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Solar panels purchased by a Warwick family have turned out to be a costly problem. The solar company is now in dispute with them over the $25,000 cost of interior repairs after a year-long roof leak.
Kate and Matthew Dyl claim that their roof began to leak in September 2022. This was three years after purchasing solar panels at Massachusetts’ Summit Solar.
Kate explained, “We saw it start to leak and that it was persistent.”
Summit Solar was contacted and determined that brackets were installed incorrectly.
Summit Solar’s Chris Lawson, a spokesperson, said: “When we were called by the homeowner to investigate leaking roofs after installation of the solar system, we found that two brackets had been installed incorrectly. We immediately corrected them.”
The Dyls claim that the repair work did not stop the leaks and they began to have trouble getting responses from the solar company.
Matthew claims that a roofer found screws embedded in the wood roof.
Summit Solar crews returned to the site in March, to fix this issue.
Matthew explained that they had a roofer come and fix the hole.
The Dyls claim that the problem persists even after several months.
Video footage from April 2023 shows that the ceiling of their bedroom was wet seven months after it was first spotted.
Summit Solar realized that their roof was made up of two layers and needed to be changed.
We recommended that the customer replace their roof at this point. “The customer did not accept our advice,” Lawson stated.
Matthew claims that a formal agreement was not made, and the family believed they would have to foot the bill for a roof replacement if one became available.
The water that had been leaking from the roof for months was not the only problem. It also got into their ceiling, causing further problems.
Kate explained, “I hired a company on my own to test for mold and the spores were found in our ceiling.”
Summit Solar covered the mold remediation costs of $2,400 in June after Dyl’s sent the test results to them.
The Dyls report that one month after the initial leak, their roof is still leaking. This was made worse by the multiple rainstorms of July, and the open ceiling caused by the mold remediation.
Matthew stated, “Roof still leaks, but now there is no ceiling we can see many more leaks.”
Summit Solar has agreed in July to replace and remove the roof and solar panels for no charge.
Servpro estimated the job at $25,000 for the Dyls.
The company would not cover any costs incurred when they sent the quotation to Summit Solar.
Kate stated, “They didn’t install a ceiling or anything, they just left us the rafters. It was a complete mess.” Our entire upstairs was a disaster.
Lawson claims that Dyls did not consult the company prior to the repair.
Lawson stated that “Servpro performed a second assessment for demolition and reconstruction of more than $25,000. The customer had expected us to cover this amount, but we felt it was well outside the scope repair.”
Summit informed Dyls via email that it would not be paying for additional work.
An employee claimed that they were aware of the roof problems before the installation.
The email states: “Perour records, you roof had a leak prior to the solar installation.”
Matthew replied, “Which records were we leaking before the installation? If there was damage, we were told that the installation would not take place.
The company, Summit Solar, denied that they knew anything about the roof leak, even though their employee claimed to have known.
Lawson stated that Summit “continues to hold to its previous position” and that the company does not agree with any conclusions that Summit has failed to fulfill its obligations to its customer, or that Summit was aware or should have been aware of any roof leaks that were pre-existing.
The I-Team focused on the contract that was signed with the solar company.
It does not guarantee that roof penetrations are airtight after five years, but it states it will be held harmless for any “damage caused to the building and contents”, which puts the ceiling’s liability into doubt.
Kate wants to put an end to the whole ordeal after she took money out of her 401(k).
She said: “Frustrating. It’s been an absolute nightmare.
They tried to get their homeowner’s insurance company to pay for the damage but were told that it was the responsibility of the solar company.
Summit Solar has sent us a statement regarding the current dispute.
Summit stands behind its investigation, and is committed to offering quality products and services to all its customers. Summit took great measures to assist this customer when it was informed about the problems, which occurred 3 years after installation. Summit understands that the customer does not agree with their conclusion. Summit, therefore, has handed this issue over to their insurance company for processing and hopefully a quick resolution.
The I-Team reported on this issue as well as others involving consumers and solar companies over the last year.
The Rhode Island Office of Energy Sources recommends replacing roofs that are more than 8-10 years old before installing solar panels.
The Dyls don’t know how old the roof is but it had two layers of shingles which indicated it was older.
I-Team discovered multiple websites from solar companies that warn against solar panel installations if you have multiple layers of roof shingles.
Summit Solar performed a drone roof inspection prior to the installation but did not notice the extra shingles until years later when the roof began leaking.
The Rhode Island Department of Business Regulations, along with Consumer Reports experts, recommend hiring an independent roof inspector if you are considering installing solar panels. This is even true if your solar panel company provides a complimentary inspection.
Peter Neronha, the Rhode Island Attorney-General has recently taken steps to help protect customers who feel they have been mistreated by solar companies.
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