Homeowners Association Solar Panels

On a cost per watt w basis a solar panel installation in pennsylvania ranges in price from 2 57 to 3 47.

Homeowners association solar panels.

How long does it take to earn back your initial investment in solar panels. Pennsylvania uniform condominium act uca pa. This proposed law included provisions prohibiting homeowner s associations from enacting rules limiting solar panel installation with a few exceptions. An association cannot ban the installation and use of solar energy panels.

The main concern of hoa boards are that solar panels may drastically lower home values especially in cases where only a few homes within a community have panels installed. 3101 et seq the act applies to condominiums created after the act s effective date 120 days from july 2 1980. In states with solar easements property owners can negotiate with their neighbors to protect their right to sunlight and prevent obstructions such as trees or structures on a neighbor s lawn that cast shade on their panels. A solar payback period is the amount of time it takes for property owners who install solar panels to recover their initial investment through electricity.

Unfortunately pennsylvania does not have rules that prevent hoas from stopping you from going solar. However since solar is worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars and can add around 10 000 to 30 000 of value to your home we might recommend raising your coverage limit to cover the cost of your home with the solar panel system. Federal hoa laws in addition to state law regulations the federal government has laws that govern homeowners associations condominiums and other residential properties in pennsylvania. Hoa laws and regulations.

Whether you are a member living within a development governed by a homeowners association hoa or a condominium owners association coa and interested in installing solar panels on your home or a member of the board of directors of a hoa coa or its respective architectural review committees arc in florida it would behoove you to become familiar with florida statute 163. Even if you find them unsightly they are here to stay. 163 says about coa and hoa restrictions on solar panels in so. Beginning in 2014 an indianapolis homeowner and his hoa entered into a dispute over the solar panels on the roof of his home.

Many homeowners discover after the fact that their request to install solar is denied by homeowners association board members due to clauses written in their hoa bylaws. The third rule being a state law is for the use of solar panels. Community officials believe solar panels change the pre planned aesthetics and landscape of the neighborhood and generally look out of place. To fully capture the sun s energy the solar panels need to face.

It s also against the law to make rules in order to make the process of installing solar panels too difficult or expensive for members. Hr 2454 the american clean energy and security act was a proposed federal law that made it illegal for a homeowners association to restrict the installation of solar panels.