So much for solar, Sun City folks

Sun City people, excited about Jean Murphy's article on the cost savings of home solar systems, forget it.

Forget about the interviewed homeowner who was looking forward to retiring without worrying about expenses he cannot control, like his utilities. Don't think you can access those savings. Don't get excited over the Thomases' state-of-the-art photovoltaic and domestic hot water systems or the savings they enjoy. Disregard their beautiful home, pictured in the article, and the inoffensive panels shown. Forget about the savings you would gain by buying 30 years of energy at today's costs, or the fact there are tax incentives currently available for up to 30 percent of an installation.

It's not for Sun City residents, because your board of directors, with a twisted sense of aesthetics, amended your design guidelines to prohibit "unsightly" solar systems. It was done in April, just in time to thwart any cost saving seekers or forward thinkers who might live in Sun City. They disallowed solar installations, even though the Huntley village codes support them.

This was not just the glacial movement of a homeowner's association, but a step backward. Earth's fossil fuels are not inexhaustible and are being wasted. We must take responsibility for what we leave future generations. Remember, the grandkids?

One can only wonder what the board was thinking when they determined that a roof has a statement to be made, for affluence or abstract fashion. Obviously, saving money was not a criterium. If it was, they would be installing solar on all the roofs of the common buildings. Whatever the thinking was, it didn't fit today's realities, that is for sure.

Gail Talbot

Huntley