Want Lower Energy Bills? This Is Watchung's Best Kept Secret

Community solar is a voluntary, state-approved green energy program that enables homeowners and renters to access the benefits of lower-cost solar energy without having to install solar panels. Low-and moderate-income residents can subscribe to a local community solar project and receive credit on their utility bill for the solar energy generated by your portion of the solar project. By signing up, you’ll support renewable energy and reduce your energy costs between 15 to 20% at the same time.

Subscribing to community solar means you get electricity delivered to your house through your utility just like before, but at a guaranteed discount. The energy provided by the local community solar project in Perth Amboy is supplied to your home or apartment by the same wires and poles that make up the utilities’ electric grid.

If you participate in any of the following programs, you are eligible to save even more on your utility bill by signing up for community solar:

• Universal Service Fund (USF)
• Comfort Partners
• Lifeline Utility Assistance Program
• Payment Assistance for Gas and Electric (PAGE)
• Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Also, as a resident of Watchung, if your household qualifies as low- to moderate-income (LMI) (for example, $62,600 for a 1 person household, $71,500 for a 2 person household, etc.), you can claim utility bill savings through community solar. Click here to get started.

Remember, you don’t have to switch utility companies to save money with community solar. If your power goes out, you still call PSE&G for support.

If you’re enrolled in budget billing, you can sign up for community solar. It may slightly affect your monthly payments but will lower your annual energy costs, reflected in your quarterly or annual budget billing true-up.

How does community solar lower my utility bill?

Community solar is one way that the State of New Jersey makes clean energy accessible and affordable for residents and businesses. Solar Landscape builds State-approved community solar installations, and then works with residents to enroll in the program.

As a community solar subscriber you will receive a discount on the solar energy credited to your electricity bill. Subscribers receive solar credits on their bill which reduces your payment to the utility company. Your community solar bill summary gives you full transparency of your energy usage, solar credits applied to your account, and monthly cost savings. Customers can receive community solar credits to lower their energy bills for decades, as long as they are enrolled in good standing up to the life of the project (typically 20 years).

Community solar benefits Watchung
This clean energy program sponsored by the State of New Jersey brings many benefits to our community. A community solar project creates local jobs that can support families. It also makes our air cleaner and healthier because it reduces the need to burn fossil fuels to generate electricity for the grid.

"Community solar is empowering overburdened communities by fighting climate change and lowering utility costs," said Keith Voos, Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee of the Metuchen-Edison-Piscataway Area NAACP. “This state-approved program was designed to help New Jersey’s low- and moderate-income residents lower utility costs, reducing their energy burden – which is a significant part of many budgets for local families. It also empowers people to make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

With community solar, for the first time anyone can enjoy the benefits of solar energy, regardless of whether you own your home, live in an apartment building, or can’t afford the time-consuming hassle or expense of installing solar panels yourself.

Plus, by using solar energy you’re helping create a healthier, more sustainable planet for our children and children’s children. Community solar helps combat climate change and protects the environment for future generations.

Sounds like New Jersey’s “best-kept secret”!

Community solar is a state-backed program that was launched by Governor Murphy in 2018 and is only available in certain areas. For these reasons, many have never heard of it. However, subscriptions for households who qualify as low- or moderate-income are available now in Watchung thanks to a nearby community solar project that was built right in Perth Amboy in 2021.

How do I sign up?

Enrolling in community solar is easy and only takes a few minutes. You’ll need your name, address, utility bill and a debit or credit card to start saving. There is no cost to sign up, and no additional cost to participate in the program. Rest assured, there are no credit checks required, no fees, and no long-term commitments – you can cancel at any time without penalty. And since you’re signing up for community solar, you don’t have to install any panels on your own roof.

Start the process today by visiting gosolarlandscape.com!

Spots are limited, so sign up today. Don’t wait to claim these additional savings and start sharing the clean energy power of the sun!