HOUSTON \u2013 For one Texas homeowner, solar panel were supposed to mean lower energy costs.<\/p>\n
Instead, she says the company she paid disappeared, the panels aren\u2019t working and the monthly bill never went away.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s still paying $79 a month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look back at it and I just, I can\u2019t believe I fell for this,\u201d the homeowner told us.<\/p>\n
She did not want to be identified or appear on camera, but she agreed to speak with us alongside her attorney. She is now suing the company, looking for answers.<\/p>\n
Sarah Walsh, the attorney representing her, says homeowners can find themselves in difficult situations after signing solar agreements they may not fully understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate what these homeowners think that they\u2019re agreeing to and in the positions that they end up in,\u201d Walsh said.<\/p>\n
And this homeowner\u2019s experience is not isolated.<\/p>\n
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Shandreika Surtain looks over the solar panels installed on her home as she continues trying to reach the company behind them. She says Elios Solar stopped responding months ago, leaving her unable to pay her bill or get help with her system. (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Shandreika Surtain contacted KPRC 2 News after she said she could no longer get a response from the company she was paying.<\/p>\n
RELATED: Katy homeowner says solar company vanished, leaving her unable to pay bills<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never tried to pay somebody as bad as I have tried to pay these people,\u201d Surtain said.<\/p>\n She said she was left wondering what happened to the company.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have literally fell off the face of the Earth. I don\u2019t know if they went out of business. I don\u2019t know if they went bankrupt. I don\u2019t know anything,\u201d Surtain said.<\/p>\n The company at the center of both homeowners\u2019 complaints is Elios Solar.<\/p>\n We found that Elios Solar had a 2.3-star rating on the Better Business Bureau website<\/a>, based on three reviews. One review gave the company five stars, while two others were negative.<\/p>\n That is a small sample size, but the complaints raised another question: Were these isolated homeowner experiences, or part of a larger problem?<\/p>\n Texas investigated solar companies after more than 100 complaints<\/p>\n In April, the Texas Attorney General\u2019s Office announced an initiative to investigate <\/a>solar companies after receiving more than 100 complaints.<\/p>\n The Attorney General\u2019s Office said the investigation involved alleged misrepresentations concerning savings, solar system performance, equipment and contract terms. Elios Solar was not one of the companies named.<\/p>\n RELATED: State investigates solar companies over claims of deceptive savings, contracts<\/a><\/p>\n We contacted the Attorney General\u2019s Office at the time and again for this story, asking about complaints, lawsuits and enforcement. <\/p>\n The office did not agree to an interview, nor did they respond to our emails and calls.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Texas has changed the rules governing certain residential solar sales and leases.<\/p>\n Texas created new solar protections for homeowners<\/p>\n In 2025, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1036, creating the Residential Solar Retailers program at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, or TDLR.<\/p>\n According to information provided to us by TDLR in June, the program began September 1, 2025.<\/p>\n Under Occupations Code Chapter 1806, TDLR regulates contracts involving the sale or lease of residential solar energy systems, including solar panels and solar shingles, with some limited exceptions.<\/p>\n TDLR said SB 1036 includes homeowner protections involving third-party lenders, cancellation rights, contract rescission and consumer refunds.<\/p>\n Among the rules already highlighted to consumers:<\/p>\n Homeowners have five business days to cancel certain solar contracts.<\/p>\n Solar salespeople and homeowners must sign disclosure documents providing an overview of the contract, including monthly payment information.<\/p>\n Companies cannot make false or misleading claims.<\/p>\n Homeowners can file complaints with TDLR when they believe a retailer or salesperson has violated applicable requirements.<\/p>\n The law also created registration and licensing requirements for people selling residential solar systems.<\/p>\n Stephanie Mace with AARP Texas participated in the stakeholder workgroup that helped develop the rules.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state will make sure that they don\u2019t have any history of fraud and they have some sort of training,\u201d Mace said of the requirements for solar salespeople.<\/p>\n What happens if a solar company breaks the rules?<\/p>\n Mace said TDLR can investigate complaints and potentially impose sanctions or penalties when violations are substantiated.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then the agency is then able to investigate and provide any sanctions or penalties or possibly remove the business or salesperson if they find that the complaint is warranted,\u201d Mace said.<\/p>\n But there is no guaranteed timeline for an investigation.<\/p>\n Patrice \u201cPete\u201d Parsons, executive director of the Texas Solar Energy Society, said enforcement can include escalating fines.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the fines get bigger and larger,\u201d Parsons said.<\/p>\n Parsons said regulation could help address problems in the industry and give consumers more confidence.<\/p>\n