Your solar system was installed to save you money for 25 years. Then something broke. You called the company that installed it. No one answered. You called again. Nothing. You checked online and found out the company has closed down, changed its name, or filed for bankruptcy.
This is not an edge case. It is one of the most common situations solar homeowners in the Central Valley encounter right now, and it is getting more common. The residential solar industry has seen a wave of installer failures over the past two years, leaving tens of thousands of homeowners across California with systems that need service and no one to call.
SunMade services and repairs solar systems in Fresno and the Central Valley regardless of who installed them. This post explains what your options are, what your warranties actually cover when the original installer is gone, and what the repair process looks like when you work with a local team that has been here through all of it.
The Installer Failure Problem Is Real and Growing
The residential solar industry has experienced a significant wave of company failures since 2023. Major national installers that have shut down or filed for bankruptcy include SunPower (August 2024), Titan Solar Power (June 2024), Sunnova (June 2025), and Freedom Forever, which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 15, 2026. Freedom Forever alone had installed solar on nearly 190,000 homes across 35 states before filing.
The cause is structural: many national installers relied on a dealer model, financed heavily through solar loan companies, and scaled rapidly during the low-interest-rate period before 2022. When rates rose, demand dropped, and the economics of that model stopped working. The companies that disappeared were often the ones with the most aggressive sales operations and the thinnest local service infrastructure.
For homeowners in Fresno and the Central Valley, the practical consequence is the same regardless of which company it was: a system that was supposed to save money for 25 years is now offline or underperforming, and the company that promised to support it is not answering the phone.
What You Actually Lose When Your Installer Disappears
Understanding what is and is not still valid when an installer closes is the starting point for figuring out your options.
What you lose: the workmanship warranty
The workmanship warranty, which covers the quality of the installation itself: roof penetrations, mounting hardware, wiring connections, and system integration, is issued by your installer. When the installer ceases to exist, that warranty ceases to exist with them. There is no transfer mechanism, no insurance backstop, and no way to file a claim against a company that is no longer operating.
What you keep: manufacturer equipment warranties
Panel manufacturers, inverter manufacturers, and battery manufacturers issue warranties that are tied to the equipment, not to the installer. These remain valid regardless of what happens to the company that sold you the system. Typical manufacturer warranty coverage includes 25-year product warranties on premium panels, 25-year warranties on Enphase microinverters, 10-to-12-year warranties on string inverters from SolarEdge or Fronius, and 10-year warranties on batteries from Tesla, Enphase, or Franklin.
What manufacturer warranties do not cover: the labor cost to perform the repair or replacement. Parts ship free under warranty. The technician who removes the failed component, installs the replacement, and verifies the system is working again is your cost, not the manufacturer’s, unless your original installation included an extended labor warranty that survives the installer’s closure (rare).
What you may have trouble accessing: monitoring
Many national installers provided monitoring platforms through their own apps or portals. When the company shuts down, those platforms sometimes go offline, leaving homeowners with no visibility into whether their system is producing electricity. A licensed solar contractor can typically reconnect your system to the manufacturer’s native monitoring platform, such as Enphase Enlighten or SolarEdge monitoring, restoring production visibility without requiring a new system.
The Scenario: What It Actually Looks Like
A Central Valley homeowner installs solar through a national company. The system works for two or three years. Then production numbers start dropping. They check the monitoring app and find the data has stopped updating. They call the installer. The number goes to voicemail. The company’s website goes dark. A Google search turns up a news article about the company filing for bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, the PG&E bill has climbed back toward what it was before solar. The homeowner is making loan payments on a system that is not producing. They do not know whether the problem is the inverter, a panel, a wiring fault, or something else entirely. And they have no relationship with anyone who can tell them.
This is the situation SunMade steps into. We perform a full system diagnostic, identify the fault, explain what the repair involves and what it costs, handle any applicable manufacturer warranty claims on the homeowner’s behalf, complete the repair, and confirm the system is back to expected production. We work on every major brand: Enphase, SolarEdge, SunPower hardware, Tesla, Canadian Solar, LG, Panasonic, Q CELLS, and others.
What SunMade Can Do for Your System
Whether your system is from a company that is still operating but not returning your calls, or from a company that closed two years ago, the service process is the same.
- System diagnostic: A licensed technician visits your home, inspects the panels, inverter, wiring, and mounting hardware, and identifies the specific fault. You receive a clear explanation of what is wrong and what the repair options are before any work begins.
- Monitoring reconnection: If your original monitoring platform is offline, we reconnect the system to the manufacturer’s native monitoring so you have production visibility again.
