My solar installer went out of business. What do I do in New Jersey?

Every statement on this page is from an official New Jersey, PSE&G or JCP&L page we read on Oct 31, 2026, linked in Sources. “Our suggestion” lines are ours and are not from those sources. OrphanSolarHelp is a directory, not a contractor. We don’t perform, quote, supervise, or guarantee any work.

What to do, step by step

1. Find out who owns your system

The NJ Clean Energy Program describes three setups: you buy it (you get the tax incentives, SRECs and net metering benefits); a PPA, where the system is “installed, maintained and owned by a third party”; or a lease, where a third party “installs, maintains and owns” the system for a fixed monthly price.^[1] If yours is a PPA or lease, start with the company you pay each month, not the installer.

2. Read your warranty, and who stands behind it

The NJ Clean Energy Program says systems must be covered by a full (not “limited”) five-year warranty plus manufacturers’ warranties, covering “all parts and labor, plus the cost of removing, shipping and reinstalling or replacing a defective component.” It also says: “A warranty doesn’t guarantee that a vendor will stay in business, so you need to know whom to contact in case of a problem,” and suggests understanding financial arrangements, like contractors’ bonds, that assure the warranty is honored.^[1] Check your contract to see whether the installer or the manufacturer is responsible for each part.

3. Check whether the job was finished: permits and inspections

A building and/or electrical permit is required from your local building department, and after installation the system must be inspected and approved by the local permitting agency and by the utility that holds your interconnection agreement.^[1] PSE&G says: “DO NOT TURN THE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM ON UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A PERMISSION TO OPERATE (PTO) NOTICE FROM PSE&G (except for testing purposes).” After construction, you or your contractor must send PSE&G the approved UCC Certificate of Approval, a Certificate of Completion and as-builts.^[2] Our suggestion: if your installer disappeared mid-project, ask your town for the permit record and ask your utility whether permission to operate was issued. JCP&L says generation “should not be energized prior to an electrical inspection and receipt of Approval to Operate by the Company.”^[6]

4. Your utility is not your installer

PSE&G says it “is not associated with any Solar Company and does not install or maintain solar systems,” and that if a contractor completed your application, you, as the customer, must still sign the agreement.^[2] PSE&G also says “Only your solar contractor can provide solar production reports.”^[3] JCP&L lists [email protected] as the contact for technical and policy questions about interconnection.^[6]

5. If a new contractor changes your system, the utility has to know

The PSE&G Level 1 interconnection agreement says the applicant “shall notify the EDC of any changes” to the facility (for example inverter manufacturer or model or size), and that a modification not agreed to in writing by the utility “shall require submission of a new Interconnection Request.”^[4] The Level 2/3 agreement says the applicant must notify the utility of changes to the proposed facility, and its examples include the Equipment Installation Contractor, inverter manufacturer or model, and size.^[5] JCP&L says that when adding to an existing system (generation or storage), the fee is based on a separate add-on schedule, and it has published inverter-setting requirements and a battery addendum.^[6] Our suggestion: ask any replacement contractor, in writing, how they will notify your utility.

6. Hiring a replacement

DCA says all residential home improvement contractors must be registered with Consumer Affairs, and to check each contractor’s registration at newjersey.mylicense.com/verification/ or by calling 1-888-656-6225.^[8] Electrical contractors must be licensed and hold a valid business permit.^[10] DCA also says licensed professionals such as electrical contractors are not required to register as home improvement contractors when acting within the scope of their profession.^[7] If an electrician is doing the work, the municipal permit must be signed and sealed by the NJ licensed electrical contractor.^[7] Contracts over $500 must be written and include the contractor’s legal name and address, start and completion dates, a description of the work, the total price and the registration number; the contractor must also give you a copy of its commercial general liability insurance policy.^[7] You may cancel a signed contract for any reason before midnight of the third business day after you receive your copy.^[7]

7. Payment and warning signs

DCA says not to pay with cash or for the entire job upfront, and that the final payment should not be made until the work is done and final inspections are complete. Be wary if a contractor asks for more than a third of the total payment before work begins, says you don’t need a written contract, demands cash, has only a P.O. box, has no DCA registration number (unless exempt), or approaches you claiming to be “just in the neighborhood.”^[7] The NJ Clean Energy Program says New Jersey has no program that offers free solar panel installation, and any claims otherwise are false.^[12]

8. If you lost a deposit or the work was never finished

DCA says it receives thousands of complaints a year about contractors, including “failure to start or complete the work after taking a deposit.” It says to first give the contractor a chance to resolve it, then file a complaint online at njconsumeraffairs.gov, call 1-800-242-5846 to ask for a complaint form by mail, or call your county or municipal consumer affairs office for a form.^[7] The complaint page warns that information you send may be public under the Open Public Records Act and urges you not to include sensitive personal information.^[11]

9. What we have not verified for New Jersey

(unverified) Whether a bankrupt installer’s warranty claims can be filed in court, how a lender or lease company must treat you if the installer closed, state lien rules, the text of NJBPU’s interconnection and net-metering rules (JCP&L points to N.J.A.C. 14:8^[6]), and whether your specific system qualifies for any program. Ask your utility, DCA or an attorney. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

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Sources

1. NJ Clean Energy Program (NJBPU), “Permits, Agreements, and Warranties” — fetched Oct 31, 2026
2. PSE&G, “Building & Connecting Your Home Solar System” (three steps to get connected) — fetched Oct 31, 2026
3. PSE&G, “Solar Power and Net Metering” — fetched Oct 31, 2026
4. PSE&G, Level 1 Interconnection Application/Agreement (PDF) — PDF read Oct 31, 2026
5. PSE&G, Level 2/3 Interconnection Application/Agreement (PDF) — PDF read Oct 31, 2026
6. JCP&L (FirstEnergy), “New Jersey Interconnection” — fetched Oct 31, 2026; “Last Modified: August 12, 2026”
7. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, consumer brief “Hiring Home Improvement Contractors” (revised 01/13/25) — PDF read Oct 31, 2026
8. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, “Consumer Protection Tips for Hiring a Home Improvement Contractor” — PDF read Oct 31, 2026
9. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor Business (Regulated Business Section) — page read Oct 31, 2026; “Last Modified: 3/18/2026”
10. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors — page read Oct 31, 2026
11. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, “To File a Complaint” — page read Oct 31, 2026; “Last Modified: 10/22/2026”
12. NJ Clean Energy Program, “Solar Scam Warning” — fetched Oct 31, 2026