Sunshine brings extra green for city couple
CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer [Atlanticville]

Solar electricity system provides financial and environmental savings

Marcia and Tom Blackwell are the first on their block, and in the city of Long Branch, to have solar panels installed on their house as a source of electricity.

Tom and Marcia Blackwell aren’t just having fun in the sun, they’re cashing in on it, too. The couple’s next electric bill for their Liberty Street, Long Branch, home will be their first since the house became the first in the city to have a fully functioning solar system providing the power for their lights and appliances. Marcia Blackwell said she believes their house produced more electricity than it used in its first month.

The system converts sunlight directly into electricity whenever sunlight strikes the solar electric panels located on the roof of their home. From obtaining permits to installation, the process of installing the system took about nine weeks. The couple is so enamored of the technology they recently held an open house to share the benefits of going solar with the community.

"I feel so good," Marcia said. "We made a good financial decision and a fantastic environmental decision."

Having a solar system is the equivalent of planting approximately 2 acres of trees, according to information provided by GeoGenix LLC, Rumson, the company that installed the Blackwell’s system. The company is a participant in the New Jersey Clean Energy Program.

"Putting solar on a house is like taking two cars off the road," Marcia said. Marcia, 41, an office manger, and Tom, 36, a construction worker, had been thinking about going solar for years. The switch is expected to save the Blackwells $482 in electricity costs in this year, and they will receive $315 in annual green tag payments. The system also has raised the value of their property value by $10,000.

A single-family-home solar electric system typically costs between $40,000 to $50,000, depending on the size of the house or building, according to Marcia. The cost is significantly reduced by state incentives to install the systems. Under current regulations a rebate of up to 70 percent of the system’s cost is possible. The average out of pocket cost is between $7,000 to $10,000, she noted. Marcia said she expects to recoup her investment in the system in about seven to eight years, though that depends on what happens with energy rates in the next couple of years.

"It made financial sense because of the rebates," Tom said. "It’s buying electricity up front. As rates go up, we have already paid. We are locked in for the next 25 years." "We will never be out of power," Tom added. "We are still attached [to JCP&L’s power lines], just also producing it. As long as our street has power, so do we."

Every month the Blackwells receive a bill that tells them how much energy they produced and how much they used. If they produced more than they used, it goes into a "bank" to be saved for later. If they used more than they produced, it can come out of their "bank," or they will be charged. At the end of the year, if they have energy saved in the "bank," they can cash it in, and the utility company will pay them for the energy they provided.

"As more electricity is produced, we watch our [utility] meter spin backwards," Marcia said.

"I don’t think there are any downfalls," Tom said. "With the rebate, it pays for itself and it is maintenance-free."

"I think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread," Marcia said. "I just love it."