El Paso & Horizon City, Texas
El Paso Solar Loan and Solar Panel Fraud Lawyer
Still paying for solar panels that never worked or never delivered the savings you were promised?
You trusted a solar company to lower your electric bills—not leave you with years of debt and unanswered questions. Bennett Legal helps El Paso and Horizon City homeowners review solar loans, sales representations, electronic signatures, system performance, UCC filings, and arbitration requirements.
Free review. No obligation. We will tell you honestly whether you have something worth pursuing.
Source: Texas Attorney General complaint data analyzed by Texas Appleseed, Dimming the Benefits of Residential Solar in Texas.
Start here
What happened with your solar system?
Most El Paso homeowners reach us because something about the sale, financing, installation, or system performance does not match what they were promised.
I'm paying two bills
Solar loan + El Paso Electric bill.
Read moreMy installer disappeared
The company closed or stopped responding, but the financing continued.
Read moreMy system never worked
Installation, interconnection, PTO, or production issue.
Read moreI'm worried about what I signed
Contract, sales promise, or e-signature concern.
Read moreI'm trying to sell or refinance
UCC filing or solar payoff issue.
Read moreMy contract says arbitration
Understand what happens next.
Read moreQuick answers
You probably came here with a question. Here are the answers.
Most El Paso homeowners who find this page are asking one of five things. We have answered them directly rather than making you read to the bottom.
Because a solar loan payment does not replace your utility bill. GoodLeap's own published FAQ and El Paso Electric's materials both confirm that a rooftop solar customer stays connected to the grid and keeps a utility account. If a salesperson told you the electric bill would disappear, that was not accurate — and if your system underproduces or was never authorized to operate, you may be paying a loan payment and a substantially unchanged electric bill at the same time.
More detailSometimes, depending on the documents and the facts. What matters is what you were told, what you actually signed, whether the system was ever properly connected and authorized, and whether required disclosures were made. Nobody can responsibly promise cancellation before reading your contract — but a review costs you nothing and tells you where you stand.
More detailUsually yes — and that is often exactly the problem worth pursuing. The loan is a separate obligation to the lender, so it can survive the installer closing, going bankrupt, or simply stopping responses. The fact that nobody is left to finish or fix the system does not by itself cancel the financing, which is why homeowners in this position should get advice rather than wait.
More detailNot on the house itself — on the panels. Solar financing is usually secured by a UCC-1 fixture filing covering the system. It matters because the panels are permanently attached to your home, so that filing surfaces when anyone runs title. In practice it makes selling, refinancing, or transferring the property difficult until the loan is paid off or the lien is released. Most El Paso homeowners we speak with only find out when a title company flags it in the middle of a sale.
More detailProbably not, but timing genuinely matters. Deadlines, notice requirements, and preserving the electronic signing record all favor homeowners who get advice early rather than after a collection or credit-reporting problem has already started. If you are unsure, the review is free.
More detailWhat to expect
Your solar dispute may be handled in arbitration instead of court
Many solar loan and installation contracts contain arbitration provisions. That means a dispute may proceed through a private arbitration process rather than an El Paso courtroom. Solar loan and installation contracts nearly always contain a mandatory arbitration clause, and Texas courts generally enforce them. That is not automatically bad news — arbitration is often faster than a crowded court docket, and most of the process is handled remotely and in writing, so it should not require you to travel.
Bennett Legal reviews the arbitration clause as part of the initial contract analysis and handles solar financing disputes through the arbitration process when required.
Free Document Review
The loan, the proposal, the utility records, the lien.
Demand to Lender
Putting the lender on notice before anything is filed.
Arbitration Claim
Statement of Claims filed with the arbitration forum.
Arbitrator Selection
With input from both sides.
Information Exchange
The lender has to produce what it has.
Settlement or Hearing
Resolution, on the record or by agreement.
The signing record can become important evidence
Timestamps, IP addresses, device details, document-open times, and completion certificates all form part of the record. If what you signed is genuinely in question, that material needs to be obtained and analyzed properly.
Timing matters
Contractual deadlines, notice requirements, and evidence preservation all favor homeowners who get advice early rather than after a collection or credit-reporting problem has started.
What should homeowners expect?
