have gone bankrupt. Titan Solar Power 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.
The solar company that left thousands of North Carolina homeowners holding worthless warranties was headquartered right here in Mooresville, NC.
Pink Energy - formerly Power Home Solar - was based in North Carolina. It operated across the state, sending sales teams door to door through the suburbs of Charlotte, Raleigh, and across the Piedmont and coast. Then it filed for bankruptcy in October 2022. The company is gone. But the contracts it sold are still active. The payments are still due. And the warranties? Nobody is behind them.
If you're a North Carolina homeowner and your solar panels aren't saving you what you were told, Pink Energy's collapse is one reason why. But it's not the only one.
Your payments are going up. Your savings aren't coming through. And the company that knocked on your door and made those promises? It might have been headquartered 20 minutes from your house - and it doesn't exist anymore.
The North Carolina Attorney General Is Watching Solar
North Carolina AG Josh Stein opened an investigation into Pink Energy in October 2022. The AG had received more than 270 complaints. Pink Energy had about 30,000 customers. Estimated losses: more than $140 million. Pink Energy filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on October 7, 2022. The AG then asked five solar lenders to pause loan payments for Pink Energy customers. The lenders: Dividend Solar Finance, GoodLeap, Cross River Bank, Sunlight Financial, and Solar Mosaic.
This matters to you. State enforcement agencies have put it on the record. The same sales tactics used on North Carolina 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 North Carolina solar contract
Here's what most North Carolina 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 lower 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 what happens when a Category 2 hurricane hits your panels and your contract payments don't pause? North Carolina's coast and eastern regions face serious storm exposure. If hurricane risk wasn't part of the conversation during the sale, that's a gap in what you were told.
Did your salesperson tell you what happens if your solar company goes bankrupt? Pink Energy used to be called Power Home Solar. They were based in Mooresville, North Carolina. They filed Chapter 7 on October 7, 2022 and shut down. Pink Energy had about 30,000 customers across 15 states, including North Carolina. Customers lost more than $140 million. Multiple state AGs investigated the company. If Pink Energy installed your North Carolina system, your warranty died with them. But your loan payments did not.
Pink Energy was not alone. SolarInsure counted more than 100 solar company bankruptcies in 2024. SunPower filed Chapter 11 in August 2024. Sunnova Energy filed Chapter 11 in June 2025. Titan Solar Power filed Chapter 7 in June 2024. Lumio Holdings filed Chapter 11 in September 2024. Freedom Forever filed Chapter 11 on April 15, 2026. Vision Solar is on the same list. In every case, homeowners keep paying. The warranties behind their systems disappear.
Your rights under North Carolina law
North Carolina gives you real legal protections - including a statute that allows triple damages. Here's what your salesperson almost certainly didn't explain.
Your 3-day cancellation window. If a solar salesperson came to your home and you signed the contract there, federal law (the FTC Cooling-Off Rule) gives you 3 business days to cancel with no penalty. If your salesperson didn't tell you about this right - and most don't - that affects the enforceability of your agreement. 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.
North Carolina's Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. N.C.G.S. 75-1.1 prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices - and it allows treble damages. That means if your solar company misled you about savings or contract terms, a court can triple what you're owed. This isn't a technicality. This is one of the strongest consumer protection statutes in the Southeast, and it was written for exactly this kind of situation.
Pink Energy was headquartered in your state. Pink Energy (Power Home Solar) was based in Mooresville, NC. It operated heavily across the state before filing for bankruptcy in October 2022. If your system was installed by Pink Energy, your contract is still active - but the company isn't. Thousands of North Carolina homeowners are in this exact situation. Your workmanship warranty died with the company. Only the manufacturer's panel warranty remains.
Duke Energy rate structure. Most North Carolina homeowners are Duke Energy customers. Your savings projections were built against Duke rates. If those rates haven't climbed at the pace your salesperson assumed, the savings math doesn't hold up. Did your salesperson show you their rate assumptions? If not, the savings picture they painted was built on a guess.
Hidden dealer fees are a red flag in solar loans. Solar finance companies add dealer fees of 15 to 30 percent. They roll these fees into your loan balance. They don't list them as a separate charge. The federal Truth in Lending Act says every fee must be shown in writing. A hidden or mislabeled fee can be a legal violation. You've been paying interest on a fee nobody explained to you.
What you can do right now
You don't have to figure this out alone. Here are the first steps for North Carolina homeowners.
File a complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General. Go to https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/. Or call 1-877-566-7226. 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 North Carolina. Find Out What It's Actually Costing You.
North Carolina homeowners have strong consumer protection rights - including treble damages under the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. If Pink Energy installed your system, you have specific options worth understanding. 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=north-carolina)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. Pink Energy shut down in October 2022. If you signed a solar contract in North Carolina, 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 North Carolina?
Did a salesperson come to your home? If yes, you have a 3-day right to cancel. That's under N.C.G.S. §25A-38 et seq. and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. North Carolina also has NC Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act (N.C.G.S. §75-1.1). That law covers unfair or deceptive sales tactics. You can file a complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General. Go to https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/ or call 1-877-566-7226. If your salesperson didn't tell you about the 3-day cancel rule, that can affect your contract.
Has North Carolina sued any solar companies?
Yes. North Carolina AG Josh Stein opened an investigation into Pink Energy in October 2022. The AG had received more than 270 complaints. Pink Energy had about 30,000 customers. Estimated losses: more than $140 million. Pink Energy filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy on October 7, 2022. The AG then asked five solar lenders to pause loan payments for Pink Energy customers. The lenders: Dividend Solar Finance, GoodLeap, Cross River Bank, Sunlight Financial, and Solar Mosaic.
How does the escalator clause affect my North Carolina solar contract?
Most North Carolina 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. North Carolina's average electricity rate is about 13.68 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina solar contract?
Did the salesperson come to your home? Then North Carolina law gives you 3 business days to cancel. That's under N.C.G.S. §25A-38 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina?
Go to the North Carolina Attorney General's website at https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/. Or call 1-877-566-7226. 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.