Field Notes
What we see in solar contracts: pricing patterns, transfer and payoff terms, and the state rules that shape what solar costs and saves.
TEP rate hike: what changes for Tucson solar homes?
An Arizona judge recommended an 11.2% average residential bill increase for Tucson Electric Power, plus yearly rate updates. Here's what changes for solar homes, what doesn't, and what buyers and sellers can check.
Read →Sunrun's Connecticut settlement: what to check before a sale
Connecticut's attorney general settled with Sunrun over solar leases the state said were signed with forged signatures and faked confirmation calls. Here's what the settlement offers and what to check in any solar lease before a home sale.
Read →NV Energy's daily demand charge: what changes for solar
Starting January 1, 2027, Southern Nevada homes pay a daily charge based on their biggest 15 minutes of grid use, and solar credits can't cancel it. Here's how that changes the bill on a solar home, and what buyers and sellers can check before closing.
Read →Freedom Forever liquidation: what changes at a home sale
Freedom Forever, once one of the largest US home solar installers, is being liquidated in Delaware bankruptcy court. Here's what changes, and what doesn't, when a home with its panels goes on the market.
Read →APS rate case: what changes for Arizona solar homes
APS wants about 14% more, a higher solar fee and lower export credits. Here's what that could change for Arizona homes with solar, and what buyers and sellers should check.
Read →Agent liability on solar homes: where due diligence breaks down
Agents don't have to be solar experts, but license law expects them to disclose what they reasonably should have known. Here's where solar deals usually go wrong and what a solid file looks like.
Read →Prepaid solar lease on a home sale: what to check
Prepaid leases became the go-to way to go solar in 2026, and some of those homes are already hitting the market. Here's what changes hands at closing and the questions to ask before you sign.
Read →Duke Energy's old net metering ends Dec. 31: what changes
North Carolina homes with older solar on Duke Energy's original net metering rider move to a new rate on January 1, 2027. Here's what changes on the bill and what to check before a sale.
Read →Can a chatbot read a solar contract for a home sale?
A chatbot can summarize the contract. A sale also needs the MLS fields, who services the agreement today, local numbers and the lender rules. Here's what to check.
Read →How to review a solar contract before you buy or list a home
Five areas to check in an existing solar lease, PPA or loan before a home sale, and the questions to ask about each. Start with the signed agreement, not the sales proposal.
Read →UCC-1 fixture filings on solar: what they are and how they affect closing
Solar companies record fixture filings that show up in the title search on homes with solar. Here’s why they exist, when they’re terminated or subordinated, and what to request early so they don’t delay closing.
Read →What a buyer should ask before taking over a solar lease or PPA
Taking over a solar contract means accepting terms someone else negotiated. Seven questions, from the escalator to the roof clause, show whether it will cost less than the utility over the years you’ll be paying it.
Read →Selling a home with leased solar or a PPA
When the panels belong to a solar company, the sale can’t close until it signs off. A practical checklist for sellers and agents: the agreement, the transfer, buyer approval, fees, the UCC-1 filing, and the buyout backup plan.
Read →The forty-year argument over what your extra power is worth
Net metering began in 1983 as a rounding error almost nobody noticed. Four decades later it decides whether a rooftop system ever pays for itself — and states have spent ten years taking it apart.
Read →Your solar quote may be priced on rules that no longer exist
Most savings projections assume surplus power earns full retail credit. In a growing number of states it doesn't — and in California it earns about a quarter of that. Here's how to tell which rules apply to you before you sign.
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