New Washington Solar Consumer Protection Laws In Effect 6/7/24
This is part two in our series about solar consumer protection issues. We’ve been warning about unscrupulous solar companies since 2022. In the first part of this series, we reminded folks about the need to be careful when going solar and encouraged our community to support the passage of solar protection laws. We’re super excited to share that Washington’s enacted a new set of laws to help protect solar customers. We’ll share a little more information about the laws in this post and then in part three we’ll give you some ideas about how to figure out which solar companies are trustworthy and which ones to avoid.
The Benefits Of Solar Are Enticing!
The rate of residential solar PV (photovoltaic) installations across the US is soaring because of our climate crisis, rising utility rates and the ability for homeowners to save tens of thousands of dollars in the long run. The combination of local, national and utility financial incentives, combined with 90% decreases in the costs of solar equipment has created a huge upsurge in the public’s interest in solar. This surge in interest has also drawn the attention of unethical and untrustworthy individuals and companies looking to make a quick buck.
Increased Public Skepticism About Solar Companies
One marker of the solar scam companies are their aggressive marketing and sales tactics visible online and increasingly on homeowners’ doorsteps. These companies use high-pressure sales tactics and package the solar installation and financing together that ultimately cost thousands more than any reputable installer would charge. Consumer complaints regarding solar installers have soared faster than the rate of solar installations. In just the past year, consumers level of distrust with solar contractors has doubled!
Working Together For The Common Good
Solar consumers, WASEIA (Washington Solar Energy Industries Association), electrical utilities and Washington’s Department of Commerce, all collaborated with Washington lawmakers about the need for solar consumer protection laws and on June 7, 2024, a new set of laws designed to help protect solar consumers takes effect. We’re highly supportive of these protections. WASEIA provided members with three different summaries which we’re sharing below. You can expand the view or download your own copy of each summary.
Solar Consumer Protection – Consumers
Since 2001, Puget Sound Solar’s been a leading advocate for solar and renewable energy so we’re very pleased to see laws designed to protect consumers from unethical solar companies.
Our next post will focus on the importance of researching solar companies before reaching out to them for a quote and then we’ll do a post focusing on what things to look for in a solar quote and how to select a solar installer and solar equipment.
In the interim, if you’re curious about what solar can do for you, give us a call at 206-706-1931 or fill out our contact form and tell us a little about your project. We’ll get you a free, no-pressure, customized solar quote so you can decide if solar works for you.
