Solar, Generator, Critter Guard and Soft Wash in Middletown, NJ | 10.88 kW and a 16-Circuit Backup

Middletown, NJ · Client since March 2017

Wayne from Middletown, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since March of 2017, and the house has had four separate pieces of work since – two of them in the same spring.

34 panels and 10.88 kW

Spring of 2017: 34 LG 320-watt modules on a SolarEdge inverter with an optimizer on every panel, rail-free mounting, 10.88 kW rated and estimated at 13,819 kilowatt hours in the first year. The inverter is deliberately oversized against the array rather than matched to it, which costs a little at the outset and leaves the system room afterwards. The roof needed nothing, so the array went straight onto it.

A 9 kW Generac on sixteen circuits

June of 2017, and this one is deliberately not a whole-house machine. A 9 kW Generac in an aluminum enclosure on its own pad, feeding a sixteen-circuit essential-circuits transfer switch in a NEMA-3R outdoor enclosure. What the survey actually needed carried was short and specific: two sump pumps and a refrigerator. That is the argument for essential circuits over whole house, and it is a good one. If what has to keep running is the pumps, the cold food, some light and the heat, then a smaller machine on a nominated list does it for less money, burns less gas and is a simpler thing to keep alive for thirty years. A whole-house switch is the right answer when a household wants an outage to be invisible. A sixteen-circuit switch is the right answer when they want it to be survivable, and are content to know the difference.

Critter guard, six years later

December of 2023: six-inch guard fitted around the perimeter of an array that had been up since 2017. Retro-fitting is more awkward than doing it during the install, and it is still worth doing, because the gap beneath a panel array is sheltered, dry and about the size a squirrel is looking for – and the wiring up there is the expensive part of the roof.

10,543 square feet of soft washing

July of 2025. Soft washing is low pressure and a cleaning solution rather than a pressure washer, which is what lifts algae and mildew off siding without driving water in behind it – and on a house carrying an array it is the only method that leaves the system alone.

A large array and a small generator, on purpose

It looks like a mismatch: nearly eleven kilowatts of solar and a nine kilowatt generator wired to sixteen circuits. It is not. The two are bought for opposite days. The array is sized to what the house uses across a year, and the bigger it is the more of that it covers. The generator is sized to what the house cannot do without for a few days, which is a far shorter list – and on this property it is two sump pumps and a refrigerator. A grid-tied array contributes nothing during an outage, because the inverter shuts down with the grid; so the question the generator answers is not “how big is the house” but “what must not stop”. Answered honestly, that question usually returns a smaller number than people expect.

"...The install proceeded without a hitch and looked great. Inspecting the attic, I couldn’t find a single fastener penetrating the roof deck; every screw was sunk into the rafters. As promised, no part of the array is visible from the front or sides of the house... If you are thinking about “going solar,” or even just getting a standby generator, you really ought to give Glen at Green Sun a call. "- Wayne from Middletown, NJ.  Solar Panel Installation
I recently contacted Green Sun ("GS")about power washing my house, deck, walkways, retaining walls, etc. GS obtained a detailed and up-to-date view of my property, and, along with the square footage of my home, developed a cost estimate. I obtained an estimate from another contractor, which was based on the same information as the GS estimate. GS was less expensive by a not-insignificant amount; yet, as best as I could determine, GS offered the same thorough approach using similar products as their competitor. I moved forward with GS. The 2-person team arrived on time on the scheduled day, and worked the full day, power washing all the walkways, deck, patio, retaining walls. I was scheduled for 2 days, and the team returned as scheduled and completed the job, including the roof and the rest of the house. The results were excellent- what a difference! The team quite obviously cared about what they were doing. A concern I had was the impact the power washing might have on the mature landscaping surrounding the treated areas. I was assured that as a matter of course, the team waters down the plants, trees, etc., before and after treatment. I need not have been concerned - no issues there. When it's time (again), I will definitely be using Green Sun for power washing. - Google

Why Wayne chose Green Sun Energy Services

Clean the cause, not just the surface, without blasting your home with unnecessary pressure.

