Escalating a Solar Production Claim When Your Installer Won't Honor the Guarantee

You have an OwlWatt report documenting a production shortfall, and your installer won't honor the contractual guarantee. Here's how to escalate — in order.

Escalation works best as a sequence, not a scattershot. Each step builds on the documentation from the one before it, and each gives the installer a clear chance to resolve the matter before you take the next step. Move through them in order, and keep everything in writing.

Before You Escalate: Confirm You Have a Documented Shortfall

Escalation only works when the underlying claim is solid. Before the first letter goes out, make sure you have three things in hand:

• The production-guarantee clause from your contract — the specific kWh commitment, the measurement period, and the remedy it names.
• Your verified production data for the measurement period, from your monitoring system.
• A weather-adjusted comparison showing the shortfall isn't explained by an unusually cloudy or snowy year. This is the piece that defeats the "it was just bad weather" response. OwlWatt produces it automatically for Enphase systems.

If you don't yet have all three, start with our guide to filing a production shortfall claim, which walks through assembling the package. Then come back here to escalate.

The Escalation Ladder

Step 1: Send a formal written demand to the installer

Start with a written demand sent directly to the installer. Email creates a record; a mailed letter (certified, with return receipt) creates a stronger one. Many homeowners get resolution at this step simply because a documented, specific demand is harder to brush off than a phone call.

Your written demand should:

• Cite the OwlWatt report — your documented production shortfall, including the weather-adjusted analysis showing it isn't a weather artifact.
• Quote the production-guarantee clause from your contract by section number, including the kWh commitment and the remedy it specifies.
• State the dollar amount you're claiming, showing the calculation: guaranteed production minus actual production, multiplied by the contract's compensation rate.
• Request the specific remedy the contract names, and set a reasonable response deadline (for example, 30 days).
• Keep copies of everything — your demand, the report you attached, and any reply.

Send it to the contract or warranty contact named in your agreement. If the company has reorganized or the contact is gone, send it to the registered business address and any current corporate contact you can find.

Need a starting point? Use our free, fill-in-the-blank solar production guarantee demand letter template. If your system is in Massachusetts, also read using Chapter 93A against a solar installer — a written demand is a legal prerequisite there, and the statute carries double-to-treble damages and attorney's fees.

Step 2: File a complaint with your state Attorney General's consumer-protection division

If the written demand doesn't resolve the matter, your state's Attorney General has a consumer-protection division that accepts complaints about businesses — including solar installers — for unfair or deceptive practices and contract disputes. Filing is free, and most states accept complaints online or by phone.

A consumer-protection complaint does two things. It puts your dispute on the record with a state authority, and in many cases the division will forward the complaint to the business and ask for a response — which sometimes resolves the matter on its own. Attach the same documentation you sent the installer: the OwlWatt report, the contract clause, and your written demand.

The directory below lists the consumer-protection division name, consumer hotline, and official complaint page for 15 states. Use the one for the state where your system is installed.

Step 3: Consult a licensed attorney in your state

If the matter still isn't resolved, a licensed attorney in your state can advise you on your options and, if appropriate, pursue the claim. A licensed attorney in your state can use this documentation as evidence. Many states have consumer-protection statutes that allow for attorney's fees, and some small-dollar disputes can be handled in small-claims court without an attorney at all — but whether either path fits your situation is a question for a licensed professional, not for OwlWatt.

Your state bar association maintains a lawyer-referral service that can connect you with an attorney who handles consumer or contract matters. The Attorney General complaint pages below often link to those referral services as well.

State Attorney General Consumer-Protection Directory

Each entry below links to the official state Attorney General website. Use the entry for the state where your solar system is installed. Filing a consumer-protection complaint is a public resource you may use; it is not legal advice.

Last verified: 2026-06-19. Each entry links to its official source. Phone numbers and complaint pages can change — confirm against the linked official page before you file.

Don't see your state? Every U.S. state and territory has an Attorney General consumer-protection office. Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint" and confirm you're on the official state (.gov) site before filing.

Keep the Paper Trail Intact

Through every step, keep a clean record: the dated OwlWatt report, your written demand and any reply, your complaint confirmation, and a timeline of who you contacted and when. The strength of an escalation is the strength of its documentation. An installer — or an Attorney General investigator, or an attorney — can act on a specific, sourced, weather-adjusted shortfall far more readily than on a vague complaint about underperformance.

Further Reading

• Solar Production Guarantee Demand Letter — a free, fill-in-the-blank template for the written demand in Step 1.
• Using Massachusetts Chapter 93A Against a Solar Installer — the 30-day demand requirement, double-to-treble damages, and attorney's fees for MA homeowners.
• State consumer-protection statutes applied to a solar installer: California (CLRA & UCL), Texas (DTPA), Florida (FDUTPA), New Jersey (Consumer Fraud Act), and New York (GBL §349 & §350).
• How to File a Production Shortfall Claim — assembling the documentation package before you escalate.
• Solar Production Guarantees, Explained — what the guarantee clause actually obligates the installer to do.
• Weather-Adjusted Solar Production — why the weather-normalized baseline is the piece that holds up under pushback.
• When Your Solar Installer Goes Bankrupt — escalating when the installer no longer exists.