Many steps — the document exchange, written submissions, even the arbitrator selection itself — can be handled remotely and in writing. The typical timeline runs several months to well over a year, depending on how the lender responds and how quickly an arbitrator is appointed. Anyone who gives you a firm date is guessing.
Local context
Why El Paso homeowners are paying attention to solar financing
El Paso has drawn specific attention from local officials. In May 2026 the El Paso County Attorney publicly addressed rising solar panel scams, warning that seniors and homeowners on fixed incomes were being targeted. Statewide, the pattern documented by Texas Appleseed is consistent: promises of free panels, inflated savings estimates, confusing financing terms, and false claims about government tax credits — practices that disproportionately targeted older Texans and people who are not native English speakers, a large share of El Paso.
1 per 10,000
Approximate residential solar complaint rate in El Paso County during the cited reporting period. El Paso County recorded the highest residential solar complaint rate among Texas's largest counties in the cited Texas Appleseed analysis.
818%
Increase in solar complaints to the Texas Attorney General
2018 through 2023
80%+
Of reviewed Texas complaints alleged misleading sales tactics
Texas Appleseed review
Español
Solar loan reviews available in Spanish
El Paso and Horizon City
Source: Texas Appleseed analysis of Texas Attorney General complaint data, January 2018 through June 2024. Complaint figures cover residential solar generally across Texas — not a count of complaints about any single lender.
What we investigate
A solar dispute is more than one contract
A loan agreement rarely tells the whole story. Bennett Legal compares the financing documents with the sales presentation, electronic-signature record, utility history, and actual system performance.
You can call the lender and the installer yourself, and many El Paso homeowners try that first. The usual result is months of transfers, a promise that someone will look into it, and no change to the monthly payment. A lawyer changes what the other side has to respond to.
Your Solar Transaction
Contract + financing
What did the loan documents actually require — rate, term, dealer fees, and default terms?
Sales proposal
What were you promised in savings, production, and timeline before you signed anything?
Electronic signature
Who signed, when, from what device, and whether the audit trail matches what you remember.
El Paso Electric records
Whether the system was ever approved, inspected, and connected to the grid.
System production
Whether actual output matches what the sales proposal promised.
UCC filing
Whether a fixture filing on the system is affecting a pending sale or refinance.
Arbitration clause
Where the dispute has to be resolved, and what that means for timing and process.
Credit / collections
Whether the loan has already affected your credit reporting or gone to collections.
Bring whatever you have — and if something is missing, we can usually tell you where to get it. Most homeowners are missing at least half this list, and that is not a problem.
- The solar loan agreement and payment schedule
- The installation contract and the original sales proposal
- El Paso Electric bills from before and after installation
- Interconnection application, inspection records, and permission-to-operate letter
- The electronic signature completion certificate and audit trail
- Any tax credit representations you were given
- Texts, emails, and voicemails from the salesperson or installer
- Your title report, if a lien has already surfaced
Not sure whether you have a case?
That is exactly what the free review is for. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer about where you stand.
The two-bill problem
Why am I paying a solar loan and an El Paso Electric bill?
El Paso Electric
Utility usage charges plus grid / service charges — billed whether or not your system is producing.
Two Separate Obligations
Solar Financing
A separate monthly loan payment — owed to the lender regardless of what the system produces.
A solar loan payment does not replace your El Paso Electric bill. GoodLeap's own published FAQ confirms that solar customers may continue to receive a utility bill. El Paso Electric's materials say the same: a rooftop solar customer stays connected to the grid, stays on a utility account, and continues to be billed for the electricity the system does not generate, plus applicable service charges.
So if a salesperson told you your electric bill would disappear, that was not accurate. If a system underproduces, was never properly commissioned, or never received authorization to operate, the homeowner may be left with both obligations.
Why can the electric bill remain high?
- System underproduction
- Missing permission to operate
- Incomplete installation
- Equipment problems
- Savings representations that didn't match actual performance
- Continued grid consumption
Sources: El Paso Electric interconnection and rooftop solar materials; GoodLeap Frequently Asked Questions. Utility requirements change — confirm current requirements with El Paso Electric.
Is your system actually connected?
Was your solar system ever actually cleared to operate?
A rooftop system in El Paso Electric territory must pass required interconnection and approval steps before it can legally produce power for your home. Any step missed is worth asking about.
