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Scam alert

Door-to-Door Solar Pitch Promises Free Power Bills? Slow Down

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Kansas, Ohio and nationwide · wibw.com · Arrives by a knock at the door or a social media ad

The short answer

Slow down if a door-to-door or online solar pitch promises free power bills or rushes you into a loan. Some drop a real utility's name or push a same-day eligibility check. On September 28, 2026 WIBW reported that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a petition alleging door-to-door scripts that falsely claimed ties to Kansas electric utilities, and long third-party solar loans that remained after the promised savings did not arrive. Do not sign financing at the door; call the utility on the number printed on your bill.

What is happening

On September 28, 2026 WIBW reported that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a petition in Shawnee County alleging door-to-door rooftop solar sellers used a script that promised consumers would never pay a power bill, falsely associated the pitch with Kansas electric utilities including Evergy branding, and steered homeowners into third-party loans of up to 30 years with large finance charges. Across hundreds of documented Kansas transactions, the state alleges, the systems did not deliver the promised savings while the loan payments remained. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's January 12, 2026 newsroom release sued a Utah-based residential solar seller for similar savings, financing, and federal tax-credit misrepresentations, noting some affected consumers were elderly with little or no earned income.

How to recognize it

  • An unexpected door knock or social media ad for rooftop solar promises free or zero electric bills, or says you will never pay a power bill.
  • The seller drops a real electric utility's name or shows that utility's branding in the pitch or ads.
  • You are rushed into a long solar loan, financing paperwork, or a same-day eligibility check.
  • The pitch leans on refundable federal tax credits even when you have little or no earned income.
  • The presentation and financing agreements are only in English when that is not the language you use at home.

What to do instead

  1. Do not sign solar financing or contracts at the door. Take the paperwork and decide later.
  2. Verify any claimed utility partnership by calling the number printed on your electric bill—not a number the seller gives you.
  3. Look up the contractor's license with your state before any money or signature changes hands.
  4. File a complaint with your state attorney general if the pitch matches these tells (Kansas: ag.ks.gov / 785-296-3751; Ohio: OhioProtects.org / 800-282-0515). Also report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  5. If you want to tell someone, the rule is: do not sign solar financing at the door, and check any utility tie-in on the number printed on your bill.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

  1. Signing under pressure at the door is common. The pitch is built to feel like an eligibility check, not a sale.
  2. Contact the lender named on any loan papers and your state attorney general's consumer-protection office right away.
  3. Call your utility on the number on your bill to confirm whether any partnership was real.
  4. Keep the contract, loan documents, ads, and any names or numbers you were given. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Common questions

They used my utility's name and logo. Doesn't that mean the utility sent them?
No. The Kansas petition alleges sellers trained representatives to drop a real utility's name and used that branding in ads without a real partnership. Confirm any claim by calling the number printed on your own bill.
They said it was only an eligibility check, not a sale. Is that different?
Treat it as a sale if financing or a contract is in front of you. The Kansas petition alleges representatives were trained to say they were not selling anything while leaving homeowners with long third-party loans.
They promised federal tax credits that would cover a large part of the cost. Can I rely on that?
Not from a doorstep pitch. Ohio's Attorney General alleged sellers misled consumers about federal tax credits, including older people with little or no earned income who may not have been eligible. Get independent tax advice before counting on any credit.

Practice this safely

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Door-to-Door Solar Pitch Promises Free Power Bills? Slow Down

Slow down if a door-to-door or online solar pitch promises free power bills or rushes you into a loan. Some drop a real utility's name or push a same-day eligibility check. On September 28, 2026 WIBW reported that Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a petition alleging door-to-door scripts that falsely claimed ties to Kansas electric utilities, and long third-party solar loans that remained after the promised savings did not arrive. Do not sign financing at the door; call the utility on the number printed on your bill.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/door-to-door-solar-sales-scam

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