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Article
Courtesy of The Orlando Sentinel By Mary
Shanklin
Published
September 12, 2010
Two
months after University Acres resident Charlie Piper launched a fight with her
homeowners association for an energy-efficient white roof, her house remains
covered by the same old, dark-gray shingles.
The association turned down her request in late July, saying such a
light-colored roof wouldn't conform with the rest of the neighborhood of about
100 homes. They recommended new lines of dark shingles that are reflective.
After checking on those, Piper said she's ready to face the board again with
some news about those new roofing materials.
"When I found
out it would cost $10,000 more to do my home with these
shingles, I just gulped," Piper said recently. "If it
was $2,000 more, I would do it. I would borrow the money. I
would have a bake sale. I would recoup the cost over time. But
$10,000 took my breath away. I sat there with tears in my
eyes."
Piper had pushed for a white roof because it would conserve
energy and save an estimated $150 to $200 a year on utility
bills, which now run as much as $400 a month to power her
3,000-square-foot home. She said that she had reminded the board
about a Florida law that requires associations to grant
homeowners permission to install solar-energy collectors and
other such devices. |
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Chuck
Wainman and daughter Tuesday Piper take in the heat as they pose on the
roof of their home in University Acres in June 2010, where they have been
denied permission to change their shingles to a more sustainable lighter
gray color.
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But
the board was not swayed, and Piper said she will likely return to the board to
explain the dark, reflective shingles they recommended were too expensive. She
said she wishes she could just take the easy path and get her roof replaced —
like everyone else does — but she said she knows that going with the crowd on
this is not the most environmentally or financially responsible course.
"My roof is in poor condition, but it's not desperate, so I'm trying to
hang on. This is like the right thing versus the easy thing," Piper said.
"It's a very difficult thing."
Rosalie Hernandez, who helps manage University Acres for Encore Property
Management, said she has given Piper two options: purchase the dark-colored,
reflective shingles, or get 75 percent of the homeowners in the community to
sign a petition stating their support for changing the subdivision's covenants
and restrictions to allow light-colored roofs.
Getting the vast majority of homeowners in a development to agree to a change in
subdivision documents is "not the easiest thing in the world,"
Hernandez added.
Piper said she understands the board is in a difficult position but said they
should consider the state law that directs such associations to allow
energy-savings devices. If the board rejects her proposal again, she said she
will likely seek mediation.
A local lawyer offered to represent her for $2,500, but she noted that would
kill any savings she would generate from lower utility bills.
Homeowner
battles HOA, wants her roof to reflect an energy-saving ethic
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