Solar Power and Sectional Title Living: Is a hot shower too much to ask for?
An irritation, to put it politely, I think one thing that everyone can relate to, is having to take an ice-cold shower or bath because Eskom has let us down again. Especially during our bitterly cold Winter nights and mornings.
With the unfortunate reality of load shedding and exorbitant electricity prices, which seem to be on an unending upward spike, we need to look into other options like solar energy.
My proposed solution is to become completely self-reliant with electricity, and stop the dependence on Government and Eskom. The first step, in my opinion, is to find yourself a solar geyser. Then have the solar panels installed on your roof, and connected to the solar geyser and you’re all set.
It may be as easy as this if you are living in your own freestanding house somewhere in the suburbs, but if like many South Africans you live in a Sectional Title complex, it’s not so simple.
As mentioned in my previous article, My house, your rules?, as the owner of a unit in a complex you are restricted to what alterations you may or may not implement especially when it comes to the exterior of your unit, such as your roof.
The roof is common property, and is owned in undivided shares with every other unit owner. If you plan to put solar panels on your roof, you will need to obtain written permission from the Trustees of your complex first.
The reason for this is that such an alteration would change the appearance of the complex as a whole, it would affect the insurance value of the roof, and in the unlikely event that every owner decides to move to solar energy, the shear weight of the panels on the shared roof for every unit could very well compromise its structural integrity.
What is important to note is that Trustees will often give permission for solar panels to be installed on the roof, however they have not given permission for a geyser to be installed on the roof. There are several types of solar panel and geyser combinations, the Trustees taking into account the issues above, are more likely to only accept a combination where the panels are on the roof and the geyser is within your unit.
It is vital that you clearly set out your request to the Trustees and that you fully understand the permission that has been granted. If you breach that permission, the Trustees are well within their rights to demand that you bring your alterations in alignment with the permission granted, even if that is going to cost you. Speaking of costs, you will be responsible for the costs of maintaining the solar panels and geyser at all times.
After all that, the idea of going solar isn’t as appealing – having to jump through hoops to set it all up. But look at the end game; a hot shower on an icy morning may be incentive enough, yet sticking it to Eskom and saving money on electricity in the long run feels rather satisfying in its own right.
CONTACT JONTY at jleon@ibalaw.co.za OR KAREN at kbleijs@ibalaw.co.za
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