July 9, 2024 - All residents living in homeowners' associations are now allowed to install solar panels and other energy efficiency measures on their homes under a new bill signed into law this week. The bill, Michigan's State House Bill 5028, enables all residents in homeowners' associations to install solar panels and a variety of energy efficiency upgrades, including heat pumps, EV chargers, and more. With this change, everyone living in a homeowners' association will be able to join the almost 1,000 homes in Ann Arbor that have installed solar and are experiencing the benefits of lower electric bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and energy independence.
To help with understanding the new requirements and help make the transition, the City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations (OSI) has developed a model energy policy template (PDF) that can be adopted by homeowners' associations to comply with the new law.
OSI has also developed a toolkit for advancing sustainability in homeowners' associations (PDF) that contains resources and case studies for residents and decision makers living and working in a homeowners' association to overcome barriers and challenges related to implementing solar and electric vehicle charging through a variety of potential solutions.
For homeowners' associations interested in embracing solar installations, their members are able to participate in the Solarize program. Solarize is a community bulk-buy solar program aiding residents in Washtenaw County with convening neighbors, friends and participating solar installers – a perfect fit for homeowners' associations and their members. The program facilitates learning about residential solar, getting questions answered, and provides the option to come together to bulk-purchase solar, allowing for significant savings. Any interested associations and members can contact Connor Dailey, Solarize program lead, at [email protected], or learn more at a2gov.org/solar.
The City of Ann Arbor Office of Sustainability and Innovations was founded in 2018 and is guided by the Ann Arbor Carbon Neutrality Plan, A2ZERO. A2ZERO strives toward one unifying vision: Together, creating and implementing a just transition to carbon neutrality, community-wide, by the year 2030. Learn more at www.a2gov.org/sustainability.
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