This isn’t the “dark side of solar.” This is the dark side of crappy companies and not being able to hold them accountable.

They paid $91,000 to SAVE ON ELECTRICITY COSTS!!!! How long would it take to use $91,000 in electricity so that they could break even????? These people are nuts.

Tip: If you have the land, don't mount the panels on your home's roof. I have them mounted on my pole barn, workshop. and out in the yard providing shade for my dogs...but not my home's roof. No problem with homeowners insurance and since I preformed the installation myself, no weird leases with shady companies. I also don't have them tied into the grid because our utility is a pain when it comes to solar. In my area, AC is a must...so they provide the majority of the power demand that my HVAC system needs during the hot summer months. The electric utility still gets some money, just not nearly as much...and I have basic power when hurricanes come thru thanks to battery backup and a small generator.

I can’t believe anyone would put a solar system on their house and spend 60k just to save $ 10 a month.

Gimme me $91K and I will pedal the water-wheel to produce the power for the house.

I really miss this kind of investigative journalism, especially these days.

This is interesting because when I lived in California prior to 2015, we had 6,000 watts of solar installed in a ground mount system. At that time there were Federal tax and utility company rebates available. Our system did reduce our electric bill and had around a 9-10 year amortization of the system. I could look at the meter on a sunny day with low load and watch the meter spin backwards. It kept us out of tier three and four, which is where it got expensive. We were on a well and had a pool in an area where it could get to 110 degrees on a hot day. The cost of these systems from what was shown in this video is outrageous.

I live in Florida and this has happened to many of my neighbors. It’s horrible because some of them are elderly and have been taken full advantage of ! Had I lived here before they all agreed to it I would have gave them the real truth!

It's astounding that none of the cited companies are being charged with any criminal violations.

The salesman was crapping himself when the reporter came out to confront him. This is good investigative reporting. We need thousands more just like you all over the world.

I live in Colorado and used a solar co-op for purchase and installation of 7.5 kwh system. It has eliminated my electric bill except for a $15 a month connection fee. After tax credits, it cost approx $15K for the system and it works fantastically.

I live in the Netherlands and installed my own solar system with 10 panels 3-phase system (Enphase certified). Reduced my grid dependency by 63% and my electrical cost by 50%. Total cost for the solar system $4000.00. Now I am installing my home battery and reducing my cost by another 25%. The mentioned prices $ 40.000 - 90.000 are insane. The going rate here in Europe is approx. $ 1000 - 1250 / kW wp

Yes, there are scammers out there, but paying 300+ dollars a month for 25 years just to pay for the system is insanity.

I like it when news stations get back to doing stories and investigations that actually help people.

The truth of the matter is almost all of those salespeople are "independent contractors" and those companies put pressure on them to make sales and those people flat out lie to your face as a result. The companies know it and the salespeople know they are lying. Never buy anything from a door to door salesperson. I just saw a story of an elderly couple on Texas who got scammed on solar and the company would not reply. After the couple contacted the local news, then all of a sudden the company replied, threw their salespeople under the bus, canceled the contract, reimbursed any monies they had paid, removed the solar and repaired their roof for free. Personally, that seems to be quite expensive. Why not just give them the unit for free and make sure it works? I have bought 2 houses in new subdivisions and salespeople are everywhere. Thank God for these video doorbell cameras. I never answer when they come knocking.

I’m glad this news report helped that family get out of their contract and get those panels taken down.

When I had solar put on my house, I entertained a couple of these company's sales pitches. What they didn't know is that I did enough research to know what the panels and inverters cost, how many I would need to achieve my goals, and the efficiency for different parts of my roof to fit 50 panels. I was quoted $45k-$65k total price for ~$20k in materials. They had no answer on why the costs were so high when I showed them the retail prices of the components used (exact panels and inverters). I ended up finding a contractor to do the install, purchased the panels and pulled the permits myself. My total cost was $28k before my 30% federal rebate. There are many people that seem to be against solar due to ignorance in the comments. In many cases, solar may not ever pay for itself. In my case, it will do this in < 8 years. I'm almost 3 years into this journey and have produced 57.4MWh in electricity on my roof. My average electricity bill was $260 and now I average $10/mo ($25 when the FU minimum kicks in). I did a time-lapse of my installation: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/l5-iqa1knWuIzmw.html

