Solar system cuts New Jersey official's electric bill
The Record, Hackensack, N.J. - June 25, 2003
She sells electricity to the power company. She keeps her swimming pool cool in summer and warm in the spring and fall for the cost of a 40-watt bulb. And she got the state to pick up 70 percent of the cost of installing a state-of-the-art solar generating system in her house in the rolling farmlands of Hunterdon County.
That's not surprising, as Hughes is a commissioner on the New Jersey Board of
Public Utilities. What might be surprising, however, is the steps she and her
husband have taken to slash their electric bills and improve their quality of
life are available to homeowners throughout the state.
"Because I'm on the BPU, I'm probably more aware of these things, but
they're available to everyone," Hughes said. "The BPU has the
incentive programs; I can't see any reason not to do it."
Over the past several months, workers have been incorporating the latest
energy technologies and efficiencies as Hughes and her husband remodel an
already efficient 3,200-square-foot house they built in 1986 on a former cow
pasture in rural East Amwell.
In the process, Hughes became the first state utility commissioner in the
United States to install a solar electric generation system in her home, the BPU
said.
The centerpiece is the 54-panel solar generation system that covers half her
roof and supplements electricity purchased from her utility, Jersey Central
Power & Light Co. Combined with a DC/AC converter to change the electricity
to a usable form and two-way meters, it cost $72,000.
But Hughes and her husband, James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein
School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, will pay only about
$20,000. The rest will be covered by New Jersey's clean energy program, which
pays up to 70 percent of the costs of renewable energy systems.
And even the 30 percent will be recouped, she said. "The payback is less
than seven years, and I expect it to be far less than that." The Hugheses
were already saving electricity and money.
Because their house was built on open land, they took advantage of the wide
latitude they had in layout and design. "We had a clean palette,"
Hughes said.
That led to "passive solar" power, using Mother Nature to help heat
the building in the winter without overheating it in summer.
The back wall of the house faces south, and is mostly glass to maximize the
amount of sunlight that enters the house in winter, when the sun is low in the
sky. The glass is argon-filled, and steep eaves form an awning to keep out most
of the rays in summer, when the sun is higher in the sky.
Hughes said she looked into solar generation in 1986, "but the
technology that existed was not cost-effective." They did, however, install
a thermal solar system to heat their in-ground swimming pool in the spring and
fall and, with the flip of a switch, to cool the water in the summer -- all for
pennies a day.
New technology allows them to build upon that.
The Hugheses considered a new home, but decided to upgrade their 1986 house
when they were unable to find a site they liked as much. "Rather than move,
we went upscale in place," she said.
For starters, they had the 54-panel, 9.9-kilowatt solar system installed on
the roof.
Not only does it generate electricity to reduce reliance on power purchased
from JCP&L, but excess generation is sold back to the utility. In just five
weeks, the system generated 1.6 megawatt-hours of electricity, cutting the bill
about 40 percent.
At the same time, they changed to time-of-day metering, in which power
purchased during off-peak hours -- between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekdays and all
day Saturday and Sunday -- costs less than during peak hours.
To maximize savings, some appliances, such as the water heater, operate only
during off-peak hours, although there is a manual override when needed.
With this plan, a typical customer using about two-thirds of his power in
off-peak times would save about 5 percent, JCP&L spokesman Ron Morano said.
In addition, the Hugheses replaced many old kitchen and laundry-room
appliances with new high-efficiency Energy Star-rated units. There were no
rebates for them, but operating costs are expected to be significantly lower
over their lives.
With all the factors combined, the electric bill for May was down about 40
percent, from around $200 to $122, Hughes said.
Hughes went green long before beginning her tenure on the BPU three years
ago, but went public with her project for the first time this month to educate
consumers about the growing list of renewable energy options and rebates
available to state residents.
They range from a $25 rebate for a qualifying energy-efficient air
conditioner and up to $100 on Energy Star clothes washers to $300 to $650on
high-efficiency heating and cooling systems to thousands of dollars for
photovoltaic or solar, systems and other renewable energy sources.
In addition, the BPU offers incentives up to $3,100 for new-home construction
that meets Energy Star standards, and has programs for commercial users.
"We're trying to transform the market to Energy Star appliances, trying
to change people's habits," said Mike Winka, director of the BPU's office
of clean energy.
Energy-efficient appliances tend to cost a little more, but the incentives --
whether through rebates or subsidies to merchants -- close the gap, Winka said.
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