Interconnection Application
System Design Review
Installation
Local Inspection
El Paso Electric Review
Meter
Permission to Operate
Actual Production
Questions worth checking
- 1.Did El Paso Electric receive and approve the application?
- 2.Was the system design reviewed before installation?
- 3.Was the system actually installed as designed?
- 4.Did the installation pass the required electrical inspection?
- 5.Did El Paso Electric complete its field or technical review?
- 6.Was the correct meter installed?
- 7.Did you receive written authorization to operate?
- 8.Does production reasonably match what was promised?
If you cannot confirm whether permission to operate was ever issued, that is worth investigating. Homeowners have been billed on solar loans for systems that were never authorized to turn on.
Where the filings concentrate
Solar financing across El Paso and Horizon City
Public UCC-1 financing statements filed in Texas show roughly 8,271 active residential solar liens recorded in the El Paso metro area, with the heaviest concentrations in ZIP 79928 — Horizon City and far East El Paso — along with 79938 and 79936.
A UCC filing is not evidence that a transaction was improper. The UCC-1 record shows which lenders financed the most systems in El Paso; it says nothing on its own about whether any particular transaction was proper or improper. Likewise, the complaint figures above cover residential solar generally across Texas — they are not a count of complaints about any single lender.
Read our Solar financing problems in Socorro, Texas page for a look at a nearby El Paso-area market we also serve.
Selling or refinancing
Can solar financing affect the sale or refinance of my home?
Home
Solar Equipment
UCC-1 Fixture Filing
Title Search
Sale / Refinance / Transfer
Solar financing may involve a UCC-1 fixture filing covering the solar equipment rather than a mortgage-style lien against the house itself. Because the panels are attached to the property, the filing can still surface during title review and complicate a home sale, refinancing, a transfer of property, or payoff negotiations.
No. A mortgage lien is recorded against the real property itself. A UCC-1 fixture filing is a financing statement that secures the lender's interest in a specific piece of equipment — here, the solar system — that has become a fixture on the property. Because the panels are permanently attached, the filing still surfaces on a title search and can hold up closing until it is satisfied or released, even though it is not, legally, a mortgage against the house. Most El Paso homeowners we speak with had no idea any of this existed until a title company flagged it mid-sale.
Read Bennett Legal's solar lien and home-sale guide.
What we hear
Does any of this sound familiar?
- You were told your electric bill would disappear.
- You were told the government or a tax credit would pay for the system.
- The loan costs much more than you expected.
- The installer stopped responding or went out of business.
- The system was never finished or activated.
- Your system does not produce what was represented.
- You do not recognize information in the application.
- The salesperson controlled the phone or tablet during signing.
- You discovered a UCC filing while trying to sell or refinance.
- You are paying a solar loan and a substantial utility bill.
- The sale happened in Spanish but financing documents were presented in English.
One warning sign alone does not prove fraud. The documents and surrounding facts determine whether there may be a legal issue.
In March 2024 the Minnesota Attorney General sued GoodLeap, Sunlight Financial, Solar Mosaic, and Dividend Solar Finance, alleging that substantial dealer fees were embedded in system prices across more than 5,000 Minnesota loans, raising borrower costs by 15% to 30%. These are allegations under Minnesota law, the companies deny misconduct, and no findings have been made as to Texas transactions.
One homeowner. One solar loan.
Sunlight Financial relied on this homeowner not knowing her rights. Here's what Bennett Legal recovered when she called us.
$113,000
Solar loan cancelled in full
Sunlight Financial
$58,000
Cash paid to our client
Plus full credit repair
$170,000
Total financial recovery
UCC filing released
What Sunlight Financial agreed to:
- Cancel our client's $113,000 solar loan entirely
- Release the UCC filing covering the solar equipment
- Repair her credit
- Pay her $58,000 in cash
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is evaluated individually.
Why Bennett Legal
Solar financing cases require more than solar knowledge
Consumer finance
Understanding the loan, servicing, credit, and UCC issues.
Arbitration
Understanding how disputes proceed outside court.
Evidence
Connecting contracts, e-signatures, utility records, and sales representations.
Your attorney
Charles A. Bennett
Texas State Bar No. 24086454 · Bennett Legal · Dallas, Texas
Charles Bennett is the attorney responsible for every solar matter this firm handles. He represents Texas homeowners in consumer arbitration against solar lenders and installers, with an active docket of solar financing matters.
