Residential & Multifamily / California
Solar for New Condominium Construction
Condominiums carry every multifamily solar requirement plus a layer the rental market does not have: the system will eventually belong to an association of individual owners. That shapes how the array is sized, how production is credited, who holds the interconnection agreement, and what the CC&Rs need to say before the first unit closes.
Eventure's Role
We work with condominium developers, architects, and general contractors to design the system around the Energy Code, the roof, and the ownership structure at the same time, so the HOA inherits an asset rather than a question.
We bring solar into the project at schematic design, size the Energy Code requirement, coordinate the roof, structure, electrical rooms, and battery location with your architect and engineers, and carry the system through permitting, utility interconnection, inspection, commissioning, and closeout.
Title 24 treatment
New condominium buildings are multifamily occupancies under the Energy Code. Low-rise condominiums (three habitable stories or fewer) follow Section 170.2(f); high-rise condominiums (four or more stories) follow Sections 170.2(g) and 170.2(h), which require both PV and a battery sized to the PV system, subject to exceptions for small systems.
Design Considerations
What is different about condominiums.
- Ownership and allocationA common-area system that offsets house loads is the simplest structure to hand to an HOA. Allocating production to individual units through virtual net energy metering is possible but requires the utility's program, a documented allocation schedule, and governing documents that address it.
- Height changes the scopeA condominium of four or more habitable stories falls under the high-rise multifamily provisions, which require battery storage alongside PV. Three stories or fewer follows the low-rise rules without a mandatory battery. Massing decisions have a direct solar consequence.
- Roof real estate and amenitiesRooftop decks sell units, and they also consume Solar Access Roof Area. We model the roof early so the amenity program and the required array coexist, and so the structural engineer carries the right loads.
- Documentation the DRE and HOA will needProduction estimates, warranty assignments, maintenance obligations, and monitoring access should be organized for the association at turnover. We prepare the closeout package with that handoff in mind.
Keep Solar Off the Critical Path
Don't let solar be the last thing standing between your project and its Certificate of Occupancy.
On condominiums projects, as on every California building, the Energy Code requirement, the fire authority's review of the battery, the utility's interconnection timeline, and the building's final inspection all depend on the solar scope being designed, permitted, installed, and documented in sequence. We treat it as a scheduled trade from day one.
Solar and the Certificate of Occupancy
Questions
Condominiums solar, answered.
Who owns the solar system in a new condominium?
Typically the homeowners association owns common-area systems, with obligations set out in the CC&Rs. Where production is allocated to individual units, the allocation schedule and the utility program terms need to be documented before closings begin. We coordinate with the developer's counsel so the paperwork matches the wiring.
Can the solar system reduce HOA dues?
A system that offsets common-area electricity such as corridor lighting, elevators, pumps, and amenity loads reduces the association's operating expense. The size of that effect depends on the utility tariff, the array size, and whether storage is included.
Related
More residential & multifamily building types.
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Discuss Your Project
Planning condominiums in California?
Send us the drawings at any stage. We will size the Title 24 requirement, review the roof and electrical approach, and map the path to a Certificate of Occupancy that does not wait on solar.