Compliance for Solar Calling and Texting
For every Narqix VA on a solar campaign, before the first dial. After this page you will know the consent, do-not-call, calling-hours, recording, opt-out and honest-identity rules that protect the homeowner, the client and you.
Track: Solar · Role: All solar roles · Time to complete: 40 min
This page is Narqix operating policy, not legal advice. US telemarketing law changes often and differs by state. Your client and its legal advisers set the final rules for each campaign. When this page and the client's written rules differ, follow the stricter one and tell your team lead.
Why solar compliance matters so much
Solar is one of the most sued industries under US calling and texting law. Federal lawsuits under the main calling law (the TCPA) reached about 2,600 cases in 2025, up roughly 60 percent on the year before. Each illegal call or text can cost USD 500, or up to USD 1,500 if a court finds it was willful, with no upper limit. Ten thousand bad calls can become a company-ending number.
Installers can be held responsible for calls made on their behalf by setters and lead companies. Every call you make is legally the client's call. That is why Narqix treats compliance as the first skill, not an extra.
Real enforcement lessons (described without names)
Lesson 1: Volume without consent multiplies fast
A large national solar installer agreed in 2025 to a class settlement of up to USD 30 million over telemarketing calls. Lesson: penalties are counted per call. A process that skips consent checks "just this once" repeats thousands of times.
Lesson 2: Pretending to be official is the fastest way to a lawsuit
A residential solar company paid a USD 7 million settlement after callers allegedly used names that sounded like a government energy department. Lesson: you always say the client's real company name. Never a name that sounds official, never "the energy department", "the solar program" or similar.
Lesson 3: Lead companies and installers fall together
A state attorney general sued an installer and the lead generator working for it. The case described tens of millions of calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, callers who implied a link to the utility or government, and promises of 20 to 50 percent savings. The court penalty was about USD 13.8 million (partly suspended). Lesson: the company that made the calls and the company that bought the appointments were both liable, and savings promises became evidence.
Lesson 4: State law adds a second layer
A solar quote company faced a class action under both the federal Do Not Call rules and Florida's state telemarketing law. Lesson: passing the federal rules is not enough. State laws add stricter hours, attempt limits and their own lawsuits.
Rule 1: Consent before contact
| Situation | What is needed |
|---|---|
| Marketing calls or texts to a cell phone using an automatic dialing system or an AI-generated voice | Prior express written consent that names the seller (your client), usually given on a web form |
| Prerecorded voicemail drops and first-touch texts to cold lists | Allowed. Use only the client's approved recordings, texts and cold lists, scrubbed against every DNC list, inside the calling window, with an opt-out in every message |
| Any marketing call to a number on the National Do Not Call Registry | Written consent or an existing business relationship. Manual dialing does not remove this duty |
| Marketing texts | Treat every text as fully regulated, exactly like a call. Courts disagree on parts of this, so Narqix follows the strict view |
| Purchased leads | A consent record (often a consent certificate from the web form) must exist and must name or clearly cover the client |
Coach's note: You may read online that a strict "one-to-one consent" rule (consent naming only one seller per form) is in force. A federal appeals court struck it down in January 2025 and the regulator restored the earlier standard later that year. Some clients still require one-seller consent by contract or carrier policy. Follow your client.
Before every dial or text, check in the CRM:
- Consent source and date are recorded, or the number is on the client's approved cold list
- No DNC flag, internal or national
- The homeowner's local time is inside the window
- The attempt count for the last 24 hours is under the cap
If any box is unclear, do not dial. Ask your team lead.
Rule 2: Do Not Call lists
- National Do Not Call Registry: every list must be scrubbed against it before cold or aged-lead calling, unless valid written consent is on file.
- State do-not-call lists: some states keep their own. The client's scrub process should cover them.
- The client's internal DNC list: anyone who has ever asked this client to stop. This list is permanent unless the client says otherwise.
- Your job: never dial a flagged lead, and add every stop request to the internal list the moment you hear it.
Rule 3: Calling hours and attempt limits
The Narqix house rule
Narqix default: calls and texts only from 9 AM to 8 PM in the homeowner's local time, Monday to Saturday. No Sundays. No calls on major US holidays unless the client approves in writing. Maximum 3 call attempts per lead per 24 hours on the same subject. Where a state rule is stricter, the state rule wins.
This house rule covers most common state rules. It does not cover every one, so learn the exceptions.
State examples you must know
| State | Rule highlights | Stricter than the Narqix default? |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 8 AM to 8 PM. Max 3 calls per 24 hours on the same subject. Written consent for automated sales calls. Short cure period for text opt-outs | No, the house rule covers it |
| Oklahoma | Modeled on Florida: 8 AM to 8 PM, max 3 calls per 24 hours, written consent for automated calls. An in-state area code can be treated as proof the person lives there | No |
| Maryland | 8 AM to 8 PM, max 3 calls per 24 hours | No |
| Texas | Telemarketing registration rules and private lawsuits now cover marketing texts too. 9 AM to 9 PM Monday to Saturday, noon to 9 PM Sunday | No (we do not call Sundays) |
| Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi | No telemarketing on Sundays and certain holidays | Holidays: check the client's holiday list |
| Rhode Island | 9 AM to 6 PM on weekdays, 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays | Yes. Stop at 6 PM weekdays and 5 PM Saturdays |
| Washington, Oregon | 8 AM to 8 PM | No |
| Minnesota | 9 AM to 9 PM | No |
This list is not complete, and laws change. Your dialer settings and your client's rules are the final word.
