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Developer tells Hackensack residents community solar can cut bills by about 31%; some residents urge caution
Summary
A Solar Landscape representative told the Hackensack council the state community-solar program can yield roughly 31% bill credits for enrolled Bergen County customers, guaranteed for 20 years; residents raised questions about scams and consumer protections during the Q&A.
A representative of Solar Landscape told the Hackensack City Council on March 3 that community solar projects already energized in New Jersey produce an average discount of about 31% for participating residents and that those savings are guaranteed for 20 years under their agreements with commercial real-estate owners.
Speaking during the presentation portion of the meeting, the Solar Landscape representative described how residents enroll online, provide their PSE&G account number and receive on-bill community-solar credits. "The current savings for residents in Bergen County with our projects are 31%, and those savings are guaranteed for 20 years," the presenter said, adding that the state requires 51% of project capacity to be allocated to low- and moderate-income households.
The company representative said the state program was authorized in the Clean Energy Act of 2018 and that recent consolidation of billing makes enrollment simpler because credits now appear on the residents PSE&G bill rather than on a separate invoice. He also emphasized the companys workforce-development work and bilingual customer support and demonstrated sample bills to show how credits appear on page 1.
During public comment and Q&A, some residents urged caution. Rich Serbo said residents should be "careful" and recounted a prior negative experience with a solar company, calling some offerings "a scam." "There's a lot of scams," he said, warning the council to investigate vendors and consumer protections.
Council members and the city manager noted that the program is administered under state rules and that residents should verify enrollment details; the presenter said enrollment is free, there are no exit fees, and low-income households may self-attest to qualify for the low-income set-aside.
What to watch: the presenter offered to provide an educational letter for the city to distribute at municipal expense; the council did not vote on any programmatic action at the meeting. Residents expressing skepticism asked the city to vet outreach materials and clarify protections against bad actors.
Representative quotes: "If I make a $100 worth of solar electricity... you will see a $100 bridal, 31% off that you pay $69 where you otherwise would have paid a 100," the presenter said in a demonstration of how credits appear on a bill. A resident warned, "It's a scam...There's a lot of scams," describing prior experience with an out-of-business installer.
Next steps: the presenter asked the mayor to allow the city to send a recommended outreach letter to residents; council and staff said they would consider any educational materials and noted residents should check enrollment details with PSE&G and the Board of Public Utilities.
