Tom Matulewicz (left), owner of GeoGenix with homeowners Tom and Marcia Blackwell andJCP&L representative Spencer Morash.

      POLLY’S POND WAS sparkling in the late afternoon sun on a recent unseasonably warm April day.
      Inside the Rumson home of Paul and Chris Stout, with its panoramic view of the pond, the lights were on, the refrigerator was humming and the appliances typically used by the family were running.
      Outside, the Stouts’ electric meter was marking the home’s consumption – but the numbers were going backwards.
      Thanks to a 10 kilowatt solar energy system that the Stouts installed on the roof of their home three years ago, the family generates two-thirds of the electricity they consume annually, and sometimes they produce more than they need. The excess electricity goes back to into the system, slashing their energy bills and reducing their home’s impact on the environment.
      And while environmental concerns fueled the Stouts’ decision to switch to solar, going green has had its financial benefits as well.
      “We liked the idea of being green,” said Paul Stout. “I’ve always been a supporter of Clean Ocean Action (a local environmental organization) and we’ve always tried to ‘do the right thing.’” About three years ago he and Chris decided that the time was right to put their money where their ideals were and make an investment in solar energy.
      The environmental benefit of harnessing the power of the sun to make electricity was important to the Stouts. But switching to solar also made economic sense – so much sense that Paul also installed a 10 kilowatt system at his business, Butler’s Deli on North Street in Rumson, in addition to the system they installed at their home on Polly’s Pond.
      At the time, New Jersey residents were eligible for grants of more than $50,000 to install solar energy systems the size of the Stouts. In recent years, those grants have dropped to around $17,500, but the recently enacted tax credits for solar energy help homeowners recover the costs of installing the systems.
      As the Stout’s electric meter is spinning backwards – sending his homemade power back to the street and supplying electricity to his neighbors’ homes – he talks about the financial benefits of going solar.
      “Our electric bill is about a third of what it once was,” he said. “In addition to cutting twothirds of our electric bill, we get a check every month.”
      That check comes from the New Jersey’s SREC program, Solar Renewable Energy Certificates from the state’s Clean Energy Program. For every 1,000 kilowatts (1 megawatt) of electricity produced, the homeowner or business owner receives 1 certificate. Those certificates are currently valued at $711.
      George St. Onge, an advisor with RR Renewable Energy Consultants who worked with Stout to get solar units installed and running at his home and business, said that New Jersey’s solar energy program is one of the best in the nation. The grant program that helps homeowners pay for the purchase and installation of the systems comes from the Societal Benefits Charge tacked on to the bill of every New Jersey ratepayer.
      “Paul was one of the lucky people that applied right after the grant program started,” St. Onge said. Grants were at their highest then, more than $50,000 for a 10 kW system like the Stouts’. Since the state has switched its emphasis from alternative energy to energy conservation, the grants have dropped to around $17,000, but the recent tax credits for alternative energy that were enacted by Congress have helped to make up the difference.
      Even though the cost of installing a 10 kW system – the largest allowed for homeowners – is more than $70,000, most residents can expect to recoup their startup costs in about five years, St. Onge said.

A Smart Financial Decision

      When Marcia Blackwell and her husband Tom bought their three-bedroom ranch house on Liberty Street in Long
      Branch in 2000, they were already committed environmentalists. They founded and own Blackwell’s Organic, makers of organic gelato and sorbet, a company committed to organic farming methods and fair trade products. They are members of NOFA, the Northeast Organic Farming Association and support local food and farming as a way to save the environment.
      Marcia and Tom took advantage of a 70 percent rebate offered by the state Board of Public Utilities and had their 4.8 kW system up and running by Mother’s Day 2004.
      “We are very conscious of out electricity usage,” said Marcia, who said the couple conserves energy in every way possible. Once their system, purchased from and installed by Rumsonbased GeoGenix, was online, the Blackwells were able to produce 100 percent of the electricity they consumed.
      “I haven’t paid an electric bill in five years,” Blackwell said.
      The couple recently applied for another rebate to upgrade to a larger 5.76 kW system. “It’s a smart financial decision,” she said. “You don’t know what the stock market is going to do, but you know that the cost of electricity is going to continue to go up. If you can lock in your electric rate for the next 25 or 30 years (the expected life of a solar energy system) that’s a smart financial decision.”
      The Blackwells’ home-grown electricity not only benefits the environment and their family’s bottom line, it benefits their neighbors and their electric utility as well.
      “We are connected to the electric grid,” said Blackwell.
      “What we’re not using we are pushing back into the grid.”
      That electricity helps to power the homes of their neighbors. Since hot, sunny days are times of peak output for solar homes and times of peak usage for electricity consumers, homeowners who make their own electricity help feed their power-hungry neighbors at times when blackouts and brownouts are most likely to occur.

Do your homework

      Blackwell advises homeowners to do their homework before buying a solar energy system. “Get three bids,” she advised. “Just as you would do with any other project. I wouldn’t necessarily go with the best price, but I would choose the best service.”
      The Blackwells’ contractor, GeoGenix, filed all of the paperwork for the BPU rebate program, worked with inspectors from the City of Long Branch and representatives from their electric utility, JCP&L.
      With many homeowners may be waiting for solar systems to drop in price or make gains in efficiency, Blackwell says the time to switch to solar is now.
      “The technology is tried and true, and incredibly efficient,” she said. “So don’t wait.”
      St. Onge advised homeowners to ask for references and talk to homeowners that have worked with the contractors.       “If people are happy with their work, they will be more than happy to talk to you,” he said.
      A south facing roof is the ideal location for solar energy, St. Onge said. Second best is a roof with a western exposure.
      Stout said people should look past the costs for the installation of a system, and look at the many benefits of solar energy. “Don’t be afraid of the initial outlay,” he said. “The return to yourself – and the environment – it terrific.”
      “If we can cut our carbon footprint down, that’s a good thing,” Stout said. “And it’s nice to get a check in the mail.”
      Blackwell also advises homeowners to replace the roof, if it is need of replacement, before installing solar panels.       “New roofs last 25 to 30 years,” she said, which is the expected life of the panels. “You don’t want have to remove the panels to replace the roof.”
      And while Blackwell is pleased that going solar was a smart economic decision, she and her husband are happy they made an energy choice that fits in with their eco-friendly lifestyle. “We try to live our lives the way we run our business,” said Blackwell. “If everyone does their part, it can make a big difference.”

Resources

GeoGenix Thomas Matulewicz (732) 895-9550 www.geogenix.com

RR Renewable Energy Consultants George St. Onge (732) 741-2087 www.rrrec.net

New Jersey Clean Energy Program 1-866-NJSMART www.njcleanenergy. com

Paul Stout says there were many economic and environmental benefits to converting his Rumson home to solar energy.