Sunrun Settlement: What Connecticut’s Deal Means for California Homeowners With a Sunrun Contract

Sunrun Settlement: What Connecticut’s Deal Means for California Homeowners With a Sunrun Contract

On Friday, October 23, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced settlements with Sunrun, its installation subsidiary, a sales company called Elevate Solar Solutions, and two salespeople. The state had sued in July 2024, alleging that homeowners were locked into long-term solar contracts they hadn’t knowingly agreed to, through forged signatures, impersonation of consumers, unpermitted work, and systems that didn’t function.

It’s a Connecticut case, and its relief is for Connecticut customers. But it’s the clearest public picture so far of what regulators say went wrong in some Sunrun sales, and what they’ve demanded in return. If you have a Sunrun contract in California, here’s what the settlement says and what you can do with it.

What Connecticut alleged

According to the Attorney General’s announcement, the complaint alleged violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and Home Improvement Act, including:

• Forged signatures on solar contracts.
• Impersonation of consumers, locking them into contracts without full, informed consent.
• Work done without permits.
• Non-functioning systems.

The AG’s own summary is blunt: homeowners were locked in “without full, informed consent, and failed to deliver what was promised.”

What the settlement requires

• Sunrun pays $300,000 to the state.
• Sunrun must notify affected consumers. That means everyone whose contracts were solicited by Elevate or the two salespeople, plus anyone associated with those defendants who Sunrun believes engaged in similar conduct.
• Sunrun must investigate every claim of fraud and respond within 60 days.
• If fraud is substantiated, Sunrun must offer one or more forms of relief: cash payments, account credits, contract cancellation, or removal of the system.
• Customers who say they never received a copy of their contract, and whom Sunrun can’t prove did, may cancel.
• Disputes go to an independent arbitrator, and Sunrun pays for it.
• There’s no cap on the restitution Sunrun may owe.
• Claims go to CTSupport@sunrun.com.

As for the others, Elevate must dissolve, and it and the two individuals face a $200,000 penalty that’s suspended once $100,000 is paid. Elevate’s managing member is barred for 10 years from owning a home solicitation sales company, and the salesperson must surrender her home improvement registrations for 10 years. The case against Bright Planet Solar, the marketing and sales company Sunrun contracted with, remains pending. The defendants didn’t admit liability.

Who it covers, and who it doesn’t

The relief applies to Connecticut customers. A California homeowner can’t submit a claim under it, and it doesn’t change the terms of a California contract. What it does is show the questions regulators asked and the remedies they considered reasonable.

Why California homeowners should care

• The allegations aren’t unique to one state. Forged signatures and consent obtained without a customer’s knowledge show up in cases we cover in California. See Jones v. Solgen Construction, where a court upheld a ruling that companies hadn’t proven an 81-year-old woman’s signature.
• Regulators are looking at the same company elsewhere. Our Sunrun investigation page tracks the actions we know of, including the Riverside County District Attorney’s settlement involving Vivint Solar, which is now a Sunrun subsidiary.
• The relief menu is a template. Cash, credits, cancellation, and system removal are what a regulator considered appropriate when fraud was substantiated.
• The scrutiny is broader than Sunrun. Connecticut also has an active investigation into SunStrong Management, which services contracts from Sunnova and SunPower, and it settled with Spruce Power 3, a solar servicer, for $100,000. See our guides to SunStrong and Sunnova’s new ownership and canceling a Sunnova contract.

Questions to ask about your own Sunrun contract

• Did you receive a copy of the signed contract, and when?
• Who signed it? Did you sign on a device, in person, or remotely, and does the timing make sense?
• Who sold it, a Sunrun employee or an independent sales company? Do you know the name?
• Was there a verification or confirmation call? Do you remember being on it, and was it really you?
• Was the system permitted and approved to operate? See our Permission to Operate guide.
• Did anyone explain the escalator? See our escalator clause guide.

What you can ask Sunrun for, in writing

You’re entitled to ask, though Sunrun may or may not provide all of it:

• A complete copy of your signed contract and every document attached to it.
• The electronic signature record, often called the audit trail or certificate, with timestamps.
• A recording of any verification call connected to your sale.
• The name of the salesperson and the sales company.
• Your permit and permission-to-operate dates.

Keep a dated copy of your request and every reply. Our documentation checklist covers how to organize it.

The California side

California has its own rules about contract copies and cancellation notices, and they work differently from Connecticut’s. If a required copy or notice wasn’t provided, your right to cancel may still be open. Our cooling-off guide explains how, and our guide to getting out of a Sunrun contract covers the broader options. Many Sunrun contracts include an arbitration clause, and our guide to arbitration clauses explains how they’re challenged.

If you think your signature or consent was faked

• Write down what you remember: who came to your home, when, and what you were told.
• Request the records above.
• Compare dates. A signature timestamp that doesn’t match when you were home, or a call you don’t remember, is worth noting.
• File a complaint with the right agency. Our complaint agencies guide covers CSLB and the California Attorney General.
• Talk to us. We can review your documents and tell you where you stand.

Questions about the Sunrun settlement

Can California customers file claims under Connecticut’s settlement?

No. The relief is for Connecticut customers, and the claims process runs through a Connecticut-specific email address.

Does the settlement mean Sunrun admitted wrongdoing?

No. The Attorney General’s release states that the defendants did not admit liability.

Does this change my California Sunrun contract?

No. California customers rely on their own contracts and California law. But the settlement shows what questions to ask and what remedies regulators have pursued.

Not sure how your Sunrun contract was sold, or think something about your signature doesn’t add up? Send us your contract and any records you have and we’ll tell you where you stand, usually in one 15-minute call.

Call (213) 579-5156 or visit californiasolarexit.com.

Daniel Merritt is a Senior Solar Contract Analyst at California Solar Exit. This article is general information, not legal advice, and results depend on the facts of each contract.