"Saying our clients will save 100% of their bill is a fireable offense but we absolutely won't be firing him"

There's a reason they have no experience hiring ads everywhere for "sales" people

I've been using Bluetti AC200MAX generator with three 285 watt panels and my electric bill is reduced by 60%. Also, if I need to take the generator anywhere like camping, or to a job site for equipment all I have to do is load it in the truck. I keep the panels plugged in and it is running my TV, Stereo, Computer, living room lights, guitar amplifier, microphones. I'd never put on FIXED PANEL SYSTEM. Going Portable is the way to go. I haven't got the money to buy an additional battery yet but maybe next year. But when the power goes out...NOT IN MY HOUSE. Thank you Bluetti.

These people don’t realize if your paying 90 grand for a solar system and your payment is 450 a month for the next 25 years and your regular monthly electric bill is only 200 doesn’t it make more sense not to get solar at all 😂

As a solar installer, this is infuriating! Salespeople can turn any industry into a money pit even if the industry as a whole has good intentions.

I paid $43k for mine, but my highest electric bill is $23 during winter. I had it for 4 years now.

I built my own system for 5 grand. Been off grid for a couple years now and they are great. The most expensive things are inverters, batteries and charger controllers. Renogy supplies almost everything I have. Great prices and customer service if your looking.

This just goes to show how the sales profession is organized. Their employer gives everyone aggressive sales targets that are skewed due to the unethical sales practices of a few top salesmen.

I built an off-grid solar battery (after the great Texas Freeze last year), have 6x100W panels and a 300Amp-hour battery connected. Spent about 3K total on the project and super happy that it can take anything I throw at it. Not a 1-1 grid replacement but definitely Peace of mind.

I live in Arizona. LOTS of sunlight here. I have seen ad after ad after ad saying the state and feds will pay for, or SUBSTANTIALLY reduce the installation of your solar system. I don't have a large home it's a solid 1,200 sq ft home. My cost to install $83,000. Not one cent of it is covered by the state or federal government. When I asked them about it, every one of them said that's not entirely true. If the system works, the supposed reduction in monthly bill is supposed to offset the initial outlay. Hmmm. Seemed like NONE of it was true. IMHO it's a complete misrepresentation and scam.

In the 1950s we had tin siding salesmen, in the 1990s we had vinyl window salesmen, now it's solar.

I have solar, it's great, I paid for it myself and installed it myself. These systems they're selling are scams.

That’s the CONTRACTOR’S fault ! As a framing and remodeling contractor I take it upon myself to check regulations in every area I do work as all places are different as to what permits you need, what they cost, or if they are required at all. Most homeowners have NO IDEA about regulations where they live unless they are some type of contractor themselves. Very unprofessional on the part of that company.

Solar companies often claim that their panels will wipe out your electricity bill, but from my experience, that's not always the case. In a recent incident, a specific company was exposed for making such promises, but many make similar claims. Moreover, there's limited regulation on electricity companies. They seemingly operate as they wish, adjusting their policies on a whim and later justifying it as a "company decision". Consequently, some solar users find themselves paying both their electricity bill and the loan for their solar system. Consider this: 25 years down the line, you might need to replace the system. So, if you're thinking of going solar and financing it for 25 years, you might want to reconsider. In the long run, you could end up with even more bills, and face the inevitability of replacing the system. Nothing lasts forever. I've had my solar system for three years and I've yet to see a zero-dollar electricity bill. It feels like these electricity companies are finding clever ways to get more from our pockets.

It definitely helps to look at reviews before you purchase anything anywhere

91K??? With my $100 electric bill, it'll take me close to 100 years to offset the cost.

Good report. I have a hard time with these companies..."we're going to replace your $260 electric bill with a $10 electric bill plus $348 monthly installment plan for the next 25 years." Not exactly the electric company getting screwed over.

