The Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA), and its members and their employees, ascribe to certain ethical obligations to the general public, to their customers and to the solar and storage industries. These obligations create a code of ethics, which are memorialized by ten fundamental canons. These canons bind our Association members and require them to conduct business and promote their products or services in a manner that assures the public health, safety and welfare are protected. The fundamental cannons - which each MnSEIA member adopts by virtue of joining or remaining in the association - are listed below.
Any concern about a MnSEIA member's compliance with this Code of Conduct should be communicated in sufficient detail to our Executive Director, Logan O'Grady.
Additional consumer protection resources are available for homeowners from the Minnesota Attorney General, the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry, and the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota.
Fundamental Canons
Canon 1. Members shall employ well-trained sales personnel to provide customers with up-to-date, understandable product information.
Canon 2. Members shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly, the professional reputation and practices of other members, shall not slander or demean other members, and shall not attempt to attract an employee from another company with unethical practices.
Canon 3. Members shall maintain the highest ethical standards when advertising, selling, installing and servicing solar and shall design, repair, install, or modify equipment in a manner that complies with applicable laws, ordinances, and regulations.
Canon 4. Members shall develop and enforce the highest standard of safety and working conditions for employees and shall prioritize the safety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their duties.
Canon 5. Members shall present honestly the capabilities, performance, and energy savings potential of solar products and systems and shall not knowingly quote a project that does not meet solar and other applicable codes or knowingly present bids on work with the intent on profiting from change orders.
Canon 6. Members shall quote realistic prices and completion dates, and absent any unforeseeable factors, shall strive to meet and attain said estimates.
Canon 7. Members shall offer and honor clear, understandable warranties that comply with all applicable state and federal laws, shall be professional and faithful agents or trustees for each employer or client, and shall not falsify or misrepresent their own professional qualifications.
Canon 8. Members shall understand and comply with MnSEIA policies, including workplace conduct and other pertinent policies. MnSEIA members shall admit and accept their own errors when proven wrong, and take appropriate action to correct the error.
Canon 9. Members shall endeavor to extend public knowledge and appreciation of solar energy systems, their achievements and effect on the environment and to protect the solar energy profession from misrepresentation and misunderstanding.
Canon 10. Members shall avoid all practices that are likely to discredit the profession or deceive the public.
