Blackwood Solar Company Powers Utility-Bill Savings

Joe Collins of Blackwood, a SolarCity crew leader, holds a solar panel (top)
as his SolarCity crew installs solar panels on a home (above) in Pine Hill.
Photos by Chris LaChall/Courier-Post

Daniel Wilson’s energetic offspring have upped their father’s monthly electric bill.

“I have four kids and they’re always playing video games, watching TV,” the Pine Hill resident said. “And they wash clothes every day.

“I pay anywhere between $300 and $500 a month. It can get pretty crazy.”

Wilson’s solution? Solar panels.

“A few of my neighbors got them, and so did a couple people at work. I thought I would give it a shot.”

Joe Collins of Blackwood, a SolarCity crew leader,
holds a solar panel as his SolarCity crew installs
solar panels on a home in Pine Hill. 12.18.13
Photos by Chris LaChall/Courier-Post

The day before, a crew of six from Gloucester Township’s SolarCity placed 22 sunlight-absorbing panels, or modules, on the roof of Wilson’s tidy rancher. Wilson hopes they will save him $100 or more a month.

SolarCity is one of the country’s largest providers of solar energy. Last month, the San Mateo, Calif., company expanded into South Jersey when it opened an 8,500-square-foot operations center. It also has an office in Cranbury, Middlesex County.

The clean energy firm currently has about 1,800 residential customers in New Jersey, a number that is growing.

“To meet the type of demand we’re seeing in South Jersey, we need to cut drive times and get out to homes faster than we could from our Cranbury Operations Center,” said Leon Keshishian, regional vice president on the East Coast.

“We’ve had a lot of success here in South Jersey because we can offer homeowners from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds the option to get solar with no upfront cost, and make it possible for them to immediately pay less on their monthly bill.”

SolarCity — on Blackwood’s Lower Landing Road — has hired 20 people already, and wants to fill an additional 15 to 20 positions in the next few months, according to Keshishian.

Customers sign 20-year contracts with SolarCity, and both the panels and installation are free. Homeowners pay the solar company over a contract period, but it’s less than what they would pay for utility power.

“Let’s say we put a 5-kilowatt system on your roof,” Keshishian explained. “That’s about the average, and it will offset about 35 percent of your power. So say you’re paying $100 a month for power. Now you’ll be saving about $35.”

Source: http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20131222/BUSINESS20/312220025/Solar-company-panels-bring-down-electric-billto?gcheck=1