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My mom has a beautiful house in Plano Texas. Her homeowners association forbids installing solar power panels. This should tell you what you need to know about

My mom has a beautiful house in Plano Texas. Her homeowners association forbids installing solar power panels. This should tell you what you need to know about Texas. But I agree gas is a great backup solution and her gas powered generator saved her butt this past winter

social_quotient 5y ago
“ This should tell you what you need to know about Texas.” It’s not a helpful comment. If you have something to say… say it. If you don’t like the HOA rules don’t move to the HOA neighborhood. It’s hardly a Texas specific problem.
- varelse 5y ago
  Unreasonable homeowner associations are everywhere, sure, but homeowner associations that hate solar power do seem restricted to the states that didn't vote for the guy who won the last election in my experience. Not my house, I wouldn't have moved to that neighborhood, but my mom didn't have a whole lot of time at the time but of course that doesn't matter we must all embrace the free marketplace of ideas because no other solution is possible here I know I know... Bored now... The funny thing is that my conservative friends complain about exactly this sort of mindset in California. And I tell them to move to Florida or Texas instead of perpetuating their own misery but they rarely do. One of them seems to have killed himself last year over this. I conclude that I do not understand people and why they can't just do the simple obvious things because you're right that my mom shouldn't have moved there but there's a story behind how she ended up there and you've completely neglected that. Maybe my late friend has a story too.
  - desine 5y ago
    > but homeowner associations that hate solar power do seem restricted to the states that didn't vote for the guy who won the last election in my experience. I find this unnecessarily political, but I also find the more "conservative" minded people to be more supportive of independence, including solar. Not sure how many HOAs are in your experience, maybe it is a lot more than mine.
  - emodendroket 5y ago
    If I'm not mistaken California has made it law that your HOA simply cannot stop you from having solar if you want it. Hard to imagine Texas doing that.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - jccooper 5y ago
      Except that Texas has that law on the books since 2011.
    - dragonwriter 5y ago
      > If I'm not mistaken California has made it law that your HOA simply cannot stop you from having solar if you want it. While the protections have been extended and clarified by subsequent legislation, its worth noting that this policy (the Solar Rights Act) was adopted in 1978 in California.
      - Bud 5y ago
        Using the law to force your HOA into something, though, sounds like a really good way to ensure that your HOA will fuck with you by every possible means for the rest of your natural life. HOAs can be pretty evil that way.
  - dnautics 5y ago
    I think your first assertion is pretty misinformed since it's republicans are pushing texas to go over to renewables, if for no other reason than it just makes business sense. Run as much as your state renewably as possible, so long as it's cheaper than oil/gas and export oil/gas outside the state. And in texas currently renewables are cheaper than oil/gas.
  - plank_time 5y ago
    My friend in DC said her HOA tried to ban her from getting solar panels but she pushed back using a similar law saying they can’t prevent her from getting solar, and the HOA shut up. It’s not just red states, Karens are ubiquitous.
mrh0057 5y ago
HOAs in texas can’t ban solar and it’s been that way for years.
positr0n 5y ago
Texas Property Code Section 202.010: HOAs and POAs cannot prohibit or restrict a property owner from installing a solar energy device I also live in Plano. This law was passed many many years ago, so if the HOA is really saying that they should change their tune if you point them to that relevant passage.

social_quotient 5y ago

“ This should tell you what you need to know about Texas.” It’s not a helpful comment. If you have something to say… say it. If you don’t like the HOA rules don’t move to the HOA neighborhood. It’s hardly a Texas specific problem.

varelse 5y ago
Unreasonable homeowner associations are everywhere, sure, but homeowner associations that hate solar power do seem restricted to the states that didn't vote for the guy who won the last election in my experience. Not my house, I wouldn't have moved to that neighborhood, but my mom didn't have a whole lot of time at the time but of course that doesn't matter we must all embrace the free marketplace of ideas because no other solution is possible here I know I know... Bored now... The funny thing is that my conservative friends complain about exactly this sort of mindset in California. And I tell them to move to Florida or Texas instead of perpetuating their own misery but they rarely do. One of them seems to have killed himself last year over this. I conclude that I do not understand people and why they can't just do the simple obvious things because you're right that my mom shouldn't have moved there but there's a story behind how she ended up there and you've completely neglected that. Maybe my late friend has a story too.
- desine 5y ago
  > but homeowner associations that hate solar power do seem restricted to the states that didn't vote for the guy who won the last election in my experience. I find this unnecessarily political, but I also find the more "conservative" minded people to be more supportive of independence, including solar. Not sure how many HOAs are in your experience, maybe it is a lot more than mine.
- emodendroket 5y ago
  If I'm not mistaken California has made it law that your HOA simply cannot stop you from having solar if you want it. Hard to imagine Texas doing that.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - jccooper 5y ago
    Except that Texas has that law on the books since 2011.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > If I'm not mistaken California has made it law that your HOA simply cannot stop you from having solar if you want it. While the protections have been extended and clarified by subsequent legislation, its worth noting that this policy (the Solar Rights Act) was adopted in 1978 in California.
    - Bud 5y ago
      Using the law to force your HOA into something, though, sounds like a really good way to ensure that your HOA will fuck with you by every possible means for the rest of your natural life. HOAs can be pretty evil that way.
- dnautics 5y ago
  I think your first assertion is pretty misinformed since it's republicans are pushing texas to go over to renewables, if for no other reason than it just makes business sense. Run as much as your state renewably as possible, so long as it's cheaper than oil/gas and export oil/gas outside the state. And in texas currently renewables are cheaper than oil/gas.
- plank_time 5y ago
  My friend in DC said her HOA tried to ban her from getting solar panels but she pushed back using a similar law saying they can’t prevent her from getting solar, and the HOA shut up. It’s not just red states, Karens are ubiquitous.

mrh0057 5y ago

HOAs in texas can’t ban solar and it’s been that way for years.

positr0n 5y ago

Texas Property Code Section 202.010: HOAs and POAs cannot prohibit or restrict a property owner from installing a solar energy device I also live in Plano. This law was passed many many years ago, so if the HOA is really saying that they should change their tune if you point them to that relevant passage.