If your solar was installed by a company that has since closed, the first thing to understand is that your system did not stop being yours. The panels still produce. The inverter still converts. The interconnection agreement with ComEd or Ameren is still in your name. What you lost is the phone number you were supposed to call when something goes wrong.
That is a real problem, but a much smaller one than most homeowners fear.
What you actually lost
When a solar installer goes out of business, exactly one thing disappears: the workmanship warranty. That is the installer's own promise to fix labor-related defects — a roof penetration that leaks, a conduit run that comes loose, a racking bolt that was under-torqued. When the company dissolves, that promise dissolves with it.
That is the complete list. Everything else survives.
What you did not lose
Your equipment warranties are intact
This is the part that surprises people. Your panel warranty comes from the panel manufacturer — Qcells, REC, Silfab, whoever made them. Your inverter warranty comes from Enphase or SolarEdge. Those companies are still in business, and their obligations to you never ran through your installer.
- Solar panels: typically 25-year product and performance warranties
- Enphase microinverters: commonly 25 years
- SolarEdge inverters: commonly 12 years, often extendable to 25
- Racking and mounting: often 10 to 25 years from the manufacturer
If a microinverter fails in year seven, Enphase still owes you a replacement. The catch is that manufacturers do not send technicians to your roof. They ship parts. You need a qualified contractor to diagnose the fault, file the claim, and install the replacement.
Your monitoring still works
Enphase Enlighten and the SolarEdge monitoring portal are tied to your system, not your installer. If you have lost login access, a certified contractor can request a transfer of the system into your name.
Your Illinois Shines SREC contract continues
Your SREC agreement is between you and the program administrator. Payments continue on schedule regardless of what happened to the company that installed the array.
Your loan is unaffected — in both directions
Solar loans are almost always held by a separate finance company. The loan survives the installer closing, which means you still owe the payments. Keep making them, and take any questions directly to the lender.
You lost your installer's labor warranty. You kept your equipment warranties, your monitoring, your SRECs, and your system. What you need now is a local certified contractor to act as your service provider.
What to do this month
- Check your production. Open your monitoring app and compare this month against the same month last year. If you are down more than 15% and the panels are not shaded or filthy, something needs attention.
- Find your paperwork. Look for the system design, equipment list with model numbers, permit documents, and interconnection agreement. Model numbers matter most — they determine which warranty applies. If you cannot find them, a contractor can often recover them from permit records or the monitoring portal.
- Confirm you can log in to monitoring. If you cannot, get access transferred now rather than during an outage.
- Get an inspection before you have an emergency. A one-time assessment establishes a baseline and catches the small problems — a loose connection, early critter damage, a failing optimizer — while they are still cheap.
Warning signs worth acting on
- Production down 15% or more year over year
- Monitoring showing offline panels, or no data at all
- Visible damage — cracked glass, discolored cells, sagging conduit
- Chewed wiring or nesting material under the array
- A utility bill that jumped without a change in your usage
How warranty claims work without your original installer
This is the part that intimidates homeowners most, and it is genuinely the most straightforward. A NABCEP-certified contractor can step in as your service provider and handle the whole sequence:
- Diagnose the fault and document it the way the manufacturer requires
- Confirm the equipment is still in warranty by model and serial number
- File the claim with Enphase, SolarEdge, or the panel manufacturer on your behalf
- Receive the replacement part and perform the physical repair
You typically pay for labor. The part itself is usually covered.
Illinois adds a wrinkle: ComEd and Ameren interconnection records list your original installer. If your system needs modification, the utility may ask for documentation from a licensed electrical contractor. An ICC-licensed contractor can file that paperwork under their own license so your project is not held up.
Choosing a replacement service provider
Whoever you hire, insist on all four of these:
- NABCEP certification — the industry's highest credential for PV installation professionals
- A state electrical license — in Illinois, ICC licensure for anything touching your electrical system
- Multi-brand experience — they should service Enphase and SolarEdge regardless of who installed the system
- Local presence — a national call center is how you ended up here
Installed by a company that's gone?
SolarAbility is NABCEP-certified and ICC-licensed, and we service systems from every major installer and equipment brand across Illinois — including Titan Solar, SunPower, Pink Energy, and Modern Mill.
Common questions
Is my warranty really still valid?
Your equipment warranties, yes. Your installer's workmanship warranty, no. Those are separate documents from separate companies.
Will this cost me a fortune?
Most calls turn out to be a single failed component under warranty, where you pay labor only. A full inspection is a modest one-time cost and usually the cheapest way to find out where you stand.
Should I just replace the whole system?
Almost never. Panels routinely run 25 to 30 years. A dead inverter is an inverter problem, not a system problem.
My system seems fine — do I need to do anything?
Nothing urgent. Confirm you can log in to monitoring, save your equipment documentation somewhere you will find it, and know who you will call. That is enough.