I work at a solar company in the service department. There are a lot of problems that occur, especially in the summer. That’s the conundrum. When you are banking on a lot of sunlight in the summer time, that’s when most of the problems occur with the heat. You have hardware such as inverters, optimizers, wiring, and the modules themselves. All of these can have issues that need to be maintained which will cause your production to go down while there are problems. This causes you to lose out on your credits you built up over the year, causing you to have an energy bill some times. These problems will only get worse in the future with the global temperature rising. Also, the humidity in a place like Arkansas where I live, can get into the hardware and therefore needs to be replaced. Not to mention hail damage, straight line winds, bypass diode failures. People expect since it’s hardware, that it should work flawlessly once installed. That’s just not gonna happen, and it should be on the solar company to explain these things. Of course almost all sales people have to stretch the truth when giving a pitch to a customer. However, the customer should also do more research on this stuff before they drop over $50,000 on a project. The proposal and contract they sign are drawn up expecting the system to never have problems ever. But that’s just not realistic

Maybe change the title to "Never trust a sales-rep!"

This is not the “dark side of solar power”. This is the “dark side of dishonest contractors”. We get it here in Australia too. The solar industry has grown so rapidly that too many “sharks” have made their way in and consumer protection authorities are having a tough time weeding them out. We have many people extremely happy with their solar and slashing their power bills selling power back to the electrical utility, or like ourselves, living off the grid completely. But buyer beware - you need a reputable installer who knows what they’re doing!

This is good job of consumer interest reporting. It rightly targets dishonest sales people using hard sell tactics, not solar power.

Never ever do any home "upgrades" without getting a few quotes and do not be afraid to consult with your local inspector.....

This is nuts, even if the panels worked just as advertised by the shady salespersons the price is still insane. They're charging decades long of electric bills.

91k for solar power ???? wtf never

I'm a roofing contractor and my contracts to remove solar panels far outweigh my contracts for installing them.

Ten years ago I used to have coffee at the same cafe every day. Many mornings a couple of guys from Solar City would sit near me and brag about how they strong-armed their customers. A few years later they were purchased by Tesla. I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole.

Companies are completely out of control. The funny part is that they get mad and uncomfortable when you start asking questions and digging into the details before you sign a contract.

As an engineer this really upsets me. These con men need to get jail time for this. These systems are not "rocket science". Your air conditioning and heat (if electric/heat pumps/etc) are your major power consumption devices. Changing a 100w light bulb to a

this is some good investigative journalism. this is the kind of thing that all journalists should be doing. wish it ha happened on a national level.

They need to be punished since they lied through our eyes.

I’d like the sales people to show me their homes with solar systems

The video title seems to blame "solar power" instead of rightfully blaming a crooked, lying contractor.

A basic rule of life: "If something requires a salesman to convince you that you need it, you don't."

Thank you so much for helping people!

Any time a salesman is involved you are gonna get a ridiculous high price! A good product sells itself!

These companies charge outrageous prices and often give you outdated technology. Setting up a solar array with some batteries and an inverter is rather simple. With some shopping around and a bit of motivation, you can accomplish a better result at a fraction of the cost.

General Motors had a Solar Program back in the 70's. My dad was a part of it, and even brought home the injection molded prototypes for testing the shrinkage of the cured plastic against the tempered glass panels that would often explode if the plastic shrank too much. Fun times. Solar could have been far more mainstream had GM stayed with it, but they gave it up in '79, and my dad was devastated. He retired soon after.

