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NYC homeowner claims faulty solar panel installation lost him thousands of dollars

November 12, 2024 / 11:28 PM EST / CBS New York

NYC homeowner says ceiling collapsed months after solar panel installation

NEW YORK - A New York City homeowner said he turned to solar power to cut down on the cost of electricity, but instead said he's lost several thousand dollars.

Erold Williams said that, after an intense rainstorm, his ceiling collapsed. Five months before, the retired carpenter had hired the company Radiant Solar to install solar panels on his roof. It cost $43,990. Pursuant to the contract, that comes out to $288 a month, paid out over 25 years.

All eyes on the installation

"It started by a drip... and the sheetrock start coming down," Williams said.

The problem, Williams claims, was the installation.

"They have stuff where you can lay down and set the panels in without drilling the roof," Williams said. "They drilled holes in the roof to install the solar system."

Williams' homeowner's insurance company also blamed the solar company. In a letter, State Farm wrote there's no coverage for "improper/faulty workmanship" of "solar panel installation."

Williams alleges Radiant Solar wouldn't fix the hole directly under the panels, or return his calls.

"I am 82 years old," he said. "I live on a fixed income."

With the insurance and solar companies pointing the finger at each other, Williams had to dip into his savings to fix the hole.

"I would like to get reimbursed for the money that came out of my pocket, because it's my only source of living," Williams said.

Complaints against Radiant Solar

According to the state and city divisions of consumer protection, more than two dozen New Yorkers have filed a complaint against Radiant Solar. Customers claim the panels are "not working," "inspections failed," or the company has been "unresponsive."

The city says they can't comment in detail, but they've launched an investigation. The city says they have a high number of complaints, coming from at least 28 customers, which is why they are investigating.

Radiant Solar said any company in business a long time is bound to have complaints.

As of now, the city has not issued a violation against the company, and there's been no neutral finding that Williams' system was improperly installed.

The next step for Williams is small claims court.

Radiant Solar responds

CBS News New York's Mahsa Saeidi stopped by the address Williams had for Radiant Solar. The doorman said they'd moved. So she left a voicemail.

"The insurance company is saying the installation was not done correctly," Saeidi said in the message.

In an email, Radiant Solar's attorneys told Saeidi State Farm's findings are "self-serving and conducted by a non-neutral third party that State Farm pays on thousands of matters - to conclude a party other than the insurer is responsible."

Radiant Solar claims their technician found water had entered from an area far from the panels. The company says they installed panels on the front and back of the home.

"The leak is only occurring in the rear... which also happens to have rotting exposed wood," Radiant Solar said. "If our workmanship was defective, both roof surfaces would be leaking. Instead, the leak is only occurring on the extension roof, which reinforces our professional assessment that the leak is caused by the rotting exposed wood on the side of that roof surface. We arrived at this conclusion by performing two separate site inspections (on 03/25/2024 and 08/09/2024) after we were notified of the leak. On both occasions, we pointed out the area above the gutter to Mr. Williams and warned that a larger problem could arise if this area was left untreated. We also resealed all our own roof penetrations to be on the safe side and patched other areas on both roof surfaces as a courtesy."

Radiant Solar says they're committed to providing the best possible service to clients and their "methods of securing panels to the roof are in line with industry standards, as is our 5 year roof penetration warranty, which covers any potential leaks caused by defects in workmanship."

Advice before installing solar panels

"Our recommendation is talk to your insurance agent before you install," Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute said.

Friedlander says with proper solar panel installation, typically, damage to the roof would be covered in a standard homeowner's policy. There is one catch - you have to tell your insurance company about the panels as soon as possible.

"If you don't disclose it, your claim could be denied," Friedlander said.

Before going solar, consumer experts say:

Get quotes from three companies on a website like energysage.com.
Your installer should be licensed by an organization like the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners
Know your warranty, and remember, with a contract in New York, you have three days to cancel

What's more, consumers also have access to the following resources:

So, has Williams' electric bill gone down, and are the panels working? In July, his electric bill was about $350. The latest bill was $180.

Williams says he hopes it goes down to zero.

Mahsa Saeidi

Mahsa Saeidi, a four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and licensed attorney, joined CBS News New York as an investigative reporter in March of 2024.

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