Dec. 14--After providing cash incentives for residents who go green, incorporating environmentally friendly practices in city buildings and making solar-powered outdoor lighting mandatory for all businesses by 2018, Parkland is taking its green initiative another step forward.

The City Commission will discuss an ordinance that would require new residential units with building permits issued after Jan. 1, 2009, to install at least one solar-powered water heater.

Commissioner Jared Moskowitz proposed the ordinance.

"We now have a green agenda," he said. "We have done similar things on our businesses. The city itself is doing it. It makes sense that residents do it."

Moskowitz said it's not just about going green.

"It's about saving money,as well. Over time, it will put money in residents' pockets," he said. "It will lower electric bills. The ordinance is for new constructions, but we should think of offering incentives if residents replace existing water heaters with solar-powered ones. Maybe that is something we can do down the road when the economy gets back on track."

Resident Joni Brown said she was worried about recurring costs residents would incur if they had solar-powered water heaters.

"I am curious if there was a review of the cost for replacing these panels when the wind blows," she said. "Every time the wind blows, the panels go down. These are not covered by insurance. These are repetitive costs for that reason."

Mayor Michael Udine said that is an important issue that needs to be looked at.

"Is there a natural-gas type of solar heater and a couple of other ones that we can look at in terms of pricing?" he said. "It would be nice to look into other alternatives."

City Attorney Andy Maurodis revised the ordinance a few times based on directions from officials before bringing it before the commission.

"We want to make sure we are consistent with South Florida building code," he said. "We don't view this as a building code issue. It's how you power it as opposed to how you build it. I don't think we are contradicting the building code."

Resident Robert Mayersohn wants the city to ensure that incentives for green initiatives are passed on by builders to residents.

"If it is mandated, the homeowner can put [the solar-powered water heater] in themselves and get that incentive as opposed to letting the builder do it," Mayersohn said. "It is inevitably cheaper to put it in by yourself anyway."

The city will consider that option, Udine said.

"We want them to do that if they can, but I don't think we can mandate the builders to pass the incentives on to somebody. We will look at that when the ordinance comes up."

Arun Sivasankaran can be reached at asivasankaran@ tribune.com or 954-574-5339.

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