Four-County Electric Power Association is urging its members to use caution when dealing with solar panel installers making ìpie in the skyî claims. Be wary of misleading claims of no electric bills, false promises of free solar panels or tax rebate checks, co-op officials advise. If it sounds too good to be true, 4-County officials add, it probably is. Considering the growing number of residential solar scams, the Treasury Department has recently issued an advisory warning citizens that these types of activities are against the law. A small number of solar installation companies are deceiving consumers on the costs and savings of the systems and relied on aggressive sales and marketing tactics, the advisory stated. While there are good solar installation companies out there, co-ops are sounding the alarm about the unscrupulous ones. ìWe want members to be able to make an educated decision,î said 4-County CEO Brian Clark. But some companies are not honestly or accurately presenting the benefits and costs to individual households, stranding them with uneconomic or unproductive panels, according to Clark. The Treasuryís advisory listed ways to avoid scams: Consumers should gather and compare several quotes or bids, if they are interested in adding solar to their homes. They should also check a contractorís history with state consumer agencies and licensing boards. If a business doesnít make good on its promises or cheats consumers out of money, the Treasury encourages affected homes to report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.FTC.gov. Four-County is also encouraging their communities to use the cooperative as a resource to decide on residential solar projects and what questions to ask rooftop solar providers. ìWe have helped with many solar projects in our service territory. We have the knowledge and the tools to help our members make the right decision for their home or business when it comes to solar energy,î said Clark. For more information, call 4-County at 1- 800-431-1544.
