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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2022 27 The Architectural Review Committee tries to address current issues in these Breeze articles. Often the subject of the article is driven by the number of questions ARC members receive in the previous weeks. Today's issue concerns the conduit, batteries, and control panels for solar energy. The ARC guidelines require all conduit, control panels, batteries and other items mounted on the outside of the house be painted to match the wall on which they are mounted. The requirement is that the paint be the same color, not just close or in the same shade. This requirement is in place to improve the appearance of the community and to ensure continuity in design. ARC encourages homeowners to route conduit and controls when possible, inside the home and garage. However, due to increasing battery and system fires, manufacturers are requiring batteries, inverters, and other controls to be mounted outside. ARC has discussed this requirement with all the major manufacturers of solar equipment and in every instance, we have been assured that painting the equipment does not void warranties or change the effectiveness of the solar system. Sunrun and Tesla (two of the largest solar companies operating in our area) both stated that painting the conduit, control boxes, inverters, and batteries is part of their best practices. Paint not only makes for a more attractive installation but also protects the surface and delays corrosion and/or fading. If you have solar, please take a moment to check your equipment and make sure it has been painted. If you are considering installing solar, make sure your contractor includes painting in your contract. While it is possible that your solar project may have been approved without the required painting, please be aware that the ARC Guidelines Section 4 A states, "An oversight of ARC Guidelines does not constitute waiver of the Guidelines and must be corrected upon notice." If your solar equipment requires paint but is not painted, it is most likely that you have not completed a Notice of Completion which should have been submitted once the work was completed. ARC is working with FirstService Residential to help homeowners correct this issue. If you have questions, please contact me. ~ Steve Cooley, cooleyaudit@gmail.com, (801) 815-5302 Architectural Review Committee Every emergency or disaster brings with it unique needs or circumstances. It is usually easier to stay than go but you will need extra water and easy-to-prep foods. You will need a way to cook them. You will need an electric cooking device (connected to a battery), charcoal briquettes, or propane cylinders. The time to prepare is now — not before or after an emergency event. Barbecues without propane and canned goods without a can opener present the same problem. We may all be more or less prepared but it is not good enough when a disaster strikes. Make your emergency to-do lists and replace anything that you find missing. If you need gas in your car, do not wait until tomorrow because it may be too late. You may need enough gas to travel 60 miles to Indio or Rancho Cucamonga. Simply possessing equipment or supplies does not mean that you know how to use it. Be your own campsite. Make sure that you have a method to cook outdoors. In an emergency, the power may be shutoff and you cannot use your credit/debit cards. Keep a stash of cash of small denomination bills. If the California Highway Patrol escorted you toward Hemet, where would you then go? Would you stay in Hemet or continue on to Perris or Temecula? If the Red Cross opens a shelter, you must know that they will not be issuing any motel vouchers. Try to have a plan in place so you will not be stressing out trying to find shelter for you and your pets. Checking out places before you need them is advised. We must all do our part to conserve electricity. The power companies are already warning us of Public Safety Power Shutoffs because they may not have the power on the grid to supply us. If we do not conserve, we can almost guarantee that our power will be shutoff and probably at the most inopportune time. Try to have a back up battery to keep your refrigerator running and your food cold. We meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 10 am in the RCN Conference Room. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. ~ Michael A. Mendoza, srmendoza@verizon.net Emergency Preparedness Committee

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