Edward Getley has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since October of 2012, when we fitted a production meter to the solar system on this house. Five years later the original array came off, the roof was replaced, and a new array went back on.
2012: a production meter on the original system
The first job here was an Itron Centron digital production meter — a Class 200, 240 volt unit on a dedicated solar breaker in the main panel, built to the ANSI C12 accuracy standard. That is a meter whose readings are held to a tolerance somebody else defines and tests against, rather than the inverter’s own account of itself. It is the piece of equipment that turns a solar system’s output from an estimate into a measured figure.
2017: two layers off, 2,300 square feet on
The roof had been covered over once already, so two layers of old shingle came off down to the sheathing rather than one. Deck protection went over the exposed sheathing, then a GAF Timberline HDZ system in Shakewood carrying a 50-year warranty, aluminum drip edge along 200 feet of rakes and eaves, and a ridge vent along the peak. The contract also set out in advance what would happen if the fascia boards behind the gutters needed replacing, which is exactly the sort of thing a tear-off reveals and a quote ought to have accounted for. The roof was finished on 20 June 2017.
2017: the old array off and 18 new panels on
The original system came down and a new one went up two days after the roof was finished. Eighteen black-framed Hanwha 290 watt panels came to 5.22 kW on rail-free mounting, each with its own Enphase M250 microinverter rather than a shared central inverter. The metering moved with it: the account now records an Enphase measurement unit in place of the 2012 Itron. PSE&G is the utility.
A roof pointing within four degrees of due south
The array sits at a 23-degree pitch at an azimuth of 184 degrees — four degrees west of due south, which is about as close to the textbook as a real house gets. The design models it at 97.9 percent of the reference case. Eighteen panels is a modest array, and on a roof this well placed that is a decision about how much electricity the household wanted rather than a limit imposed by the building.
Why the order was array off, roof on, array back
A solar system reaches the end of its useful life on a schedule of its own, and so does a roof. When both arrive at once the sequence is not optional: the panels have to come off before the shingles can, and nothing new should be fastened down until the deck has been stripped, seen and covered properly. Doing it in that order in 2017 is why this household now has a modern array on a roof rated for fifty years, rather than new panels bolted through old shingles or a new roof with a worn-out system sitting on top of it.
Great company to work with. Very professional and always there to answer any question or concern to insure my solar panels are working at peak efficiency.
Green Sun Energy Services replied
Thank you. A replacement array on a new roof in Somerdale is one of the more involved jobs we do: the panels come off, the roof goes on, and everything returns to a surface that has changed. Watching the production afterwards is how you know it went back correctly, and we are glad to be asked about it.
Why Somerdale homeowners choose Green Sun Energy Services
One company designs the roof and solar system together, so there is no finger-pointing between a roofer and a solar installer.
What makes Green Sun Energy Services different
- Roofing: installed as a GAF Certified Roofing Contractor (#CE28608), with a GAF Timberline Lifetime Roofing System like the one on this home. On this home: a new roof over 2,300 sq ft.
- 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 5.22 kW solar array of 18 Hanwha Q.PEAK BLK-G4.290/32mm panels, an EnPhase M250-60-2LL-S22 Micro-Single inverter, the Ecolibrium Solar mounting system and a solar upgrade.
- Warranty: backed by a 50-year roof warranty, a 5-year roofing workmanship warranty and a 25-year solar workmanship warranty.
- Local: locally owned and operated in New Jersey since 2010, NJHIC licensed (#13VH06229000), with completed roofing projects and completed solar projects across Camden County and 92 roofing projects and 361 solar projects throughout New Jersey.
Our work in Somerdale
Somerdale, a borough in Camden County, is served partly by PSE&G and partly by Atlantic City Electric.
Generate electricity on your roof and use it to help power your vehicle.
Thinking about a new roof, solar, or both for your Somerdale home? Tell us about your project here or call 732-410-7818.
Power it. Protect it. Maintain it.
Project Facts
- Location
- Somerdale, NJ
- Services
- Roofing Installation, Solar Panel Installation, Solar Upgrades
- Client since
- October 2012
Solar
- Manufacturer & model
- Hanwha Q.PEAK BLK-G4.290/32mm
- Panels
- 18
- System size
- 5.22 kW
- Inverter
- EnPhase M250-60-2LL-S22 Micro-Single
- Mounting system
- Ecolibrium Solar
- Estimated first-year production
- 6,860 kWh
- Share of the home's electricity
- 97%
- Electric utility
- PSE&G
- Workmanship warranty
- 25 years
Roof
- System
- GAF Timberline Lifetime Roofing System
- Area replaced
- 2,300 sq ft
- Warranty
- 50 years
- Workmanship warranty
- 5 years
Questions from Somerdale homeowners
RoofingWhy does using a complete system from one manufacturer matter to the warranty?
Because the enhanced warranties and the wind coverage generally require qualifying accessories alongside the shingles — the starter strips, the deck protection, the ridge caps and, depending on the warranty, the leak barrier or the ventilation. Buying the right shingle and substituting the accessories around it can leave the roof outside the coverage the homeowner thought was being bought.
RoofingCan an asphalt roof be pressure washed?
No. High pressure dislodges the protective granules and damages the roof surface, and both the shingle manufacturers and the industry association advise against it. Moss should not be scraped off either. Cleaning a roof means the manufacturer's approved method: chemical treatment, appropriate dwell time and a gentle rinse.
RoofingHow are roofing nails cleaned up afterwards?
Debris is removed and magnetic equipment is run over the accessible areas around the house to recover loose fasteners. Tear-off produces a genuinely large quantity of nails and shingle debris, which is why landscaping is tarped and protected before any of it starts rather than tidied afterwards.
SolarDo solar panels produce anything on a cloudy day?
Yes, though normally less than under strong direct sun. Modules convert both direct and diffuse light. It is the reason a solar proposal should be judged on annual production rather than on any promise about what happens on a given day.
SolarWhich utility handles interconnection in Somerdale?
The electric distribution company that serves the property. In New Jersey that is Jersey Central Power & Light, PSE&G, Atlantic City Electric or Rockland Electric depending on the address, and municipal electric systems can have their own requirements.