Solar Company Disappeared? Texas SB 1036 and New TDLR Rules (2026)

Short answer: if your Texas solar company went out of business or stopped answering

Do not stop paying the lender on your own. The loan or lease usually survives the installer. Missed payments can hit your credit, and some contracts allow a lien on the home.
Find out who actually holds your contract. It is usually a finance company or lease owner, not the installer. Their name is on your loan statement.
Check the company's status on the Texas Comptroller and Secretary of State lookups, TDLR's registration search, and our bankruptcy tracker.
Gather the paper: contract, loan agreement, any disclosure form, the sales proposal with promised savings, and 12 months of electric bills.
File complaints with TDLR (contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025) and the Texas Attorney General (any date).
Get your case looked at. Tell us what happened. We pass Texas requests to an independent consumer attorney at no charge, and the attorney decides whether you have a case.

What KPRC 2 found: companies that stopped answering

KPRC 2 in Houston has reported on Texas solar customers left without a company to call three times this year. Everything in this section is as KPRC reported it; the allegations are the homeowners' and have not been decided by a court.

April 17, 2026, Katy. Homeowner Shandreika Surtain told KPRC that Elios Solar installed her panels and then stopped responding, leaving her unable to pay her bill or get help with the system. KPRC said its calls went unanswered and its emails came back undeliverable, and that a search did not immediately turn up a bankruptcy filing.
September 2, 2026, Houston area. Melba Trevino-Ware told KPRC that a door-to-door salesperson ignored a "No Soliciting" sign, that crews installed the panels the day after signing while the couple was trying to cancel, and that her electricity plan's buyback credit dropped after the first year. She told KPRC she now pays about $316 a month for the panels plus about $150 for electricity, more than her bill before solar, with about 22 years of payments left, and that she is looking for an attorney.
October 5, 2026, Texas. A second homeowner, who did not want to be named, told KPRC she still pays $79 a month for panels that do not work after the company disappeared, and that she is suing. Her attorney, Sarah Walsh, told KPRC that some companies appear to be declaring bankruptcy or "going underground." KPRC reported that the company in both the Katy and October cases is Elios Solar, that it could not find "Elios Solar" in the Texas Comptroller's taxable-entity database, and that its records tie the company to Syngulf Energy LLC. KPRC said it called and texted the number associated with the registered agent and got no response.

Two details from that reporting matter for anyone in the same position. First, KPRC reported that Elios Solar was not one of the companies named in the Texas Attorney General's April 2026 investigation, which the AG's office said followed more than 100 complaints about savings claims, system performance, equipment and contract terms. A company does not have to be under investigation for you to have a claim. Second, the new state rules, as KPRC put it, "do not automatically erase problems" for people who already signed. That is true, and it is also not the end of the story; see what still protects you below.

Still paying for solar panels that do not work, and nobody answers the phone? Send us your situation. It takes about three minutes. We pass it to an independent consumer attorney at no charge to you; the attorney decides whether there is a case.

The new Texas solar law (SB 1036): what took effect when

Senate Bill 1036 (89th Legislature, 2025), the Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act, created Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1806 and put residential solar sales and leases under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). It covers contracts to sell or lease residential solar panels and solar shingles, with limited exceptions. The law rolled out in stages:

Date	What took effect	Source
2025-09-01	Program begins. Contracts must include the required provisions (licensed electrical contractor named, permits and utility interconnection approval obtained by the seller) and the five-business-day right to cancel. If an affiliated or referred lender financed the deal, the contract must require that lender to cancel the loan when you cancel.	TDLR
2026-07-01	TDLR's program rules, 16 TAC Chapter 71, take effect (adopted by the Commission, published June 26, 2026).	TDLR
2026-08-10	Online registration opens for solar retailers (companies) and solar salespersons (individuals).	TDLR
2026-08-21	TDLR suspends enforcement of two rules until November 1, 2026: §71.41 (contract disclosures) and §71.43 (educational materials).	TDLR
2026-09-01	Registration required to sell or lease residential solar for pay. Prohibited acts in §1806.201 become enforceable: knowingly or recklessly false or misleading statements, falsely implying a utility or government affiliation, and soliciting at a home with a "No Soliciting" sign unless an occupant says otherwise.	TDLR, KPRC
2026-11-01	Enforcement of the disclosure-form rule (16 TAC 71.41) and the educational-brochure rule (16 TAC 71.43) resumes. TDLR's August 21, 2026 notice paused only those two rules; registration itself has been required since 2026-09-01.	TDLR, KPRC

Penalties. Civil penalties can reach $2,500 per violation, capped at $50,000 for violations of a similar nature. If a court finds a person over 65 was harmed, the ceiling rises to $10,000 per violation and $100,000 for similar violations. TDLR can refuse or deny registration, and its executive director can issue warning letters and cease-and-desist orders.

