Part of our series: Shining a Light on Trustworthy Solar
Solar lending is supposed to make things easier. But for too many homeowners, it’s become yet another source of confusion, stress, and broken trust.
The San Antonio Express-News exposed this reality in its multi-part investigation, In Broad Daylight, revealing widespread abuses by solar sales reps and installers—including deceptive promises, loan manipulation, and failed systems left in limbo.
When customers are left with systems that don’t work, installers who ghost them, or contracts they never fully understood, who steps in to help? Increasingly, the answer is: Atma Energy.
We’re not just a solar company. We’re the team lenders, OEMs, and neighbors turn to when trust needs to be rebuilt.
The Problem: Solar Lending Gone Sideways
Across Texas and the U.S., lawsuits and investigations have exposed serious issues in residential solar finance:
Minnesota sued four solar lenders for hiding $35 million in fees from homeowners, some as high as 30% of the total loan.
Nevada launched a crackdown on misleading solar sales after a flood of complaints.
Texas Appleseed reported an 818% increase in solar-related AG complaints from 2018 to 2023, with 42% involving loans and 45% involving false or misleading claims.
Too often, the sales pitch promises zero bills and full coverage. The reality? Delinquency notices, inoperable systems, and loans that outlast the panels.
Atma Energy is different. We don’t hide fees. We don’t use pressure. And we’ve never had a single customer complaint reported to the Texas Attorney General.
What We See: When Lenders Send Them Our Way
Some of our most meaningful service calls come from homeowners we didn’t sell to. A lender calls us about a stranded customer. An OEM asks if we can help diagnose a system their product is part of. A neighbor says, "You should talk to Atma."
These referrals don’t come with a badge or a formal title. But they mean everything. Because they tell us we’re trusted to fix what others won’t.
Banks typically don't name preferred solar providers. But when customers contact them with unresolved issues—and the original installer is long gone—some lenders have pointed those customers to Atma. Not because we’re on a list, but because we’ve earned a reputation for solving problems with care and clarity.
"ATMA was the only company that engineered a real solution. Everyone else just guessed—and they gave me the best value for the money."
— Bruce T.
How They Find Us
Referral pathways to Atma Energy:
However they arrive, our approach is always the same: diagnose the problem, explain what’s needed, and deliver a solution with transparency and care.
What We Bring: Service Over Sales
Our support isn’t about chasing commissions or clearing tickets.
It’s about engineering clarity, safety, and performance—whether we installed the system or not. When we help a homeowner recover from a bad experience, we:
Conduct a full diagnostic on the solar and electrical systems
Repair or replace defective components
Coordinate with lenders and OEMs to document fixes
Provide monitoring and maintenance options for the future
We do this because it's the right thing to do. And because every time we restore someone’s faith in solar, we strengthen the industry we believe in.
Why It Matters
Solar is a promise—not just of clean energy, but of economic and personal empowerment. When that promise breaks, trust is the first casualty.
Atma Energy isn’t here to win the sale. We’re here to keep the promise.
Whether you’re a homeowner trying to understand your system or a lender looking for someone who won’t let you down, we’re ready.
Because service isn’t just part of our equation. It is the equation.
Next in the Series
We Don’t Knock: Why Atma Chose Not to Sell Door-to-Door — In our next post, we dig into how Atma built a solar company without high-pressure tactics. No cold calls. No surprise visits. Just real conversations with people who asked to hear from us.