Pink Energy (Power Home Solar) bankruptcy: what it means for your warranty

In October 2022, Pink Energy — the residential solar installer formerly known as Power Home Solar — filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and shut down for good. If Pink Energy or Power Home Solar installed your system, you were likely left with a 25-year warranty that no longer has anyone behind it, and quite possibly a system that stopped producing because of a defective Generac component. This guide explains exactly what happened, what is and isn't recoverable, and the specific steps that still work years later.

Pink Energy is one of many — see the full Solar Installer Bankruptcy Tracker →

What happened to Pink Energy / Power Home Solar

Power Home Solar, headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, rebranded as Pink Energy in 2022 and grew into one of the larger residential solar installers in the country, operating across roughly 16 states. Behind the rapid growth, tens of thousands of its systems began failing because of a defective Generac component (more on that below), triggering a flood of consumer complaints, lawsuits, and regulatory investigations from multiple state attorneys general.

In August 2022, Pink Energy sued Generac, alleging that Generac's faulty equipment had caused millions in damages and that Generac had failed to honor warranty obligations to Pink Energy's customers. Weeks later, on October 7, 2022, Pink Energy filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations, pausing its own lawsuit and leaving its customers without an installer.

That sequence matters, because it shapes every recovery option you have today. Unlike installers that reorganize and keep operating, Pink Energy is gone — but the manufacturer of the defective part is still in business and has a dedicated repair program.

Why Chapter 7 makes your situation different — and harder

Not all bankruptcies are the same. Some installers (Freedom Forever, SunPower) filed Chapter 11, which is reorganization — the company keeps operating while it restructures, and in some cases a reorganized entity or buyer continues to honor warranties. Pink Energy filed Chapter 7, which is liquidation.

The practical takeaway: do not spend time waiting for Pink Energy to call you back or honor anything. They won't — there is no company left to do so. Your recovery comes from three other places: the equipment manufacturers, the financing/legal protections that apply to your loan, and any settlements from the regulatory actions. The rest of this guide walks through each.

Your system has two kinds of warranty — they're affected very differently

Almost every residential solar system in the U.S. comes with two fundamentally different warranties:

This is the single most important concept for a Pink Energy customer. Your installer going under doesn't cancel your panel or battery warranty any more than a car dealership closing cancels the manufacturer's powertrain warranty. The manufacturers made a direct promise to you — you just need to know how to reach them. The complication, unique to Pink Energy, is that the equipment manufacturer itself is at the center of the failures.

The Generac SnapRS defect and the repair program

Many Pink Energy systems were built around Generac's PWRcell battery and inverter platform, which uses a small component called the SnapRS (a rapid-shutdown device on each panel). Generac publicly acknowledged a high failure rate on the SnapRS — by some accounts exceeding 40% — that could cause the device to overheat, melt, and in some cases char surrounding hardware, knocking the whole system offline. This defect is the root cause of most Pink Energy systems that simply stopped producing.

Two caveats worth knowing. First, the SnapRS replacement addresses the rapid-shutdown failure, but it does not, by itself, compensate you for months of lost production or higher utility bills while the system was down. Second, some homeowners have reported long waits and the need to follow up persistently. Document every contact in writing, keep your case number, and photograph any damaged components before they're replaced.

How to identify your panels, inverter, and battery

Before you can file a manufacturer claim, you need to know exactly what's on your roof and in your garage. The four most reliable sources:

1. Your interconnection agreement or utility paperwork. When your system was connected to the grid, your utility filed an interconnection application listing the exact panel and inverter model numbers. Check your "solar" or "home improvement" folder, or request a copy from your utility.
2. The label on your inverter or PWRcell cabinet. Generac PWRcell systems have a physical label with the model and serial number on the inverter and battery cabinet. Take a photo.
3. The panel frame stamp. Every solar panel has a serial number and model stamped on the frame (usually the side edge). This sometimes requires a ladder and flashlight, but it's definitive.
4. Your monitoring app. If you can still log into the Generac PWRview or PWRcell app, the device details page lists serial numbers for your equipment.

If you can't find any of this, SolarDisclosure can help you reconstruct it from your ZIP code, install year, and utility — we maintain a cross-reference of common Pink Energy / Power Home Solar equipment configurations by region.

