One DIY solar owner in Texas said local officials required proof that "my roof was okay for the wind load" before a home system could move forward.

That anecdote summed up a Reddit discussion on the r/SolarDIY subreddit in which homeowners were asked about the hardest part of DIY solar.

Here's what to know

In a Reddit post, a user who said they were a college senior doing an entrepreneurship capstone on energy interconnectedness asked homeowners, "What has been the most frustrating or difficult part of setting up or managing your system?"

Across the thread, permitting stood out as the complaint people raised most often.

The highest-rated reply focused on that issue: "Permitting. My state simply would not have allowed me to build my own design if I wasn't a licensed professional engineer. The number of hurdles that [I] cleared was crazy."

A different commenter also put permitting at the top of the list, calling it "number 1 by a long shot" and saying it "would have at least doubled my costs and made it unviable."

Going solar is one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and homeowners don't have to go at it alone. Those who want a professionally installed system can try EnergySage to get free solar installation estimates and compare quotes without those installers getting their contact information unless they choose to move forward.

More background

One of the clearest examples came from Texas, where a commenter said the local permitting office required calculations showing their roof could handle the wind and described that demand as "pretty ridiculous."

The same commenter said California's permitting book helped them navigate the process, adding that the state is "a little ahead of everybody else" because it has "an entire book for permitting."

In at least one case, those constraints affected the design itself. A commenter wrote, "I'm going with an offgrid system. The power company can't complain about a transfer switch." The same person added that the power company "pay[s] s*** for excess production anyway."

For some homeowners, the challenge was less about panels or batteries and more about getting solar equipment legally approved for connection to a house or the grid.

What can be done?

One commenter used California's permitting book as a reference point. Homeowners who do not want to build a system entirely from scratch can also compare professional installation options.

Those options do not eliminate local permitting requirements, but they may help homeowners approach the process with more confidence rather than feeling cornered into expensive delays or off-grid workarounds.

One commenter summed up the frustration on the thread: "You should not be operating outside the law to make green electricity."

With EnergySage's help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar purchases and installations. 

EnergySage's solar map shows the average cost of a home solar panel system on a state-by-state level, as well as details on solar panel incentives for each state. Together, these resources can help homeowners get the best price for rooftop solar panels and access available incentives.

Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and go off-grid. Readers considering solar-plus-storage can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates.

Where can I learn more?

There is a lot of misinformation around solar. Fortunately, there are insightful experts who can provide good advice. There are also emerging avenues around the more frustrating aspects of DIY solar.

• Homeowners pushed back after a roofer gave questionable advice on solar panels during roof planning.

• EnergySage's former COO broke down interconnected factors shaping solar costs for homeowners pricing installations.

• Colorado officials promoted plug-in solar panels as a way around rooftop barriers and red tape.

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