- Manufacturer warranty claims: If the failed component is under a manufacturer warranty, we document the fault and file the claim with the manufacturer directly. Equipment replacement under a valid warranty is typically at no parts cost to you.
- Repairs and component replacement: Inverter replacement, microinverter swaps, panel replacement, wiring repairs, and mounting hardware repairs. All work performed by licensed electricians.
- Battery integration: If your system does not have battery storage, adding it is significantly more valuable under NEM 3.0 than it was under prior net metering rules. We install battery systems on existing solar arrays regardless of the original installer.
- Annual inspections: An inspection every one to two years catches developing faults before they cause extended downtime, and provides a documented record of system condition that supports future warranty claims.
How to Find Out If Your System Has a Problem
Many homeowners with underperforming systems do not realize it for months, because the drop in production is gradual rather than sudden. Here are the practical checks:
- Open your monitoring app and compare current daily production to the same period last year. A consistent 15 to 20 percent gap that cannot be explained by weather is worth investigating.
- Check your PG&E bill. If your bill has risen significantly over the past year without a corresponding change in usage or PG&E rates, your system may be underperforming.
- Look at the inverter. Error codes, warning lights, or a blank display indicate a fault. A normally functioning inverter should show a green light or an active production readout during daylight hours.
- Check whether your monitoring data has stopped updating. A frozen or blank monitoring dashboard, especially on a system more than two years old, often means the monitoring connection has been lost, not necessarily that the system has stopped producing, but it eliminates visibility.
If any of these checks raises a concern, the right next step is a professional diagnostic. Waiting extends the period of lost savings and, in some cases, allows a minor fault to develop into a more expensive repair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone other than my original installer fix my solar system?
Yes. Any licensed solar contractor can service your system, perform repairs, and file manufacturer warranty claims on your behalf. The equipment warranties are tied to the manufacturer, not the installer. What your original installer specifically covered was the workmanship warranty, which goes away if the company closes. Everything else, your panel, inverter, and battery manufacturer warranties, remains valid and can be processed by any qualified contractor.
My solar company went out of business. What do I do first?
Start by finding out whether your system is currently producing electricity. Check your monitoring app if it is still accessible, or look at your PG&E bill compared to the same months last year. Then locate whatever documentation you have from the original installation: equipment model numbers, warranties, interconnection agreements, and any service history. That information tells a new servicer what equipment you have and what may still be under manufacturer coverage. From there, scheduling a professional diagnostic is the logical next step.
Is my equipment still under warranty if my installer closed?
Almost certainly, yes, for manufacturer warranties. Panels from premium manufacturers typically carry 25-year product warranties, Enphase microinverters carry 25 years, and batteries from major brands carry 10 years — all independent of the installer’s business status. What you lost with the installer closure is the workmanship warranty on the installation itself. A licensed contractor can review your documentation and tell you exactly what coverage remains active.
How long does it take to get a broken solar system repaired?
A diagnostic visit typically takes one to two hours. Simple repairs, such as a single microinverter swap or a wiring connection, are often completed the same day. Inverter replacements that require a specific unit to be ordered take three to seven business days from diagnosis to completion, depending on parts availability. Manufacturer warranty claims that require the manufacturer to ship a replacement part add time to the process, but a qualified contractor can expedite the claim by submitting complete documentation upfront.
Can SunMade add battery storage to my existing system?
Yes. Battery storage can be added to most grid-tied solar systems, regardless of the original installer or brand. Under NEM 3.0, battery storage significantly improves the economics of an existing solar system by capturing midday production that would otherwise export at low compensation rates and discharging it during the expensive evening peak window. SunMade installs battery storage systems across Fresno and the Central Valley and can assess your existing system for compatibility during a diagnostic visit.
A Local Team That Will Still Be Here in Ten Years
The homeowners who end up in the hardest situations after an installer failure are the ones who had no prior relationship with a local service provider. They chose the national company because it had the biggest marketing presence or the most aggressive sales pitch, and they had no backup when that company disappeared.
SunMade Energy has operated in Fresno and the Central Valley since the beginning. We are not a national company with local dealers. We are a local company with our own licensed technicians, our own service vehicles, and our own accountability to the homeowners in this market. When you call SunMade in five years about a system we serviced today, the same team will be here to answer.
If your solar system is not performing the way it should, or if you have lost contact with your original installer, the fastest path to getting it resolved is a diagnostic visit from a team that services all brands and handles the full repair process, including manufacturer warranty claims, under one roof. Request a free solar system diagnostic from SunMade Energy.
