FAQ

The Solar Tiles included in this Settlement were most commonly sold under the brand names SolarSave® or SolarBlend™. They may have been sold under other brand names including (but not limited to) the following:

No. Only 34 watt solar tiles manufactured between 2007 and 2009. This Settlement does not cover Open Energy 35 watt tiles or Solar Blend 50 watt tiles. These 35 and 50 watt tiles look very similar to the Solar Tiles included in the Settlement, but are different products.

The Solar Tiles covered by this Settlement are not traditional rack mounted solar panels, but were specially designed to blend in with the roof and replace traditional roofing tiles. Images of a typical installation are included in Question 3 of the Class Notice. If you don’t know whether you have the correct product, contact the Claims Administrator at 1 (844) 619-9804 to help determine whether you are a member of the Settlement Class.

You are included in the Settlement if you (1) purchased or installed Solar Tiles, (2) purchased a property or other structure on which Solar Tiles were installed at the time of purchase, (3) rented a property on which Solar Tiles were installed, (4) paid to remove and replace a Solar Tile system, or (5) otherwise have a financial interest in the Solar Tiles or the energy generating capacity of the Solar Tiles.

“Property” means any structure, including but not limited to homes, townhouses, condominiums, apartments, multi-unit housing structures, hotels, motels, hospitals, schools, churches or other places of worship, commercial structures, government structures, homes within a homeowners association or other similar entities, other types of buildings (e.g., guest houses, garages, workshops, sheds, hangers), or other structures of any kind, whether commercial or residential (including permanent or temporary residential structures), or any improvement to real property.

The Settlement does not include the Defendants or any entity in which a Defendant owns a controlling interest and their legal representatives, heirs, and successors (except a Defendant or entity that removed or replaced a Solar Tile system may seek reimbursement for certain expenses). The Settlement also does not include the judge or judges to whom this case is assigned and their immediate family members.

You must submit a claim form before March 8, 2017. Claim forms are available online at www.solarpanelsetttlement.com or by calling 1 (844) 619-9804.

You may submit your claim form online, by e-mail or U.S. Mail at the following addresses:

By Mail:
Open Energy Solar Tile Settlement
P.O. Box 1272
Lancaster, CA 93584

By Internet: www.SolarPanelSetttlement.com

By E-mail: CSR@solarpanelsettlement.com

It depends on your individual circumstances. See Question 10 of the Class Notice.

If you submit a valid claim form by March 8, 2017, you will receive a distribution from the settlement fund in accordance with the terms of the Settlement Agreement and Plan of Allocation.

The replacement program will take approximately one year to complete following Settlement approval. Replacements will be scheduled based on the order in which claims are submitted and processed, as well as geographic location (properties in the same area may be scheduled at the same time to save costs).

Your Solar Tiles will be removed by an approved contractor and replaced with conventional roofing tiles and a traditional rack mounted solar system (with an equivalent wattage of SolarWorld panels) will be installed at no cost to you. However, you will be required to pre-pay the permit fees and cost of a new inverter, if required (estimated to cost $1,500), subject to possible future reimbursements. If money remains after claims, other payments provided by the settlement, and costs are paid, permit fees and inverter costs will be partially or fully reimbursed from the Settlement Fund (see Question 9 of the Class Notice). However, this reimbursement is not guaranteed.

If you select the De-Install settlement option, your Solar Tiles will be removed by an approved contractor and replaced with a conventional non-solar roof at no cost to you. The contractor will use best efforts to match the existing roofing tiles. You will also be paid $54.25 per Solar Tile removed.

Petersen Dean.

Yes. You can choose to have your own contractor remove and/or replace your Solar Tiles, however the Settlement Fund will only reimburse the contractor for the amounts set forth in Section IV.A.7 of the Settlement Agreement (i.e., $108.50 per Solar Tile removed and $0.72 per watt for replacement solar panels up to the equivalent wattage of Solar Tiles).

The Solar Tiles will be replaced with a traditional rack mounted solar system using 260 watt solar panels manufactured by SolarWorld.

Yes, you can choose to do nothing and receive $60.00 per Solar Tiles. However, Class Counsel strongly recommends that you remove and/or replace your Solar Tiles due to the alleged fire risk. If you choose to keep your Solar Tiles, you will be required to acknowledge this risk as part of the claims process and waive your insurer’s right to seek compensation for any fire damage that results in the future.

Yes. If you paid for the replacement yourself, you may be entitled to a cash payment of $132.98 per Solar Tile replaced. If the Solar Tiles were replaced without any charge to you, the replacing party may be entitled to the payment.