Your solar installer went out of business. Here is what to do next.

You call the number on your solar paperwork, and it is disconnected.

Maybe you saw the news. Maybe you just noticed the website was gone. Either way, the company that put panels on your roof is not coming back, and you are left wondering who is going to take care of a system you paid tens of thousands of dollars for.

You are not alone. Hawaii has thousands of orphaned solar systems whose original installer closed or left the islands. The good news is that your system did not shut down when the company did. The panels still make power. The question is how long they keep doing it well.

Your system did not stop working when your installer did

Solar panels do not need their installer to run. They need sunlight, a working inverter and a clear connection to your home and the grid.

The problem is not today. It is the next five years. Without anyone checking in, small issues go unnoticed: a tripped breaker, a failing inverter, a monitoring app that stopped reporting, panels coated in salt and dust. None of these fail loudly. They just quietly shrink your savings.

An orphaned system is not a broken system. It is an unwatched one.

What happens to your warranty

This is the first question most homeowners ask, and the answer is better than most expect.

• Workmanship warranty: this covers the installation itself, like wiring and roof attachments. It usually ends when the installer closes.

• Manufacturer warranties: these cover the panels, inverters and batteries. They come from the equipment maker, not the installer, so they are typically still valid.

The catch is that someone has to file the claim. Manufacturers generally need a qualified installer to diagnose the problem and handle the paperwork. Independent Energy Hawaii handles all manufacturer warranty claims for our customers, whether we installed the system or service it.

Warning signs your system needs attention

Check for these at least once a month:

• Your electric bill crept up and you did not change how you use power.

• Your monitoring app stopped updating or shows zero production on sunny days.

• The inverter shows a red or orange light or an error code.

• Your battery is not charging or did not back up your home during the last outage.

• No one has checked or washed your panels in more than a year.

If any of these sound familiar, do not wait for it to get worse. Small problems are cheaper to fix early.

What a SolarServe Check-Up covers

SolarServe is Independent Energy Hawaii’s maintenance and repair program, and it services systems from any installer. We work on Tesla, Enphase, SolarEdge, SMA and legacy systems.

Most orphaned-system owners start with a one-time Solar Check-Up for $799. A certified technician inspects your panels, wiring, inverter, battery and monitoring, and you get a written report within 72 hours after the visit showing what is working, what is not, and what it costs to fix. We can generally dispatch a technician within 5 business days.

If you join a SolarServe membership after your Check-Up, we credit the $799.

Choosing ongoing care

A one-time Check-Up tells you where you stand. A membership provides ongoing care under the selected plan, rather than a guarantee that service needs or outages will never occur.

What not to do

• Do not climb on the roof to inspect or clean panels yourself.

• Do not ignore error lights because the system “still seems to work.”

• Do not pay for a repair without a diagnosis first. Replacing the wrong part is the most expensive mistake.

Key takeaways

• Your solar system keeps working after your installer closes, but no one is watching it.

• The workmanship warranty usually ends. Manufacturer warranties are typically still valid.

• Watch for higher bills, a silent monitoring app and inverter error lights.

• A $799 SolarServe Check-Up gives you a written report within 72 hours after the visit.

Your installer is gone. We are not. Independent Energy Hawaii can help you get the most out of the system you already paid for.