Solar power has become a reality for Mutual 12 resident

Member Column

by Linda Fenton

LW contributor

As soon as we learned that roof solar panels would be allowed in Leisure World, my husband and I began exploring the possibility of having solar panels at our Mutual 12 apartment.

Our first step was to call the California program, which was advertising no-money-down installation. We met with a representative, and learned we qualified for the program but discovered it involved a longterm loan. We opted instead for outright payment.

As there was no solar company approved to work in Leisure World, we did an online search to find a well-established, nearby firm that could qualify to work here.

They took us through the process of examining the property and providing an estimate of costs, as well as agreed to engage in the process of qualifying to work at Leisure World.

We had a time limit related to Edison’s phasing out net metering by the end of December.

We ran into difficulty when it was discovered our electric system could not handle the recommended number of solar panels.

Our chosen company, Sun-Solar, responded with a new and generous contract involving a smaller number of panels. (We can add more panels later when the LW electric system is upgraded.)

After approvals from both the Golden Rain Foundation and Mutual 12, we were ready for installation. The work involved upgrading our electric panel and installing a total of nine solar panels.

This whole process will be much simpler for future buyers as long as they use a company that has been vetted to work in Leisure World (the GRF Physical Property department handles the vetting of contractors). After inspections by SunSolar, Leisure World, the City of Seal Beach and Southern California Edison, the system began operating on Jan. 24. We plan to calculate actual savings and the cost effectiveness of installing solar panels. Our initial estimate is that it will take five years to pay for itself.