Big Steps In Building: Remove Stupid Rules That Are Making It Hard To Go Green

Monday May 12, 2008, 6:40 am
Even Al Gore had to fight to put solar panels on the roof of his house, taking extra time, money, and a lot of abuse from the right whiners. In fact there are all kinds of zoning bylaws, condo rules, homeowners associations and even building code rules that make it harder to go green. In Arizona, with 300 days of sun per year, they just passed legislation to prevent homeowners associations from stopping solar panel installation. Illinois state Democratic Rep. Karen May, a sponsor of a "solar rights bill" says "If you're going to have local governments and condo associations saying, 'Solar panels are ugly,' that's a real stumbling block."

USA Today tells of one family that wanted to outfit their roof with solar panels. The local homeowners association, the Burke Centre Conservancy, was "flat-out against it" because of worries about how it would look, James Draheim says. His reaction: "You've got this energy just falling on your property and you're not allowed to use it because of aesthetics?"

Now eight states have "solar rights" laws to prevent lower levels of government from restricting the installation of solar power. But even in California, the first state to have such a rule, people are still fighting with buildings departments. Although the law says that local officials can only look at "health and safety" issues, planners in Pismo Beach say that nothing in the rules prevents the City from imposing height limits on solar installations.

In much of the world, every house has a solar water heater; here they are hard to find. No doubt if you went to install one, the local zoning examiner would question its height, the structural examiner would want a load calculation, the plumbing examiner would demand endless calculations and a separate conventional heater just in case the sun went out.

Big Step in Building: Let's have national regulations that remove all restrictions and covenants limiting the installation of solar hot water and photovoltaic systems from housing.

Tuesday May 13, 2008, 1:48 am

We're having a similar problem. I'd like a wind powered generator. We have lot of wind here and it seems so ridiculous not to make good use of it. Of course it turns out that the area our home is in was originally set up under very strict covenants that are grandfathered in regarding "view".

I love the area. We're on Casper Mountain, but really feel that a small single family size wind generator wouldn't detract from the view. Uphill behind us isn't in anyones eyeline and their are few trees as you go up.

We do have some solar panels on our roof and that's O.K., but we have a lot of snow as well as cloudy days, and they don't provide anything like a wind generator would.

Thank you Boty.

Tuesday May 13, 2008, 1:29 pm
I will do something about it. I am considering running for office. We need candidates who are willing to stand up to governments and zoning laws preventing us from using renewable energy.

It is obvious even the Democratic Party is not interested in the envirornment or the party would be doing something about it.

I ask you to consider being an advocate of change and think about running for office.


Please write me. America can get all the energy from renewable sources. We must end the madness of dependence on petroleum from unfriendly governments.

Wednesday May 14, 2008, 7:44 am
Thanks everyone for noting this. I too am so tired of the set backs. Wind power as Marian is speaking about. I wouldn't care if one were placed right out my front door. And the shame on the solor panel people for not making them more accessable to those who may be a bit off as far as money, but are so desperate to do their part in keeping us as humans around for a lot longer then we are now being expected to.

Wednesday May 14, 2008, 9:05 am
Noted with thanks Boty.