Katy homeowner says solar company vanished, leaving unpaid account unresolved

Shandreika Surtain said the trouble started after solar panels were installed at her Katy home in October and she realized by December that no bill had arrived. Months later, she was still chasing the company by phone and email, searching online for other contacts and worrying that an unpaid account could snowball into a lien or another financial headache for her family.

When reporter Rilwan Balogun visited, Surtain finally got one call answered. She was told Elios Solar was out of money and had told the installer to stop work. Elios Solar later responded in writing that it had made repeated attempts to contact Surtain and had repaired some affected property, but the larger problem remained unresolved, with the account and the service history still stuck in limbo.

The case carries weight well beyond one Katy household. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said it was investigating several residential solar companies under the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, including Freedom Forever LLC, SunRun Inc., Lone Star Solar Services LLC and CAM Solar Inc. The office said it had received more than 100 formal complaints, plus thousands more online, and that investigators were examining possible misrepresentations about bill savings, equipment performance, warranty and service-plan terms, marketing materials and contract information.

For homeowners, that matters because the complaint process can shape what happens next. The attorney general’s consumer materials say complaints are used to help investigate violations of consumer law, that the office does not resolve every individual complaint and that filings may be public records under Texas law. In other words, a complaint can help build a case, but it is not the same as a private fix for a broken contract or missing payment record.

Elios Solar’s consumer record also shows warning signs that other Harris County residents should check before signing. The Better Business Bureau lists the company at 511 E John Carpenter Hwy Suite 512 in Irving, says it is not BBB accredited and shows four total complaints in the last three years, with two closed in the last 12 months. One complaint from May 17, 2025 said the customer could not file taxes because promised solar paperwork never arrived. Another, dated Sept. 3, 2024, alleged roof leaks after installation and false promises about bills and roof damage.

The pattern is especially sharp because solar deals can involve more than one contract at once, including the installation agreement, the financing arrangement and the warranty or service plan. A separate Houston-area case showed how fast those obligations can become leverage, with KPRC reporting that SunRun agreed to cancel a reported $138,000 contract at no cost after media attention over 78-year-old Delores Wigal. For Harris County homeowners, the lesson is simple: if the installer disappears, the paperwork can still keep working against you.