What Happens When Your Solar Company Goes Out of Business?
🌤️ Why So Many Solar Companies Are Closing
The solar industry has exploded over the past decade—but with that growth has come volatility. Across Washington and the U.S., hundreds of solar companies have shut down, merged, or disappeared seemingly overnight.
Some common reasons include:
Rising equipment costs and supply chain issues
Expiring incentives or shifting financing programs
Poor installation practices and warranty claim liabilities
Aggressive sales tactics leading to customer complaints and legal action
For homeowners, this often results in being left behind with no support, no monitoring, and no one to call when something breaks.
🧭 What Happens When Your Installer Shuts Down?
When a solar company goes out of business, homeowners are often left with more questions than answers. Here's what you can expect:
🛠️ Service and Support Vanish
There’s no one to call for inspections, repairs, or cleanings. If your system stops producing or an inverter fails, you're now responsible for hiring a new contractor to figure it out.
📉 Monitoring May Get Confusing
Most monitoring platforms like Enphase or SolarEdge continue working, since they’re managed by third-party manufacturers. However, if your installer set up your account or portal access, you may not have full visibility or login credentials—especially if the system was never handed off properly.
📑 Warranties Get Confusing
Equipment warranties are often still valid—but labor isn’t. Panel and inverter manufacturers may honor part replacements, but without an installer to file the claim or handle labor, you’ll need to manage that process on your own.
🔍 Homeowners Become “Solar Orphans”
You’re left without documentation, diagnostics, or trusted guidance. This is increasingly common across Western WA—especially among customers of now-closed or absentee installers. These “orphaned” systems often suffer from neglect, incorrect settings, or issues that go unnoticed for months (or years).
📍 Why This Is Especially Common in Western WA
In counties like Pierce, King, Thurston, and Kitsap, solar adoption surged during the federal tax credit boom. Thousands of systems were installed between 2019–2022 by companies that no longer exist.
The result? A growing population of Washington homeowners now managing:
Systems they don’t fully understand
Equipment from brands they can’t access
Performance issues with no installer to troubleshoot
🧰 What You Can Do Next
If your solar company went out of business, here are steps you can take to regain control:
✅ Regain Monitoring Access
Ask a licensed solar provider to help reconnect your system to Enphase, SolarEdge, or APsystems apps—this is the first step toward visibility.
✅ Schedule an Inspection
A full system inspection can uncover:
Shading or production issues
Panel-level performance drops
Wiring or mounting issues
Safety concerns or code violations
✅ Get Documentation
If you don’t have your original installer’s drawings or interconnection documents, ask your new provider to recreate a service file.
🧡 Who to Call When You’re Left Without Support
At Rainier Roof & Solar Solutions, we were founded by technicians who saw the industry falling apart from the inside—and decided to build something better.
We support homeowners across Western WA who were abandoned by their installer. Whether your company disappeared, ghosted you, or stopped answering emails—we can help you regain monitoring, diagnose problems, and protect your solar investment.
We’re local. We show up. And we specialize in fixing systems we didn’t install.
FAQs
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Equipment warranties (like panels or inverters) are usually still valid. However, labor coverage often disappears when the installer goes out of business.
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Yes. Some licensed providers offer support for “solar orphans” and can re-establish monitoring, offer maintenance plans, and file manufacturer warranty claims.
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Many systems produce less than they should for years without homeowners realizing it. A performance check and cleaning can reveal hidden issues.
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If you’ve noticed a spike in your power bill, missing app data, inverter alerts, or haven’t had an inspection in over a year—it’s time to get it checked.
