I notice that the residents in the first cul-de-sac to the left as you enter Towne Lake are installing solar panels on their roof. Is this auyhorized in Towne Lake? Did they ask permission to install these on their roof? These are the same people who have wrought iron fencing and lattice work in the front. How comes they get by with this???

According to our bylaws, they should not be mounting "anything" including satellite dishes on the roof. But we all know how antiquated that notion went.  Maybe in light of a Greener need , we need to rethink some of these things and be supportive of  innovation.

In answer to your question, we submitted plans and specifications to the architectural committee and received approval before we started installation of the solar panels.  The architectural committee was very forward thinking and supportive of our “green” initiative.  There is no immediate financial benefit for us- it will be ten years before our investment is paid back & we start saving money, but the environmental benefits will start the day we turn it on.  The solar panels do look different than the old roof, but don’t you think that having cleaner air & less reliance on fossil fuels is worth it? 

May the force be with you.  Yes it is a different look, but ten years from now, it will be standard issue for all new homes and neighborhoods.  We're just lucky not to have the snow covering ours in the winter. Keep us posted on your experience. Cutting edge is always fun to watch.