New Georgia rooftop solar rules on horizon to stop 'bad actors'

BUFORD, Ga. - Georgia homeowners burned by unreliable rooftop solar companies hope a proposed new law will protect others.

Hundreds have complained they fell for the false promises of out-of-state solar installers who flooded their social media pages with ads claiming solar would eliminate their traditional power bill.

"I regret every second of every phone call or signing the paper and inviting that man into my home," said Buford resident Jennifer O’Mallon as she fought through tears. "It’s frustrating."

Jennifer O'Mallon calls her involvement with Solar Titan USA "the worst decision we've ever made."

The retired corrections officer agreed to finance nearly $50,000 for Solar Titan USA to outfit her home, hoping to provide reliable power for an autistic family member.

"We really wanted solar," O’Mallon said. "We wanted solar for a decade. That was the worst decision we've ever made."

GEORGIA LAWMAKERS SEEK TO REGULATE SOLAR PANEL INSTALLERS

Included in all her papers, Jennifer O'Mallon has a brochure from Solar Titan USA, a company now under the control of the federal courts.

She said the installers damaged her roof, ran unsightly metal conduits across the top of her home, and never made the system work as promised. Instead of eliminating her usual power bill, she wound up with two.

Now Solar Titan USA is out of business, controlled by a U-S District Judge in Tennessee to see whether there is any way for customers to get back their money.

Another company, Pink Energy from North Carolina, also closed its doors, leaving angry customers across the South with worthless systems.

Our hidden camera investigations in 2022 caught both out-of-state solar installers offering misleading sales pitches. Both are now out of business.

Last year, the FOX 5 I-Team invited sales reps from both companies to make their pitch in a house outfitted with hidden cameras. Both told us we wouldn’t have a power bill. Both told us we’d qualify for a big federal tax credit, even though our undercover producer said she was on disability and paid little federal taxes.

"We used a number of your stories really as evidence along with what we want to do with the bill," said Georgia state Rep. Joseph Gullett.

HE PAID THEM $82,000 FOR A ROOFTOP SOLAR SYSTEM THAT DOESN’T WORK. THEY SAY IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT

Rep. Joseph Gullett, R-Dallas, explains his bill before the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee.

He hopes to pass HB 73 this year. It will require written disclosures clearly explaining what customers are buying, an informational video so they can ask better questions, and a rule that every rooftop solar provider must be specially certified by the state of Georgia, a status that can be revoked by too many customers complaints.

"It's kind of a free-for-all with no regulations," observed O’Mallon. "And it's causing all of us thousands of dollars in mistakes."

Gullett said he’s a big supporter of rooftop solar, an industry that is expected to grow now that Congress has passed an even larger 30% tax credit on the cost of any residential system.

"I want residential solar to succeed in Georgia," he said. "And I want Georgia companies to succeed in Georgia."

But not all Georgia companies like HB73, specifically the part allowing the Public Service Commission to issue those key certifications. A group made up of local installers worries the PSC will not be a supporter of solar power overall and could stifle the industry just as it’s starting to soar.

Residential solar now qualifies for a 30% federal tax rebate. But some local companies are suspicious of giving the Public Service Commission control over who does business in Georgia.

"We shouldn't be regulated like a utility is in the state of Georgia," said Don Moreland of the Georgia Solar Association. "It sets a bad precedent."

Gullett believes those concerns are misguided.

"I can sympathize with what they're saying," he said. "I just don't think it's the truth." 

Changes could come when the bill moves to the Senate.

Jennifer O’Mallon said she has stopped making monthly payments to the company that financed her non-working solar system, taking a huge hit on our credit score.

She hopes the new legislation will give future solar customers something homeowners like her did not have: an effective way to fight back against the bad actors, ultimately chasing them away for good.

"Make sure everybody's doing the right thing," she insisted. "Because people like me who are on a fixed budget can't afford $50,000 mistakes."