Solar Energy in Sarasota, Florida

Started by MichelleB3 • 1 replies • 1108 views

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MichelleB3 (Florida)
Posts: 1

Posted:

Hi There!

We're having a problem with our association allowing us to convert over 250 street/house lamps to solar and wondered if anyone could be of any assistance.

Within the last 3 months, there have been 2 fires originating from gas lamp leaks in the front yards of neighbors' homes. There are also rumors that TECO (the gas company) found "pin hole leaks" throughout the community the day after the FIRST fire.

I am a mother of 2 small children whose husband travels out of state every week for work. First and foremost, my concern is obviously safety for me and my kids. In addition, where are these "leaks" going - in the ground? in the air? And, since the association has to light each of these lamps individually to turn them on, they burn 24/7 which is a obviously a grave concern with the environment.

The association has taken the stand that it is a "prestigious" benefit when buying in our community but no one seems to stop and think about the safety and environment (not to mention the $110k/yr cost to run).

In closing, I hope that there is something you can do to help or at least point me in a direction to go with this. I have emailed everyone from local / national environmental groups all the way up to Al Gore and I have received very little response. Any information you could provide me would be of great help.

JM2 (Oregon)
Posts: 439

Posted:

Hi Michelle:

Intersting situation, to say the least. You might want to look through your association documents to see if there is any mention of the association running the lamps (do they come off your gas supply, or is it a meter paid for by the HOA?), as well as any design guidelines of the HOA (which may be hard to find). If it's in the docs, you might have to get a majority vote for a change; same if it involves a special assessment to fund the change-out.

One thing to do, would be to contact TECO to find out the truth about the pinhole rumor; if it's true, then ask where and why the pinhole leaks develop, can anything be done to prevent them, etc. If the lamps are association-owned and have a limited life, they should be in your reserves (if they are allowed in Florida?). Look at the budgetary issues as well - how much it costs to run the lamps, vs. solar; replacement costs, etc. - and shop around for attractive replacements in some catalogs, to impress the BOD with the possibility.

With solar lights, you might have to replace batteries every year or two or three (ours don't last as long in Oregon due to less solar energy). But, that's pretty cheap overall.

If you have any neighbors who are interested in the issue, that might help as well. If 10 people come to the Board, it might impress them more than one person. Since you would be changing the "look" of the community, some broad support would be best.

J. Patrick Moore, CMCA

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