Solar ad claims to avoid and what the FTC and states say

This guide lists the solar ad claims that cause the most trouble for publishers, the official FTC and state sources behind each, and a safer way to say what you need to say. By the end you will be able to audit a solar ad, a pre-landerPre-landerA page a visitor sees after clicking an ad and before reaching the offer's landing page, such as an advertorial, a quiz or a short article. Glossary or a site page, and rewrite it so it reaches homeowners who are ready to talk to an installer.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes official FTC, IRS and California pages, which are linked so you can read them in full.

The federal rules behind solar ad claims

No single federal rule is written only for solar ads. General advertising law applies, and the FTC applies it closely to solar because the purchase is large and the terms are long. The FTC’s Advertising FAQs: A Guide for Small Business sets out the basics: an ad must be truthful, must not mislead, and objective claims need evidence before the ad runs. The Policy Statement on Deception and the advertising substantiation statement explain how the FTC reads those standards.

The FTC’s consumer guide Solar Power for Your Home is useful for publishers too, because it shows what homeowners are told to check: how the system works with the utility, the full cost in a written bid, who gets any tax credits or certificates, and contract terms that must match what the ads and salespeople said. An ad that promises something the bid will not contain is the gap the FTC tells consumers to look for.

Meta’s Advertising Standards and Google’s misrepresentation policy apply on top of the law for ads on those platforms.

Solar ad claims to avoid and safer rewrites

Tax credit and incentive claims

Tax credit lines were once the most common hook in solar ads. Federal rules changed in 2025, so any credit claim has to be checked against the official page on the day you write it, not against older ads or memory.

• Federal credit. As of October 9, 2026, the IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit page says the credit is not available for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025. An ad that presents it as available to a reader installing a system now conflicts with that page.
• Who gets a credit at all. The FTC solar guide explains that with a lease or a power purchase agreement the homeowner does not own the system, so tax credits and incentives go to the system’s owner. An ad that promises a credit and then leads to a lease offer misleads.
• State and local programs. They differ by state, change often and may have limited funds. Name one only if it applies to the reader’s state and you link the official program page with the date you checked it.

The simplest rule for publishers: leave credits and incentives to the installer, who can check what applies to a specific home and put it in writing.

State rules: the California example

States add their own consumer protection rules for solar sales. California has the most detailed official pages, and they show what installers in a regulated state must put in writing, which is the standard your ad will be compared against.

• Solar disclosure document. The California Contractors State License Board’s Solar Smart page explains that Business and Professions Code section 7169 requires a solar energy system disclosure document on the front of every solar contract, covering the total cost and payments including financing, how to complain, and the cancellation period.
• Same language as the sales pitch. The CSLB page also says the contract and disclosure document must be in the language mainly used in the oral presentation or the marketing material given to the consumer. Ads in Spanish lead to contracts in Spanish.
• Consumer protection guide. The California Public Utilities Commission’s Solar Consumer Protection Guide page says solar providers in the service areas it lists must collect the customer’s initials and signature on the guide, and its list of false claims (solar at no cost, no more electric bills, pressure to sign) reads like a list of ads to avoid.

Other states have their own rules, usually through the attorney general’s consumer protection office and the contractor licensing board. The FTC guide tells homeowners to check an installer with both. If you target a state, read that state’s official pages first; the solar leads by state pages cover conditions in each state.

How to audit your solar ads

1. 1

   Step 1: Gather every asset

   Collect live and paused ads, pre-landers, advertorials and site pages for solar, with the sub IDSub IDA value a publisher adds to a tracking link to label the traffic, such as the campaign, ad set, ad or placement. Glossary for each.

2. 2

   Step 2: Mark the trigger words

   Search for: free, no cost, bill, credit, tax, rebate, incentive, program, government, utility, approved, qualify, green, eco, percent, today only. Every hit needs a second read.

3. 3

   Step 3: Match each claim to its source

   Use the table above to find the FTC, IRS or state page that covers the claim. Read it, then remove or rewrite the claim.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check the images

   A utility-style bill, a government seal or a panel brand logo makes a claim on its own. Replace images that say more than the copy.

5. 5

   Step 5: Match the ad to the page

   The ad should describe the same request the form asks for. A "free assessment" ad that leads to a quote request for a purchase brings in the wrong readers.

6. 6

   Step 6: Relaunch and compare

   Run the rewritten ads under new sub IDs and compare sold leads and returns with the old versions. See reading your publisher reports.

Summit reviews solar ad creative before launch, as it does for every offer.

What to write instead

Overpromising ads attract people who want something free. Those leads rarely sell, and publishers in the home improvement program are paid rev shareRev shareA payout model in which the publisher is paid a share of what the lead sells for, rather than a fixed price per lead. Glossary on sold leads. Neutral copy built from these parts works better with solar homeowners:

1. The request. "Compare quotes from solar installers" says exactly what the form is for.
2. The reader’s situation. Speak to homeowners who are planning, comparing or have a trigger such as roof work, in general terms and without implying you know their bills or finances.
3. The next step. "Answer a few questions and an installer may call about a site visit" sets an honest expectation.
4. A true reason to act. Planned roof work, a recent move or wanting to compare bids before signing are real reasons. Invented deadlines are not.

Write three or four versions, each leading with a different part, and compare them on sold leads and returns. How to test ad creative for lead offers explains the test setup, and how to run solar traffic on Meta applies it to Facebook and Instagram.

Pre-launch checklist for solar ads

• No claim that a system is free or costs nothing.
• No cost, bill or percentage figures.
• No federal tax credit claim, and any state or local program linked to its official page with the date checked.
• No government, state or utility affiliation, wording, seal or logo.
• No installer, panel or financing brand names you are not authorized to use.
• No suggestion the reader is approved, qualifies or has been selected.
• No green or renewable claims you cannot support.
• No countdowns or invented deadlines.
• The ad describes the same request the form asks for.

Common mistakes

• Copying installer ads. An installer can describe its own prices and financing in writing. A publisherPublisherA company or individual that generates leads, usually through websites, ads or content, and sells them to brokers or buyers. Glossary cannot.
• Old credit copy. Ads written before the 2025 changes still circulate. Check the IRS page before you reuse any of them.
• Bill screenshots. An image of a high utility bill implies knowledge of the reader’s costs and invites a cost comparison you cannot support.
• Lease and purchase mixed up. Benefits that only apply to owners, such as credits, do not belong in an ad that leads to a lease or power purchase offer.
• Ignoring state pages. California’s rules are detailed and public; other states have their own. Read the state’s official pages before you target it.
• Not reading platform policy. Meta and Google review solar ads against their own rules as well as the law.

Follow our traffic guidelines, and email us with creative questions before launch.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Solar affiliate program: Who solar leads are and how the offer works.
• How to run solar traffic on Meta: Campaign setup and copy for solar on Meta.
• Solar landing pages for affiliates: Keep the same claims off the page.
• Ad claims to avoid in home improvement offers: The same audit for roofing, windows and remodeling.
• TCPA compliance for solar leads: Consent for the calls and texts after the form.