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

• Soft washing: cleaned by a team trained in soft washing, using the right cleaning solution and low pressure for each surface. Fully licensed and insured. On this home: a soft wash of 10,543 sq ft.
• Solar: design and installation supervised by a NABCEP-certified professional (#PVA-111016-016148), with SolarEdge optimizers on every panel so each one reports its own output. On this home: a 10.88 kW solar array of 34 LG 320N1K-G4/40mm panels, a SolarEdge SE10000A-US000NNR2 Inverter (25Y) W/ P320 HD Wave inverter, the QuickMount mounting system and 172 ft of critter guard.
• Standby generators: installed and serviced as a Generac Authorized Sales and Service Dealer, by factory-authorized Generac technicians. On this home: a Generac 7030 standby generator (9 kW LP / 8 kW NG) running on natural gas, on a 100-amp transfer switch (essential circuits/nema-3r) and serviced by Green Sun Energy Services.
• Warranty: backed by a 5-year solar workmanship warranty and a 5-year generator workmanship warranty.
• Local: locally owned and operated in New Jersey since 2010, NJHIC licensed (#13VH06229000), with 41 completed soft wash projects, 139 completed solar projects and 444 completed standby generator projects across Monmouth County and 46 soft wash projects, 362 solar projects and 621 standby generator projects throughout New Jersey.

Our work in Middletown

Green Sun Energy Services has completed 10 soft washes, 10 featured solar projects, 72 standby generator installations and 120 generator service customers in Middletown. Middletown, a township on Raritan Bay and Sandy Hook Bay in Monmouth County, is served by JCP&L.

Generate electricity on your roof and use it to help power your vehicle.

Thinking about solar, a standby generator, or a soft wash for your Middletown home? Tell us about your project here or call 732-410-7818.

Power it. Protect it. Maintain it.

Questions from Middletown homeowners

Soft washingWhat should a Middletown homeowner look for in an exterior cleaning company?

One that treats exterior cleaning as a material-specific process rather than as pressure washing. That means inspecting the property, identifying both the surfaces and the contamination, protecting the landscaping before and after, applying at low pressure on anything delicate, choosing the chemistry for the material, controlling the dwell time, rinsing appropriately, following the shingle manufacturer's roof-cleaning guidance and the siding manufacturer's instructions, treating windows carefully, protecting paver joints, working safely off ladders, cleaning up, and walking the finished job with the homeowner. The useful question is not who has the strongest machine but whether the company knows what the house is made of and the safest way to clean each part of it.

Soft washingShould pets and children be kept away?

Yes. Both should stay indoors or well away from the working area until application and rinsing are finished. That is partly about the cleaning products and partly about hoses, ladders, equipment and wet walking surfaces, which are the more immediate hazard.

Soft washingWhy does algae grow on houses in Middletown?

Moisture, humidity, shade, tree cover and seasonal pollen all favour biological growth on an exterior, and properties nearer the water also collect salt film and wind-driven dirt. Surfaces that stay damp longest show it first, which is why the shaded side of a house is usually the side that goes green.

Standby generatorCan a generator sit behind a solid privacy fence?

Potentially, if the fence stays outside every airflow, exhaust and servicing clearance and does not create a partially enclosed space where heat or exhaust can accumulate. Municipal fence and screening rules may apply as well.

Standby generatorShould gas pressure be checked while the generator is running?

Yes. Operating pressure means more than a static reading taken with the generator off. The fuel system has to hold adequate pressure while the generator runs and other appliances may also be drawing gas. That matters most when an existing residential service is being reused.

SolarWhat does NEC Article 705 cover?

It governs electrical systems where power-production equipment such as solar runs in parallel with another source, normally the utility grid. It is what decides how the array is allowed to connect to the home's service or distribution equipment.

SolarDo unused credits carry from month to month?

Yes. Eligible excess kWh credits generally carry through the customer's annualised net-metering period, which is what allows strong spring and summer production to offset consumption in the darker months.