LETTER: Mandating solar panels on new construction

In his recent letter to the editor, Richard Augulis makes a compelling argument that all new houses should have solar panels on their roofs to take advantage of our abundant sun. A law was passed in California some years ago mandating this very thing. The problem is that the buyer doesn’t have any say in the selection of the solar installation company and, in a personal case, the cost was about a third more than a similar situation here in Nevada.

I feel his idea is fine as long as we don’t follow California’s lead on this.

Perhaps a way to control this is for the buyer to be required to install solar panels within a certain time frame after moving in. This will allow time for people to compare companies and pricing. Solar can be added to any house after construction. so it doesn’t really need to be done at the same time a house is built.