Cancellation and refund orders. After notice and a hearing, the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation or TDLR's executive director can order a solar contract canceled and the money refunded, up to the amount the customer paid. Under the new rules, the contract must also require the retailer to pay off the loan balance if the Department orders the contract canceled. A refund through TDLR does not stop you from suing for other damages under other laws.

The seller answers for the salesperson. Retailers must reasonably supervise their salespeople, and the law makes the retailer responsible for violations its authorized salespeople commit. You can ask any salesperson for a name and TDLR registration number, and both the retailer's and salesperson's numbers must be on the contract.

The new TDLR disclosure form: dealer fees on paper, enforced November 1, 2026

The biggest practical change for future buyers is a two-page state form, TDLR's Consumer Disclosure Form (dated August 2026). Under §71.41 the salesperson must fill in every field, give it to you before you sign, and both of you sign it; its terms become part of the contract. Separately, §71.43 requires the salesperson to give you TDLR's residential solar brochure at least 24 hours before the contract is signed. The form asks for, among other things:

The retailer's and salesperson's names and TDLR registration numbers
Your total payment obligation, including every loan payment over the full term
Whether it is a cash purchase, financed purchase, lease, PPA, prepaid PPA or energy service agreement
The finance company or lease owner's name, address and phone, and whether a lien can be placed on your home for nonpayment
For a purchase: cash cost of the system, storage, labor and warranty, financing cost added ("seller's points") and other estimated costs, including dealer fees
For a lease or PPA: monthly payment, number of months, whether payments change, and who pays for monitoring, repairs, inverter and battery replacement, roof removal and reinstallation, and end-of-term removal
Estimated peak output in kW and estimated average monthly production in kWh
Whether the system will be connected to the utility, and the buyback or charge rate
Whether the contract has an arbitration clause, and whether you can opt out
Whether the contract transfers if you sell the home, and who pays to remove and reinstall the panels for a roof job
Your five-business-day right to cancel, and whether you are 65 or older and received a paper copy

Hidden dealer fees (an average of 27 percent of the amount financed in the Michigan complaint, up to 35 percent in Kansas) are the single most common thread in the 2026 state attorney general solar lawsuits (all six cases here). Texas now makes the seller write that number down, on a state form, before you sign. A seller who leaves it blank or puts down a number that turns out to be false has created a record.

What a solar company must now do before it shuts down

This is the part of the new rules aimed squarely at the "company disappeared" problem. Under the retailer code of conduct in §71.50:

Before ceasing operations, a solar retailer must designate a record keeper and a party responsible for warranties, and notify TDLR of contact changes within 30 days.
It must keep the signed disclosure form, the executed contract and the installation documents for the full contract and warranty term plus five years.
On a timely cancellation, it must arrange removal of any installed equipment and refund any money you advanced.
It must cooperate with TDLR investigations and produce records when directed.

For contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025, a company that simply stops answering is not just leaving customers stranded; it may also be violating its registration obligations, which is a reason to file with TDLR and a fact an attorney will want to know.

Signed before September 1, 2025? What still protects you

Chapter 1806 applies to contracts entered into on or after its effective date, and TDLR's rules exempt contracts signed before September 1, 2025. Most Texans with a problem system signed earlier. The new law does not reach back, but older law still applies, and TDLR's own program page reminds sellers of it:

The Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (Business and Commerce Code Chapter 17), the law the Texas Attorney General used against CAM Solar in May 2026.
Business and Commerce Code Chapter 115, which covers certain solar transactions.
The federal Truth in Lending Act, for how the loan's cost was disclosed.
The FTC Holder Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 433). On many seller-arranged consumer loans it lets you raise claims you have against the seller against the lender that holds the loan. When the installer is gone, the lender often is not. Whether it applies to your loan is a question for an attorney.
Equipment warranties from the panel, inverter and battery manufacturers usually survive the installer. What dies with the installer is the workmanship warranty.

Time limits apply to these claims, and some run from when you discovered the problem. That is a reason not to wait.

