Your South Carolina Solar Contract Is Costing You More Than You Were Told. Here's How to Fix It.
The short version: Most South 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. Big solar companies that worked in South 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.
There is a solar company that sold thousands of systems across South Carolina - in Charleston, Greenville, Columbia, and up and down the coast - and it no longer exists.
Pink Energy (formerly Power Home Solar) had major operations throughout the Carolinas before going bankrupt in October 2022. If they installed your panels, your contract is still active. Your payments are still due. But the company behind the promises? Gone.
And Pink Energy isn't alone. More than 100 solar companies filed for bankruptcy in 2024 alone, according to SolarInsure. Sunnova - one of the largest residential solar companies in the country - filed Chapter 11 in June 2025. SunPower filed Chapter 11 in August 2024 and was acquired by Complete Solaria.
If you're a South Carolina homeowner paying for a solar system that isn't saving you what you were told it would, this is your guide to understanding what went wrong and what you can do about it.
The Bigger Picture for South Carolina Solar Homeowners
South Carolina has not seen a named AG lawsuit against a solar installer yet. That doesn't mean South Carolina homeowners are safe. Big solar companies have worked here too. The list includes Titan Solar Power, Sunrun, and Solcius. 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 South Carolina homeowners' filing cabinets right now. Your state's consumer protection law covers solar sales just like any other deal.
What's actually in your South Carolina solar contract
Here's what most South 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 how South Carolina's hurricane exposure affects your panels? Storm damage reduces performance, but your contract payments don't pause. If hurricane risk wasn't part of the conversation at your kitchen table, you weren't getting the full picture.
And did they tell you what happens when the company behind your contract goes bankrupt? If Pink Energy installed your system, you already know the answer. Your payments continue. Your warranty is gone. And filing a claim without your original installer is an uphill fight.
Your rights under South Carolina law
South Carolina gives you real legal protections. 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. Pull out your contract. If there's no cancellation notice on the front page, that's your answer.
South Carolina's Unfair Trade Practices Act. S.C. Code §39-5-20 prohibits unfair and deceptive trade practices. If your solar company made misleading claims about savings or contract terms, this statute applies. The SC Attorney General's office actively investigates consumer complaints - and solar complaints are rising.
The state solar tax credit. South Carolina's original solar tax credit program offered 25% of installation cost, up to $3,500 per year for 10 years. That's a real benefit. But if your salesperson inflated its value or baked it into a savings projection that doesn't hold up on its own, the overall financial picture is off. A tax credit doesn't fix a bad contract.
Pink Energy's Carolina collapse. Pink Energy operated heavily in South Carolina before going bankrupt. If your system was installed by Pink Energy, your contract is still active - but the company isn't. You have options you don't know about. The first step is understanding what your contract says and who holds it now.
The loan law question for South Carolina homeowners. Did you finance your solar system instead of leasing it? Look at your loan closely. Most solar loans have a dealer fee hidden in the balance. These fees usually run 15 to 30 percent of the loan. The federal Truth in Lending Act says every fee must be shown clearly. A hidden fee can be a federal violation. You're paying interest on money that went to the solar company's profit. Not to your panels.
What you can do right now
You don't have to figure this out alone. Here are the first steps for South Carolina homeowners.
File a complaint with the South Carolina Attorney General. Go to https://consumer.sc.gov/consumer-resources/file-complaint. Or call 803-734-3970 / SCDCA 1-800-922-1594. 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 South Carolina. Find Out What It's Actually Costing You.
South Carolina homeowners have rights under both federal and state consumer protection law - and if Pink Energy installed your system, you have options worth knowing about. 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=south-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 South 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 South Carolina?
Did a salesperson come to your home? If yes, you have a 3-day right to cancel. That's under S.C. Code Ann. §37-2-501 et seq. and the federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule. South Carolina also has South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act (S.C. Code Ann. §39-5-10 et seq.). That law covers unfair or deceptive sales tactics. You can file a complaint with the South Carolina Attorney General. Go to https://consumer.sc.gov/consumer-resources/file-complaint or call 803-734-3970 / SCDCA 1-800-922-1594. If your salesperson didn't tell you about the 3-day cancel rule, that can affect your contract.
Which solar companies in South Carolina have faced legal trouble?
Several big ones. Companies that worked in South Carolina include Titan Solar Power, Sunrun, Solcius. 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 South Carolina solar contract?
Most South 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. South Carolina's average electricity rate is about 15.41 cents per kilowatt-hour in early 2026. That's close to the national average of 17.45 cents. 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 South 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 South Carolina solar contract?
Did the salesperson come to your home? Then South Carolina law gives you 3 business days to cancel. That's under S.C. Code Ann. §37-2-501 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 South 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 South Carolina?
Go to the South Carolina Attorney General's website at https://consumer.sc.gov/consumer-resources/file-complaint. Or call 803-734-3970 / SCDCA 1-800-922-1594. 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.