Whose local time?
Use the property address. If the phone's area code points to a different time zone, respect both windows (call only when both are open). The homeowner may be traveling, and some states presume residence from the area code.
Rule 4: Honest identity
In the first 15 seconds of every outbound call, say:
- Your real first name (or a consistent work name only if the client approves it in writing and it is used the same way every time).
- The client's real company name.
- Why you are calling (they asked about solar, the date or source).
Never do this:
Never say or suggest you are from the government, the utility, a "program", an "energy department", a "rebate center" or a nonprofit.
Never say you are calling for a "survey" when the purpose is to book a sales consultation.
Never use a name that is not yours unless the client has approved a consistent work name.
If a homeowner asks where you are calling from, answer with the client's company and the client's market, in the wording your client has approved, for example: "I'm with (COMPANY NAME). We work with homeowners all over (MARKET). The consultant you would meet works with (COMPANY NAME) in (STATE)."
Coach's note: How you answer location questions depends on the client. Use the client's approved wording. Never mention your own country.
Rule 5: Recording disclosure
Many states require all parties to agree before a call is recorded, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Narqix rule: if the call is recorded, give the recording notice on every call, in every state, at the start, before any questions.
You: "Just so you know, this call may be recorded for quality."
If the homeowner objects, follow your campaign's rule: either stop recording (if your system allows) or offer to end the call politely. Never continue recording after an objection.
Rule 6: Opt-outs and stop requests
A homeowner can withdraw consent in any reasonable way: saying it on a call, replying STOP, writing "remove me", sending an email, or telling the consultant.
What you do, every time:
- Do not argue, do not try one more rebuttal.
- Confirm: "Understood. I will remove your number now. I am sorry for the bother."
- Code DNC before the next dial. The DNC code must reach the dialer and texting platform suppression lists right away.
- Note how and when the request was made.
Federal rules give companies up to 10 business days to process a revocation. Narqix standard is immediately. A wider rule, where one stop request can cover all of a company's marketing messages, is scheduled to take effect on January 31, 2027. Build the habit now: one stop means stop everything for that client.
Rule 7: Texting rules
- Text only from the client's registered business numbers through the texting platform. US carriers block unregistered business texting.
- Every text includes the client's company name.
- The first text to a number includes opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to opt out").
- Handle STOP (opt-out) and HELP (who are you, how to contact) replies the moment they arrive.
- Same window as calls: 9 AM to 8 PM local, Monday to Saturday.
- No links, images or attachments unless the client has approved them.
- No AI or automatic replies to homeowners unless the client's compliance team has approved them.
Rule 8: Automated and AI voices
Prerecorded voicemail drops are allowed. Use only drops recorded from the client's approved wording (see the Voicemail and SMS Pack), send them only to the client's approved lists after the DNC scrub, inside the calling window, and include the opt-out line. Code any stop request DNC at once.
AI-generated voices count as "artificial" voices under federal law and need prior express written consent. Narqix agents never use them unless the client's legal team has approved the consent language and the process in writing.
Rule 9: Truthful claims only
Banned claims
| Never say | Why |
|---|---|
| "Free solar" or "no cost" | Solar is paid for in every option. This is one of the most common deceptive claims |
| "You will save X percent" or "cut your bill in half" | You cannot know. Savings claims were key evidence in major cases |
| Anything about tax credits, rebates or incentives | The homeowner federal credit ended for systems finished after December 31, 2025. Incentives vary by state and change often. Only the consultant covers this |
| "The program ends Friday" or any deadline | Fake urgency is deceptive |
| "You qualify", "you are approved", "pre-approved" | You do not approve anything |
| "Your rates will go up X percent next year" | You cannot predict utility rates |
| "We are not selling anything" | The consultation is a sales meeting. Be honest about it |
| "We spoke before" when you did not | Never invent prior contact |
| "Guaranteed" anything | Production, savings and pricing are never guaranteed by a setter |
What you say instead
"The consultant will look at your actual usage, your roof and the options available for your home today, and show you real numbers. If it does not make sense for you, they will tell you."
Rule 10: Data protection
- Never ask for or record Social Security numbers, bank details, card numbers or full dates of birth.
- Never copy homeowner data outside the client's systems.
- Notes contain facts only, no opinions about the homeowner.
What to do when something goes wrong
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| You dialed outside the window by mistake | End politely, code it, report to the team lead the same shift |
| You forgot the recording notice | Give it as soon as you notice, report to the team lead |
| A homeowner says they never gave consent | Apologize, offer removal, code DNC, end the call, report the lead source |
| A homeowner mentions a lawyer or regulator | Stay calm and polite, do not argue or explain, end the call, report immediately |
| You hear a teammate break a rule | Tell the team lead privately, the same shift |
Coach's note: Compliance is not a script you read, it is a habit you build. The four-box check before every dial (consent, DNC, time, attempts) takes three seconds. Agents who skip it once usually skip it often.
Check yourself
- What is the Narqix calling window, and what is the daily attempt cap?
- It is 5:30 PM on a Saturday in Rhode Island. Can you call? Why?
- A homeowner replies "stop texting me" in the middle of a conversation. List the four steps you take.
- Name four banned claims and say what you say instead.
- The property is in California but the phone area code is in New York. When can you call?
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