If you have solar power in Riverside County, you may be entitled to a rebate

A former solar-power developer sued by Riverside County and other jurisdictions over deficient business practices settled the legal action in a pretrial agreement requiring the remnants of the enterprise to pay $4.3 million in restitution and penalties.

Vivint Solar, previously headquartered in Utah, reached the settlement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

Along with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, prosecuting agencies in Alameda, Fresno, San Diego and San Francisco were also plaintiffs and will receive portions of the payout. The case originated in Riverside County.

Vivint Solar was absorbed by Sunrun Solar, which existed prior to the lawsuit and was not in any way involved in Vivint Solar’s disputes, according to prosecutors.

A Utah company now bearing the Vivint brand specializes in home security. Its representatives emphasized in an email that it is a “different company” and requested that there not be “any misidentification.”

According to the District Attorney’s Office, Vivint Solar repeatedly misrepresented its terms of sale of residential photovoltaic systems to customers from August 2016 to October 2020.

Prosecutors further alleged that disclosures that should have been made to buyers were not, including projected savings. The civil complaint also alleged that consumers’ ability to cancel purchase agreements was not adequately addressed prior to sales.

The settlement calls for $1.3 million in civil penalties and that $3 million be set aside in a restitution fund that consumers who were allegedly harmed may qualify to access.

Riverside County will receive $510,000 from the penalty distribution, according to the DA’s Office.

The agency said directions on how parties may apply for disbursals will eventually be posted on the Sunrun web portal, sunrun.com.