Those of you with homes that belong to Home Owners Associations (HOA) already know what HOA’s are for. On the positive side, HOA rules and regulations help a community like uniformly clean and well-maintained; however, some HOA may be too restrictive and prevent homeowners from even re-painting their home to a different color.
In many communities, the installation of energy-efficient add-ons to a home like solar panels or window tint have been rejected on aesthetic grounds. This means that the HOA thinks that these add-ons are unsightly and may hurt the value of the homes in the community. It seems that this cold attitude towards energy efficiency may be shifting at last.
Here is a quote from an article regarding HOA’s in Colorado:
Highlands Ranch, where nearly 30,000 single-family homes come under the eyes of the development’s community associations, has seen about a 30 percent increase in applications for renewable-energy systems since HB 1270 became law, according to Mike Bailey, the supervisor of covenant compliance and assistance.
“We did very minor tune-ups once (the law) passed,” Bailey said, noting changes to policies on shading structures and window tinting. “We anticipated the solar aspect of things to really grow. You could tell this was the wave of the future, the next chapter.”
Homeowners who want to pursue energy-efficiency measures still must submit to architectural review. But Bailey said that while the committee might offer suggestions, the reinforced law has “made us cautious about where we’re restrictive” — and so far the association hasn’t denied an application.
If your HOA has kept you from installing window tint on your home, it may be time to revisit the subject with them. The tide is turning, and national sentiment is growing more and more positive regarding energy-efficiency measure.