$100k for a single home solar system? People are getting ripped big time. Crazy.

we live in Mass. and added solar 8 years ago. We do have net-metering, which enables us to have $0 electric bills from March - Oct. Our bills from Nov - Feb are usually not more than $80 per month. So, solar has been great for us

Several years someone else in my household arranged for a solar salesman come out to provide an estimate. I started by asking how much a system would cost. He spent the next 45 - 60 minutes avoiding the question. During that time he spent a lot of effort trying to convince me the system would "only cost $X per month". He seemed confused by me asking what the total cost of the system would be. So I explained: "material + labor + margin = total cost". When he eventually told me the total price, something around $25,000, I thanked him and sent him on his way. He asked if I was going to buy the system, and when I told him "no" he wanted to know why. I told him I did not have the money, and I thanked him for telling me the price, and once I saved up that money, I would call him. He demanded to know why I wasted his time if I was never going to buy the system. I explained to him that I never wasted his time, he wasted his time and mine, because he spent so much of his time avoiding my question. Had he just answered my question, I would have dismissed him much sooner. The reality is this is over a quarter life commitment for most people. Some of us prefer to pay for power as we go, not finance it for decades. Additionally, when you consider we have most cost effective ways to improve energy efficiency, those options have a greater ROI. For example, if you have single pane aluminum frame windows, you would get a quicker ROI on new energy efficient double pane windows. Or if you have a 10 SEER R22 air conditioner, perhaps upgrading to a newer multi-stage compressor AC would have a greater ROI. The reality is there is no money in home solar for contractors, only the financing. Try this! Next time a solar contractor sends a salesperson, ask him/her how much to pay cash for the system, and they will stutter.

A few bad company's is going to drive that entire industry OUT OF BUSINESS.

The utility companies have changed their billing system to bill separately for delivery and for usage. You can cut your usage, but the other charges remain the same. The only way to beat them is to go totally off grid and you will need a large solar array for that. Going off grid can trigger other problems as well, including DCFS, you could lose your kids.

Was very sceptical at first. Then was pleasantly surprised. Hooked up easy. Took two days and wow the temperature change was just awesome. So we ordered again and now the pool stays around 30c.

And don’t forget that you’ve got to put it on top of a brand new roof because when it comes time to get a new roof (like some insurance companies may require), you’ll be paying extra to have the solar panels removed while the roof is replaced. Don’t forget to ask solar panel companies about this when shopping!

As someone who works in solar in NY, I've never heard of a company being so incompetent as to not get the basic paper work and permitting done. That being said NY also has a completely different way you can purchase solar without having to spend 100k on panels and the system. I keep in touch with my customers here in NY especially those in my town and have yet to hear a story like this.

Throughout history, the snakes sell without remorse.

This is what actual journalism looks like.

This is actually very important to report on. I had two solar panel companies quote us on solar install for price and capacity. Even when I realized that the math worked out to little to negative benefit, they still tried to sell the system to us. I don’t particularly blame them for it but be VERY aware of anything this expensive.

I’ve been a electrician for 25 years. The craftsmanship I’ve seen from these solar companies has been sub par

This is a problem with bad business practices, not solar.

Why did these people sign without reading the contract? These companies are criminals and there getting away with it.

I've worked on the roofing industry for several decades. Solar installations on residential properties are an absolute nightmare. Have seen relatively new roofs destroyed during PV installation, forcing the owner to pay for removal of the solar system as well as a new roof. Hire a professional roof consultant/inspector to review the flashing system and inspecting the installation.

There is NO reason solar installation should cost $43,000 or $91,000. I installed solar in my home and cut my power lines for less than $10,000 and did it myself.

This is disgusting that companies do this to people. This solar company is just as bad as the government, telling the customer what they want to hear just to get what they want from them. Smh

There seems to be two types of solar deals out there, those in which the homeowner fronts all the costs of installation and those which install their equipment on your roof and in turn you promise to by the power from them. The problem with either where I live is that you are not allowed to generate more than 80% of your total usage or the local power company does not pay you for any excess power you generate. A few don't even offer net metering. I've listened to two dozen sales pitches over the past few years, in every case either the cost of the panels over their 20 to 25 year supposed life span exceeds what I pay now for electric and/or the fact that I not must buy 20% of my power from the local PoCo, I still have to pay the $28 min. service fee as well. For example, if my bill for one month without solar is $128 total, with Solar via a leased array, I can buy my power for $80 mo, but still have to pay my PoCo. $48 mo. There's no savings and there are other factors to consider as well, such as many companies require that I start with a new roof, despite my roof done with 50 yr shingles being only 12 years old . That adds another $45/mo to the bill, since they spread it out over 20 years. If I buy the panels up front, I"m looking at about $50k out of pocket plus labor, a price that had doubled over the past four years. At current rates that's over 30 years worth of electric bills if I do nothing. I won't be around in 32 years so buying panels outright will never pay off for me, especially since on top of all that expense, I'll still have to buy 20% of my power from the PoCo and still have to pay their service fee. Even if the rates double, it still doesn't make sense. Unless the solar panels, all associate components, and labor are free it makes no sense for someone over the age of 55 to go solar right now. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just looking to make money off you.