Signed after September 1, 2025? Check your contract against the law

If your contract is dated on or after September 1, 2025, go through it with this list. Each "no" is worth writing down.

Does the contract state the last calendar date you could cancel, and an address or email for the notice? (If the address is missing, the law lets you cancel by any reasonable method.)
Does it name the licensed electrical contractor who did the install, with a license number, or a list to choose from?
Does it say the seller or electrical contractor will pull the permits and get utility approval to connect?
If the seller arranged your loan, does the contract require the lender to cancel the loan if you cancel?
After September 1, 2026: are the retailer's and salesperson's TDLR registration numbers on it, and do they show up in TDLR's search?
After November 1, 2026: did you get the signed state disclosure form before signing, and the TDLR brochure at least 24 hours before?
Did anyone tell you something about savings, tax credits, utility affiliation or the bill going to zero that turned out to be false?

If your solar company disappeared: the steps, in order

Keep paying, for now, and say so in writing. Stopping payments without advice risks your credit, collection, and in some contracts a lien. If you dispute the debt, put the dispute in writing to the lender and keep a copy.
Identify who holds the contract. Your monthly statement names the lender or lease owner. That company, not the installer, is who you deal with now, and often who an attorney looks at first.
Confirm whether the company is really gone. Search the Texas Comptroller's taxable-entity database and the Texas Secretary of State for the legal name (it may differ from the brand name, as KPRC found with Elios Solar and Syngulf Energy LLC). Check TDLR's license search and our bankruptcy tracker. If there is a bankruptcy, there may be a claim deadline.
Get the system looked at by someone else. Pull production data from the monitoring app if you have it. Equipment warranty claims go to the manufacturer; our installer-out-of-business guide covers who to call for each brand.
File complaints. With TDLR if you signed on or after September 1, 2025, and with the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection division either way. Complaints build the record that drove the AG's April 2026 investigation.
Talk to a consumer attorney before you sign anything new, including "solar exit" or debt-relief offers that charge upfront. Start here.

What an attorney will want to see

Solar cases are won or lost on documents and numbers. Before you talk to anyone, put these in one folder:

The signed contract, the loan or lease agreement, and any disclosure form or Truth in Lending disclosure
The sales proposal or screenshots showing the promised savings and production
Twelve months of electric bills from before solar and every month since
Monitoring app screenshots or exports showing what the system actually produced
Texts, emails and call logs with the company, including the last time anyone answered
Permit and utility interconnection paperwork, if you have it

The gap between promised and actual production, measured against your real bills, is usually the core of the damages. SolarDisclosure builds that comparison from permit, lien, production and utility-rate data, and can document a system's history for you and your attorney.

Texas homeowner left holding the bill?

Tell us the company, the lender and what went wrong. We pass Texas requests to an independent consumer attorney at no charge to you. The attorney decides whether you have a case.

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FAQ

My solar company went out of business. Do I still have to pay the loan?

In most cases the loan or lease is with a separate finance company and does not end when the installer closes. Do not stop paying without advice. Depending on how the loan was arranged, claims against the seller may be raised against the lender; an attorney can tell you whether that applies to you.

What is TDLR's role in solar?

Since SB 1036, TDLR registers residential solar retailers and salespeople, takes complaints, and can penalize sellers, refuse registrations, and after a hearing order a contract canceled and money refunded. It covers contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025.

Can I cancel a solar contract in Texas?

For contracts covered by the new law, yes: by written notice on or before the fifth business day after you signed, without penalty. If the seller arranged your loan, the contract must require the lender to cancel the loan too. After the five days, cancellation depends on the contract and on whether the seller broke the law.

What is the new TDLR solar disclosure form?

A two-page state form the salesperson must complete and both of you sign before the contract. It lists total payment obligation, dealer fees and seller's points, lien risk, production estimates, arbitration, and who pays for repairs. TDLR resumes enforcing it on November 1, 2026.

The new law came after I signed. Is there anything I can do?

Yes. The Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Business and Commerce Code Chapter 115, the Truth in Lending Act and the FTC Holder Rule all predate SB 1036. You can also complain to the Attorney General, whose office opened an investigation in April 2026 after more than 100 complaints.

How do I check whether a solar salesperson is registered in Texas?

Ask for their name and TDLR registration number; the law requires them to give it to you. Then look it up in TDLR's license search.

Your solar company disappeared. Texas has new rules. Here is what they do, and what to do now.