Mayor Joseph P. Heywang's town administrator (secretary) changes rules of game after it has already started.
I recently installed solar panels on my house in order to help reduce my personal carbon footprint on the planet. Thought it was a good idea at first. Boy! Has Butler Electric made it almost a hastle I don't think I would do again.
Before installing solar panels and sending generated electicity back to your local grid there are a lot of steps involved.
Below are the steps:
1.) Waiting for state refund on purchase of solar panels
(IT TOOK ALMOST TWO YEARS FOR ME AND THE REBATE PROGRAM IN NJ HAS BEEN TEMPORARILY BEEN PUT ON HOLD)
2.) Inform local power company in order to get process of an interconnectivity agreement.
(WILL ELABORATE ON THIS ONE BELOW OH WHAT A HEADACHE!!!)
3.) Have Panels installed by Solar Installation company
(WENT GREAT FOR ME WE USED NJ SOLAR SOLUTIONS)
4.) Pay local town for two permits an electrical and a building permit
(ALRIGHT THE TOWN WANTS A CUT OF THE ACTION. I PAYED AND PASSED BOTH INSPECTIONS.
5.) Have State inspect the solar panels to determine SREC Generation quantity
(THEY CAME QUICK DID THE INSPECTION ITS BEEN A FEW MONTHS STILL WAITING TO HERE THE NUMBER OF SRECS THEY CAME UP WITH)
From above
Where to begin?
My local Solar Panel installation company informed Butler Electic back in March that I was going to be installing solar panels. Butler Electric wasn't thrilled from the beginning. As it turns out they really weren't happy at all because they would now be making less money on me. They initially wanted to add a seperate meter to my house and pay me only 3cents per killowatt hour for the energy I put back into their grid. Considering the fact that I am paying about 24cents per killowatt hour to buy it from them. After a lot of arguing they were told that state laws prohibits them from doing this. The State of New Jersey requires All electric companies to pay their customers the same amount they they are charging their customers.
Butler Electric wasn't thrilled about that. Next came the meter. You see in order to be properly compensated for electric I return to the grid my house required a bi-directional meter (Basically one that can spin in reverse and decrement the killowatt hour usage correctly. Not all meters do this). Butler Electric wanted me to pay for this new meter. Butler Electric was informed of New Jersey laws that dictate the power company is responsible for the cost of the meter not the homeowner. Butler Electic was not happy to hear that, but finally agreed to install the meter. Which by the way was just done about a week ago. July. Butler Electic actually ordered the meter and had it in stock back in May. I made at least 1 half dozen calls to them asking when they were going to install the meter. Considering the fact that my existing meter was going in reverse but was not decrementing my killowatt hour usage correctly. Not they they would care they were getting free electric and still charging me.
Lastly I had to sign an interconnectivity agreement (A legal document that acknowleges that I am a supplying their company with electricity) with the power company. Guess what? Butler Electric was supposed to give me their agreement to sign. I give them a little bit of slack on this since I am the first person who has a solar array being connected to their electric grid. Since Butler Electic did not have an interconnectivity agreement in place my local solar panel installation company provided them with two sample agreement forms from JCPNL and PSE&G. (Two local electic companies in NJ). Butler Electric made a decision to adopt the PSE&G template as their own since it was a shorter agreement and could be done quickly. So I signed the agreement and it was delivered back to Butler Electic.
After accepting the agreement letter they took the time to review the other sample that was given to them by my local Solar Installation company. They noticed that the JCPNL sample includes a $100.00 application fee. They started reviewing it further and decided that they would now take this sample and adopt it as their own with some additional changes. Keep in mind my application has already been accepted back in May. Butler Electric made some additional changes to their new agreement including a clause that basically stated if you filed for the application after the installation was completed their would be additional application costs not yet identified. Meaning they could add additional costs of which they were not specifying an amount.
Butler Electric is now instisting they I need to pay the $100.00 application fee and sign the new agreement which may include some more costs that they haven't even told me about. I already signed an agreement and they are claiming I didn't sign their agreement. I now need to pay this money and sign the new agreement or they will be shutting off my electric. You have to love this country. Nothing like changing the rules after the game has already begun.
I am now wondering if the hastle of being green was really worth it. Like the next person I want to help the environment but gee wiz do I have to grease every single person's palm that is involved in the process? This is extortion!!! All of these problems with Butler Electric have been caused by 1 person. James Lampmann Town Administrator (Mayor's Secretary).
I even took the time to speak with Mayor Joseph P. Heywang to see if he could mediate the situation and have the right thing done for all parties interested. To no avail this problem continues. What was I thinking. How was the Mayor going to help me? Anything to make a buck thats what the name of the game is all about.
I do not recommend having Solar Panels installed on your house if you will be made to deal the mess I have been exposed to coruption, kickbacks, payoffs, palm greasing. Call it what you will. The world is a sad place no one seems to care about anything but themselves. So think twice about saving the planet because no one else cares unless there is money in it for them that is the sad truth!!!
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