How to file a warranty claim directly with the manufacturer

The general process is consistent across manufacturers. Here's what you'll need and where to start.

Documentation every manufacturer will ask for

• Proof of installation date (installer contract, interconnection approval letter)
• Proof of original ownership or legal transfer (if you bought the home from the original owner)
• Serial number(s) of the defective equipment
• Clear photos or video of the issue
• Production data showing the underperformance (for performance claims)

Where to start a claim, by manufacturer

These are the official warranty channels. Bookmark the ones relevant to your system.

• Generac (PWRcell, inverter, SnapRS): generac.com/service-support/warranty-information — and the dedicated SnapRS replacement program
• Qcells: qcells.com/us/support/warranty
• Hanwha / other panels: check the panel frame label, then the manufacturer's support page
• Enphase (if applicable): enphase.com — open a case via the Enlighten app or support
• SolarEdge (if applicable): solaredge.com/us/support — case creation requires your device serial

One catch: most manufacturer warranties pay for the replacement part, not the labor to install it. You'll still need a licensed electrician or solar contractor for the physical work. Budget a few hundred dollars for a simple component swap and considerably more for an inverter or battery replacement. The SnapRS program is the notable exception, since Generac arranged the replacement service for that specific defect.

If you financed: the FTC Holder Rule is your strongest card

Most Pink Energy systems were financed through third-party lenders, and this is where many customers have the most leverage. Under the federal FTC Holder Rule, a consumer-credit contract that financed your purchase makes the lender subject to the same claims and defenses you could have raised against the seller. In plain terms: if Pink Energy sold you a system that never worked as promised, you may be able to assert that against the company now holding your loan — including stopping or reducing payments, or seeking a reduction in the balance.

Practical steps if you have a loan:

1. Identify the actual lender on your monthly statement (it is almost never Pink Energy itself).
2. Send a written dispute to the lender citing the FTC Holder Rule and documenting that the system was defective or never functioned as sold. Keep copies.
3. Consider a consumer attorney. Many handle these on contingency, and a properly framed Holder Rule claim can carry real weight. This is not legal advice — talk to a licensed attorney about your specific facts.

Do not simply stop paying without putting your dispute in writing first; an undocumented non-payment can hurt your credit without advancing your claim.

FTC and state attorney general actions

Pink Energy drew significant regulatory attention. The Federal Trade Commission pursued the company over allegedly deceptive sales practices, and multiple state attorneys general — North Carolina, Ohio, and others — opened investigations after hundreds of consumer complaints. North Carolina's attorney general alone reported receiving hundreds of complaints.

What this means for you: file a complaint with your own state attorney general and with the FTC, even now. These filings build the record, can feed into any settlement or restitution fund, and sometimes connect you with state-level mediation. Keep your contract, financing documents, and a log of every system outage and contact attempt — that paper trail is what makes any of these avenues actionable.

Net-metering and home sales: a quiet but important risk

This one catches a lot of solar owners by surprise. In many states, net-metering rules have gotten worse for new systems. Customers who installed under older, more favorable rules ("grandfathered") still sell excess generation back to the grid at better rates than someone connecting today.

The trap: in several states, if you sell your house, grandfathered net-metering status does not automatically transfer to the new owner. In some cases it does, in others it doesn't, and in still others it transfers only if specific paperwork is filed at the time of sale. The rules vary by state and utility and have changed repeatedly in the past few years.

For Pink Energy customers planning to sell, this can be worth thousands of dollars in resale value depending on system size and state — and it stacks on top of the harder conversation about a system that may have had defect or downtime history. Getting the system fully operational (via the Generac repair program) and documenting it is the single best thing you can do for resale value.

Your next steps, in order

1. Today: Pull together your install paperwork, interconnection approval, equipment photos (especially the Generac cabinet), and any monitoring login. Put it all in one folder.
2. This week: If your system isn't producing, contact Generac to get on the SnapRS replacement list. Get a case number in writing.
3. This week: Identify your loan's actual lender and, if the system was defective, send a written FTC Holder Rule dispute.
4. This month: File a complaint with your state attorney general and the FTC. Run a warranty lookup to map every manufacturer warranty still in force.
5. Before any resale: Confirm the system is fully operational and check your state's net-metering transfer rules.

Frequently asked questions