¿La venta fue en español pero el contrato estaba en inglés?
Podemos revisar el contrato, el financiamiento, la firma electrónica, los mensajes del vendedor y los documentos de El Paso Electric para entender qué ocurrió. Consultas disponibles en español para propietarios de El Paso y Horizon City.
Questions
El Paso Solar Loan Questions
Stopping payment has consequences, including negative credit reporting, and it is not a decision to make without advice. Talk to a lawyer about your specific situation before you change anything about how you are paying.
Depending on the documents and the facts, an attorney can evaluate potential claims, defenses, and remedies. Nobody can responsibly promise cancellation before reading your contract, your sales proposal, and your utility records.
On the panels. Solar financing is typically secured by a UCC-1 fixture filing covering the system rather than a mortgage-style lien on the house. Because the panels are permanently attached, that filing still shows up on a title search and can block or complicate a sale, a refinance, or a transfer of the property until the loan is satisfied or the lien is released. Pursuing that release is part of what we do.
Usually not. The loan is a separate obligation owed to the lender and it can survive the installer's closure. That gap between who took your money and who is left to answer for the system is frequently the heart of the case.
Almost certainly not. Solar loan and installation contracts nearly always contain a mandatory arbitration clause, and Texas courts generally enforce them. Most of the process is handled remotely and in writing, so it should not require you to travel.
It can. Which language a document was presented in, whether it was explained to you, and whether you were given a complete copy are all relevant facts. Bennett Legal handles these matters in Spanish as well as English.
Yes. ZIP 79928 — Horizon City and far East El Paso — carries one of the highest concentrations of residential solar liens in Texas. We represent homeowners in El Paso and Horizon City.
The case review is free. If we take your matter, the fee arrangement is explained to you in writing before you commit to anything.
It means the utility never authorized the system to produce power for your home — and homeowners in that position have sometimes been billed on a solar loan for years for a system that was never legally allowed to run. If you cannot confirm permission to operate was issued, that is worth having us check.
A solar loan payment is a separate obligation from your utility account — rooftop solar customers stay connected to the grid and keep being billed for grid electricity and applicable charges. If the bill hasn't dropped the way you were told it would, that gap is often tied to underproduction, an incomplete installation, or a system that was never properly authorized to operate.
Where we work
Serving El Paso and Horizon City Solar Homeowners
We represent homeowners across the El Paso metro area, including El Paso, Horizon City, East El Paso, Far East El Paso, West El Paso, the Upper Valley, Northeast El Paso, and Socorro. These are the ZIP codes where residential solar liens are most heavily concentrated.
79928
Horizon City / Far East El Paso
79938
East El Paso
79936
East El Paso
79912
West El Paso
79932
Upper Valley
79934
Northeast El Paso
Socorro homeowners: read our Socorro Sunlight Financial solar loan lawyer page, which covers Socorro-specific demographics, permitting, and fee-waiver eligibility as a nearby area we serve.
For a deeper look at solar contract terms generally, see the solar contract guides for homeowners or request attorney solar contract review directly. Homeowners dealing with a broader pattern of solar financing fraud or who want to understand consumer arbitration representation more broadly can start there as well.
Find out what your solar paperwork actually says
Bennett Legal can review your solar loan agreement, electronic-signature records, your El Paso Electric documents, the UCC filing, and the representations made during the sale.
Free review No obligation Consultas en Español
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Bennett Legal12770 Coit Rd Suite 720
Dallas, Texas 75251
(972) 972-4969
Charles A. Bennett, Esq. — Texas State Bar No. 24086454. Principal office: Dallas, Texas. Bennett Legal serves clients in El Paso and Horizon City.
Consumer complaints and allegations discussed on this page have not necessarily been proven in court. Prior cases, regulatory actions, and reported complaints do not guarantee a similar result in any individual matter. Each solar financing dispute depends on its specific contracts, communications, electronic records, and applicable law. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Sources: Texas Appleseed, Dimming the Benefits of Residential Solar in Texas; KVIA ABC-7, El Paso County Attorney Addresses Rising Solar Panel Scams; Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, solar lender lawsuit announcement (March 2024); GoodLeap, Frequently Asked Questions; El Paso Electric interconnection and rooftop solar resources; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, El Paso City, Texas.