Quoted in a Robb Report article today about the new California mandate for new construction homes to have solar panels...

I was quoted in a Robb Report article today about the new California mandate for new construction homes to be built equipped with solar panels. Renewable energy sources and energy efficiency are great things, and California is definitely leading the way and setting a new standard in the US.

All policies have impacts though, and when California generally also leads the nation with the highest median home prices (statewide median home price is over $550,000 and $365,000 in Sacramento as of November 2018), imposing a requirement to install expensive solar panels on every new construction home in the state could lead to higher home prices as builders look to recoup the extra costs of solar arrays.

The market may very well be able to handle a $10,000 - $15,000 increase in a new home's price. However, If the market cannot handle price increases from the additional costs of solar on new homes (e.g. fewer people buy those homes - perhaps buying less expensive resale homes instead, new home prices decrease, etc.) it may drive builders out of the state to build elsewhere. There are other states with fewer of these mandates, and Texas, Arizona, and Idaho for example are all experiencing building booms. We shall see in the coming years if this has an impact on the volume of new housing construction in California.