An Illinois homeowner said a neighborhood power outage appears to have knocked out 19 of 37 rooftop solar panels, a loss that seemingly went undetected for months while summer ComEd bills stayed unusually high.
Here's what to know
According to the Reddit post, the Illinois resident has a 37-panel roof system installed in November 2019. The setup is split into two strings, and the homeowner said one string, containing 19 panels, has produced nothing since the outage.
"Only noticed because my ComEd electricity bills have been high during the best solar months of the year," the homeowner wrote.
The equipment listed in the post included a SolarEdge SE10000H-US000BNU4 inverter and P320 optimizers. On the SolarEdge monitoring portal, the homeowner said every panel on string 1.1 stopped producing on the day of the outage, but the other string, with 18 panels, resumed normal output. The homeowner also said one optimizer on the downed string quit reporting altogether, while the remaining 18 continued reporting very low output with almost no current.
The homeowner said the company connected to the long-term warranty and Illinois SREC contract did not alert them to the production drop. Instead, the company allegedly quoted $450 for a service visit and another $200 for each additional hour after the first.
"Parts but not labor covered most likely," one commenter cautioned.
Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and homeowners who are still comparing options can use EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes.
More background
Commenters urged the homeowner to try basic checks first. Suggestions included inspecting the breakers, shutting the system down and powering it back up after several minutes during strong sunlight, and reaching out to SolarEdge for remote troubleshooting.
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One commenter offered a possible explanation: "They're in safety mode, no current, and aren't being told to wake up."
If a homeowner doesn't routinely check the SolarEdge portal or compare monthly production with bills, half a system's output can disappear during peak solar season without being noticed right away.
Hardware warranties and labor coverage are not always the same thing. Add in warnings that outside repairs could affect a workmanship warranty or SREC agreement, and homeowners can end up feeling stuck even when their clean-energy investment is underperforming.
What can be done?
Checking system dashboards, saving warranty paperwork, and understanding who is responsible for parts, labor, and performance oversight can help homeowners catch problems faster and reduce the odds of surprise bills after an outage.
More From EnergySage
💡Go deep on the latest news and trends shaping the residential solar landscape
With EnergySage's help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. EnergySage's solar map also shows the average cost of a home solar panel system by state, along with details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.
Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Homeowners who want to explore backup power can check EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.
Where can I learn more?
Solar owners can run into expensive headaches when equipment, billing rules, or installation problems get in the way. These articles look at an unnoticed meter failure in North Carolina, billing frustrations in Ohio, an expensive Florida outage, and damaged new panels.
• A North Carolina homesteader discovered a solar meter failed only after a repair crew arrived.
• In Ohio, a homeowner learned net metering may leave much of the monthly bill intact.
• In Florida, a utility said its cheapest power plant staying offline has cost $8 million.
• A homeowner was urged to seek replacements after an installer left footprints across 12 new panels.
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