Solar Panels on Historic Home Annapolis

This charming Victorian house in the historic district of Annapolis has seen many changes. In the late 1920s it served as a school. At one point there was an orchard of fruit trees in the front yard. The 3-story house was built in 1893 and is now surrounded by beautiful gardens.

The latest change to this beauty was the addition of 31 solar panels as well as an EV station. Step one was obtaining approval from the Historic Preservation Committee. All exterior projects in the Historic District, whether or not exempted from a building permit, still require a certificate of approval.

There are less than a handful of homes in Historic Annapolis with solar panels. The homeowner hoped that by getting easy approval from the Historic Commission that others would follow their example and install solar panels as well. Approval for any home improvement projects in Historic Annapolis are not always easy to come by.

The roof line is irregular, presenting challenges for solar panel installation, but enough panels have been installed that the household electric bill is reduced by 50%. The EV station, located at the end of the driveway, is intended to charge a soon to be purchased electric vehicle.

An app, called SolarEdge, offers free monitoring of the solar energy system. At any time you can see energy being produced and energy being used. If one of the panels isn’t functioning properly it is readily apparent on the app.

By Jillian Amodio