I love how the company threw their employees under the bus for "failing to follow their sales ethics policies". Those companies know exactly why they have such written policies... Because they tell their employees and customers about their "very ethical" policies, but then word of mouth within the company will contradict everything those policies say to maximize their sales.

Going off-grid or buying a grid tied system should be a trouble-free experience. Its sad to learn that there are so called "professional" companies charging insane amounts of money and not even providing a fully functioning permitted system. These individuals should be held accountable and loose their license at the city, county, state level. A complaint with the Attorney General, BBB, and others may help. Suing them in court also.

$91,000 over 25 years = $3,600/yr, $300 a month, and that is not counting any interest. My average bill is half that.

Some insurance companies are canceling home owners policies that have solar panels installed on their roofs !

It’s a shame that these scammers are using technology that can actually help people lower bills

In Florida, some solar power users did have negative bills... for a while. Then the power company decided that everyone needed to pay a minimum whether they used the power or not.

I have a question. If I have solor panels on my roof, how much does this add to the cost of replacing my roof in the future?

Glad to see a news network doing some real work… thanks fox!!

The only winner with these solar power systems is the solar power installer.

Any "utility" contractor should be able to tell you EXACTLY what permits are required in your county. And should be itemized in the costs. The costs for home solar doing it through these companies are INSANE. You also would have to live in your home for 10-15 years to even break even on the costs BEFORE you see any reduction or "elimination" of grid power billing.

This is the type of journalism we need, no clickbait race baiting

No one ever talks about the cost to remove/ reinstall when replacing the roof.

A 25 year contract for solar is nuts. I'd never sign anything like that except for a mortgage. I learned a good lesson when a company tried to sell me what they called an energy package (which turned out was basically to add insulation in my attic) which they said would save me $97 a month on gas. When I read the contract I found out that the contract was for 10 years. If I had gone with it, it would have cost me a ton over those 10 years. Much cheaper to have it done and pay the cost right away even if you have to borrow from the bank.

Q: how can you tell when a salesperson is lying when they're trying to sell you something expensive? A: their lips are moving.

"This is real uncomfortable for me" 😂😂😂😂😂

Sad that these companies did not represent the experience of many others. We are very pleased with ours and would do it again in a heartbeat.

When the sales person said he wasn't comfortable, he sounded so guilty. If your voice starts shaking when you've been caught it calls into question the confidence in your product and the integrity of your sales. I'll leave room for doubt that he had anxiety issues or just panicked though.

So let me get this straight, telling a customer that they will have no power bill is a fireable offence, but they are going to retrain that salesman instead of firing him? It sounds like they broke their own rules.

Spending 10's of thousands of dollars, even as much as $100k, to save a couple hundred bucks a month! Solid thinking there.

