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Solar Owner Help In Oregon

Oregon owners were hit by the December 2025 shutdown of Purelight Power (see Help For Purelight Power And Solgen Customers). The state's contractor board has a complaint process with strict deadlines, so act early.

Who Licenses Contractors

The Construction Contractors Board licenses contractors. Its Construction Contractors Board consumer tools page says checking a license can tell you whether a contractor is actively licensed, has a surety bond, and has submitted proof of liability insurance. Use the CCB license search before you sign anything.

Complaint Deadlines

The same page says that for an existing structure, a property owner's complaint must be received within one year after the work was substantially completed. For a new structure, it must be received within one year after the structure was first occupied or two years after substantial completion, whichever is earlier. If your situation does not fit, it lists (503) 934-2247. For an owner whose installer just closed, that one year window may already be running.

How To File

1. Send the pre-complaint notice. The CCB complaint and mediation page says you must give the contractor 30 days' notice by certified mail, to the address on record with the board, that you intend to file. The consumer tools page says you can still file 30 days after mailing even if the notice comes back or is refused.
2. File the complaint. Include the complaint form, a copy of the notice, proof it went by certified mail, and your contract documents. The consumer tools page says there may be a $50 processing fee.
3. Expect mediation. The consumer tools page says dispute resolution staff will try to help you reach a settlement, and that the board can only help if the contractor was licensed during your project.

Net Metering Status

The text of Oregon Administrative Rule 860-039-0060 on the Secretary of State site, a public utility net metering rule, says any unused kilowatt hour credit left at the end of the annual billing cycle is transferred to the utility's low income assistance programs, valued at the average annual avoided cost rate, and that the customer cannot choose to receive a credit or payment for it instead. The rule's history line lists a 2007 adoption and no later amendment. The rule applies to public utilities. If a cooperative or municipal utility serves you, ask it for its own policy.

That means oversized credits do not pay you back at year end. If a repair restores full production, or you are thinking about adding panels, ask your utility how your annual cycle works before deciding on size.

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.