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Solar Owner Help In North Carolina

North Carolina owners lived through the Pink Energy collapse (see Help For Pink Energy Customers), and Duke Energy customers on older net metering terms face a change at the end of 2026. Here is where to turn.

Who Licenses Solar Work

The Licensing Board for General Contractors guidelines on solar panel installation licensing and permitting (PDF posted to the board site) says solar photovoltaic installations of any value require an electrical contractor license, and that the general contractors board treats them as electrical work unless the scope includes structural or other improvements of $30,000 or more that are typically performed by licensed general contractors. It also gives project value limits by license class: $60,000 or less for unlimited, intermediate, or limited licenses, and $150,000 or less for unlimited or intermediate.

How To Check A License

Use the electrical board's board license search to look up the company and the qualified individual on your permit.

Where To File A Complaint

The State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors complaints page says any person may submit a written complaint against a licensee or a non-licensee, online or by mail, with the nature, date, and location of the alleged violation. It suggests attaching contracts, payment records, emails or texts, and photos. It says a field investigator is assigned, you get an acknowledgment by email with the investigator's contact details, and the board's phone is (919) 733-9042.

Net Metering Status

As we read it in October 2026, the North Carolina Utilities Commission Public Staff net metering page says Duke Energy's original residential net metering rider (Rider NM) closed to new customers as of September 30, 2023, and that the new Residential Solar Choice and Net Metering Bridge riders took effect October 1, 2023. It says residential customers with existing net metered systems can stay on Rider NM until December 31, 2026, when they will be automatically moved to the Bridge rider.

The same page says that under the newer riders, excess energy each month is credited at an avoided cost rate, and they add a monthly minimum bill. Under the legacy rider, unused credit is forfeited each year on June 1 for Duke Energy Carolinas and May 31 for Duke Energy Progress. Cooperatives and municipal utilities are not regulated by the Utilities Commission and are not required to offer net metering. The Public Staff lists consumer services at 866-380-9816.

If you are on Rider NM, ask Duke what the move will mean for your bill, and whether a repair or inverter replacement before then needs any new paperwork.

Steps For Any Orphaned System

1. Gather your contract, permit, equipment list, warranty papers, and any loan or lease documents.
2. Call each equipment maker with your serial numbers. EnergySage guide to installer bankruptcy (updated January 7, 2026) says manufacturer warranties remain valid regardless of installer status, and that the manufacturer can often point you to installers certified on its equipment. It also quotes a service coordinator warning that if an installer is not certified on your equipment, those warranties could be determined to be void, so ask the manufacturer before you hire.
3. If you lease or have a power purchase agreement, contact the company that owns the system before hiring anyone. See Solar Lease Or PPA When The Company Is Gone.
4. Check any new company's license with the agency above before you sign, and get the scope and price in writing.

Agency rules, rates, and contact details change. Treat the dates on the sources here as a snapshot and confirm on the agency's own site.

If you want a local service company to look at your system, describe it in the system check form. We name the one company before anyone contacts you.

Related: Installer Went Out Of Business, Solar Warranty Help, Solar System Not Producing.