Thank you for exposing these crooks

I am a Solar Salesman in Los Angeles and I can say that everything about this video is what annoys me the most about this industry. A few points to make. 1: Solar is absolutely legit when done correctly. Solar is simply math and science. 2: I absolutely hate companies like the one featured in this video. They are the reason some people have a negative perception toward Solar. They are overcharging people for their systems, and on top of that lying to homeowners about the amount of kWh their systems will produce. They prey on the ignorance of people and take advantage. Having said that, this brings me to my third point… 3: Ignorant homeowners who don’t do their due diligence as a BUYER are unfortunately adding to the problem as well. Like I said, Solar is simply math and science. A typical residential solar power system usually costs between $20,000-$80,000 depending on the system size. As a homeowner you should be doing adequate research so you have an understanding of how solar power systems work. You should then gather your own kWh you have used over the last full year by looking at your bills or calling your utility company so you know how much electricity you need. When buying a solar system, you should always be looking to get a system that will produce about 15% more annual kWh then what your current usage levels are. 115% offset. By having that extra 15% you are able to collect a 1:1 credit for any excess energy produced by your system. Then at night while your system isn’t producing power but you are still using electricity, you won’t be charged by the utility company because you will be using your credits. This makes it so you won’t get a true up bill at the end of the year. As a homeowner you should also research the equipment the company is going to provide you with. Make sure the wattage of the panels is up to par with the current industry standard. As of now 400 watt panels are what you should be looking for. Research the inverter as well. There are also micro-inverters. Make sure you know and understand what they do. Find a company that will put a system kWh production guarantee in their contract as well. 4: Find a company that does not sub contract out. Look for a company that does everything in house. Also make sure that whoever your salesman is will continue to be your point of contact even after the contract is signed, so if any problems arise you always have someone who you can contact to get it taken care of. Happy to answer any questions anyone has.

I was really close to buying solar one year.Had a contract signed. I crunched the numbers and realized more than 80% of my payments would be going to interest until my tax credit kicked in. Also the interest alone was actually larger than my average bill. The solar company didn't know how to respond to that. Contract cancelled.

The only dark side is people continue to keep paying their greedy power company.

Lots of these companies also just massively over-spec the systems and the consumer must defend themselves against that. Keep in mind that all the energy that can't be used, stored or sold is simply lost. During that time, you've got a money-pit on the roof. People buy so many panels that their batteries are fully charged in 2h of sun, what for? Or they buy enough batteries to run their house for 3+ days and the level never dips below 80%, what for? If you don't have net-metering or the ability to sell back to the grid, a big system simply extends your payback period without any benefit at all. Start relatively small with ~3000W in panels all on the optimal side of your roof, a single 6-8 KW battery and a 5-8 KW inverter. This should be sufficient for most 2-5 person households, especially if you do cooking/heating with gas. Run it for a year so you can see the performance over all 4 seasons. Then, expand if you need to e.g. more panels on a different face so you get the rising and falling sun. Add a battery if your battery level is

That woman paid out $91,000? That's as much as a house in some areas. If I were shelling out that kind of money, I would want to talk to some of their previous customers for references. Definitely get references.

My brother built a very large new home in North Texas about 20 years ago and he installed solar panels on ground level steel structures away from the house so they could optimize the angle and to ensure they never got any shade from the house or landscape. He also installed a wind generator. I asked him once how it was working out long term after they had been in service for over 10 years. He repaired the wind generator a couple of times and replaced it once but overall he was very happy and he figured it payed for itself a couple of times over. The solar on the other hand he didn’t think it was ever going to break even even though he was in an optimal location with no shade and at the optimum angle to the sun. The average homeowner could save more money and greatly reduce the amount of energy they consume by investing in real serious upgrades to their home, substantial insulation and air leakage work, as well as much higher efficiency heating and cooling equipment. Forget about replacement windows unless they need replacement for other reasons, you will never get your money back in energy savings on windows. Keep in mind that almost all builders install the least efficient heating and cooling equipment allowed because it’s also the cheapest.

Solar technology works, but it's just too expensive. Bottom Line is; you are better off just paying your electricity bill in most of the US. I have full home solar in South FL, and I still have a monthly electric bill, although it is about 2/3 cheaper than it was before solar but once you combine the solar payment with the insurance required to have the panels and the reduced electric bill I pay about $50 more per month than when I just paid the electric bill. Also, I have big ugly panels on the roof of my home.

A key bit of information is NET METERING - repayment for unused solar is ending in many areas because they already have more than enough power during mid day. So it no longer makes sense for power companies in many areas like southern california to give you back power at night if they can't use your mid day power. OK so half the justification for solar is out the window for many solar buyers; they will have to instead go for a battery backed up system that costs a lot more.