One homeowner in California just showed Reddit how they're pushing back against their homeowners association's unfair solar panel ban.
Solar panels can dramatically lower a home's power bill by generating free electricity from the sun. Not only is this great for the owner's budget, but it's also good news for the planet. Solar is a "clean" energy source, which means it doesn't release the kind of pollution that traps heat and raises the Earth's temperature.
Unfortunately, many HOAs don't want residents to attach solar panels to their homes because of how they look. This Redditor said they're one of the many homeowners facing that restriction and had a solution.
"HOA Doesn't allow building mounted solar," they said in their post. "No problem."
The attached images show what they said were $3,000 worth of solar panels — 16 panels total — spread out across the large deck of their home, with a child leaning against one and showing just how large they were. More photos showed off the owner's battery and control systems for the solar setup.
Although the solar panels were not attached to any building, the Redditor said they still got grief for them. "Inspector was complaining even about this," they said. "I said it is in the backyard and we have a right to put whatever we want in the yard."
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As some commenters pointed out, the original poster likely had more rights than that. "'HOA doesn't allow'? CALSSA wants a word," one commenter said, referring to the California Solar & Storage Association. "The law in California does not let them 'doesn't allow.' [It] can be in the HOA rules, but [it's] not enforceable." The commenter recommended requesting a letter from CASSLA to correct the overstepping HOA.
For residents in less solar-friendly states, there are other options. Some homeowners have successfully worked with their HOAs to either receive an exception or to change the HOA's rules.
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