Alise in Manahawkin has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since January of 2016. The standby generator and the solar array were signed on the same day, which is unusual and, on the evidence of this house, sensible.
A Kohler 20 kW in April
Not every standby machine we install is a Generac. This one is a Kohler 20RESB in an aluminum enclosure, rated 20 kW on propane and delivering 18 kW on natural gas, which is what this house runs on. It was commissioned on 15 April 2016.
The house is 2,000 square feet on a 200-amp service and its electrical calculation comes to 17,880 watts. A 5,000-watt air conditioning load is the one taken off the top while the generator is running, which leaves 12,880 watts for the machine to hold — comfortably inside what it delivers, and well above the 13 kW the code calculation asks for as a minimum.
The transfer switch is a 200-amp non-service-rated unit sitting outdoors beside the meter. That is the more conventional arrangement: it sits behind the main disconnect rather than replacing it, which means two enclosures on the wall instead of one, and it is the right choice where the existing service equipment is sound and there is no reason to disturb it.
4.8 kW of solar in August
The array followed in August: sixteen LG 300-watt panels, 4.8 kW in total, on QuickMount rails with an Enphase M250 microinverter behind each panel. Estimated first-year production is 6,409 kWh and the utility is Atlantic City Electric.
Why both, and not just one
The two systems are often presented as alternatives, and they are not. They solve opposite problems.
Solar reduces what a household buys from the grid across a year. It does nothing whatsoever during an outage — a grid-tied array without storage shuts down the moment the utility supply fails, and it has to, because feeding power back into lines that linemen are working on would be dangerous. A household with solar on the roof and no generator sits in exactly the same dark as everyone else on the street.
A standby generator does the reverse. It contributes nothing to an ordinary electricity bill and everything to the four days a year when there is no supply at all.
Signing for both on the same day, as this household did, is the version of the decision that skips the argument.
Why Manahawkin homeowners choose Green Sun Energy Services
More than solar panels: a professionally managed energy system, from design and permitting through installation, inspection, activation and ongoing support.
Complete backup power, from sizing and installation to the service that keeps it ready.
What makes Green Sun Energy Services different
- Solar: design and installation supervised by a NABCEP-certified professional (#PVA-111016-016148), with Enphase microinverters on every panel so each one reports its own output. On this home: a 4.8 kW solar array of 16 LG 300N1K-G4/All Black panels, an EnPhase M250-60-2LL-S22 Micro-Single inverter and the QuickMount mounting system.
- Standby generators: installed and serviced as a Generac Authorized Sales and Service Dealer, by factory-authorized Generac technicians. On this home: a Kohler 20RESB standby generator (20 kW LP / 18 kW NG) running on natural gas, on a 200-amp transfer switch (managed whole house).
- Warranty: backed by a 5-year solar workmanship warranty and a 1-year generator workmanship warranty.
- Local: locally owned and operated in New Jersey since 2010, NJHIC licensed (#13VH06229000), with 48 completed solar projects and 57 completed standby generator projects across Ocean County and 361 solar projects and 621 standby generator projects throughout New Jersey.
Our work in Manahawkin
Green Sun Energy Services has completed 6 featured solar projects and 3 standby generator installations in Manahawkin. Manahawkin, a community in Stafford Township, is served by Atlantic City Electric.
Generate electricity on your roof and use it to help power your vehicle.
Thinking about solar, a standby generator, or both for your Manahawkin home? Tell us about your project here or call 732-410-7818.
Power it. Protect it. Maintain it.
Project Facts
- Location
- Manahawkin, NJ
- Services
- Solar Panel Installation, Standby Generator Installation
- Client since
- January 2016
Solar
- Manufacturer & model
- LG 300N1K-G4/All Black
- Panels
- 16
- System size
- 4.80 kW
- Inverter
- EnPhase M250-60-2LL-S22 Micro-Single
- Mounting system
- QuickMount
- Estimated first-year production
- 6,409 kWh
- Share of the home's electricity
- 99%
- Electric utility
- Atlantic City Electric
- Workmanship warranty
- 5 years
Standby generator
- Manufacturer & model
- Kohler 20RESB
- Rated output
- 20 kW LP / 18 kW NG
- Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Home sized for
- 2,000 sq ft
- Electrical service
- 200 amp
- Transfer switch
- 200 amp
- Load management
- Managed Whole House
- Workmanship warranty
- 1 year
Questions from Manahawkin homeowners
Standby generatorWhat does a whole-house generator actually mean?
Whole-house generally means the transfer equipment serves the home's main electrical system rather than a small emergency-circuit panel. It does not promise unlimited capacity. High-demand appliances may still be prioritized or briefly shed while generator capacity is being used elsewhere.
Standby generatorWill a larger gas meter be needed?
Possibly. A generator can significantly increase a home's maximum gas demand. If the existing meter or service cannot hold the required pressure while supplying the generator and the other appliances together, the gas utility may require an upgrade.
Standby generatorDoes a generator keep the well running during an outage in Manahawkin?
Yes, when the well pump is included in the design. A private well pump is electric, so without power there is no running water at all -- a different order of problem from losing the lights. Homes on a well are among the clearest cases for standby power, and the pump belongs on the load list from the start.
SolarWhat is panel efficiency?
How effectively a module turns the sunlight striking its surface into electrical power. Higher efficiency fits more generating capacity into a limited area, which matters most on houses where the usable roof is the constraint rather than the budget.
SolarShould trees be cut down before installing solar?
Only where the production benefit justifies it and doing so is legally and environmentally appropriate. A good installer quantifies what a particular tree costs in production rather than recommending removal as a matter of course. Ownership of the tree, municipal tree ordinances, neighbors' trees and regrowth all come into it.