Solar, Generator and Roofing in Princeton Junction, NJ | Panels Off and Back On in 2023

Princeton Junction, NJ · Client since November 2017

Gerald from Princeton Junction, NJ has been a Green Sun Energy Services client since November of 2017, and the house has taken three trades since – including, in 2023, the one nobody plans for.

31 panels and 8.99 kW

Live on 6 February 2018: 31 SolarWorld 290-watt modules on Enphase IQ6 microinverters, rail-free mounting, with the monitoring gateway indoors beside the service panel in the basement rather than out in the weather. The roof it went onto was judged sufficient at the time.

An 18 kW Generac on a managed whole-house switch

May of 2022. The calculation asked for a minimum of 16 kW under NEC Article 220 Part IV and a Generac rated 17 kW on natural gas went in – 18 kW on propane – behind a 200-amp managed whole-house transfer switch with a smart management module and whole-house surge protection. The house is 2,052 square feet with two refrigerators, a dishwasher, a washer and an electric dryer, and the electric dryer is what pushes the number up: electric drying is one of the few loads in an ordinary house that can rival everything else running at once. The machine has been on our Diamond plan since it was commissioned – annual maintenance, extended parts-and-labor cover and remote monitoring that Green Sun runs directly.

A new roof after storm damage

March of 2023. This was not a roof that had reached the end of its life on its own – it was storm damage, which is the version nobody schedules. Two layers came off down to the sheathing (two, not one, which is its own piece of history) and 2,800 square feet of GAF Timberline HDZ in charcoal went on, warranted fifty years, with continuous soffit vents at the intake.

The array off, and back on nine days later

There is no way to reroof a house underneath a live array, so all 31 panels came down before the tear-off and went back up on 10 March, nine days after the roofers finished. These are the same panels, the same Enphase IQ6 microinverters and the same rail-free mounting returning to the same roof – a genuine lift and reset rather than a replacement. Nine days is what that costs in time when the two jobs are run by one company that already knows how the array is fixed down.

Why one contractor mattered here

A worn-out roof gives you years of warning. A storm gives you none, and it arrives at a house with an array bolted to the thing that was damaged. That is the moment when having the roof and the panels answered by one company stops being a convenience and starts being the whole point: one survey, one schedule, one crew that already knew how the array was fixed down and what was underneath it. Nine days from the roof being finished to the panels being back on and producing. Split between a roofer and a solar company who have never spoken, the same job becomes two site visits, two liability boundaries and a house that stays open to the weather while everybody agrees whose turn it is.

Green Sun Energy Services sent a technician out to fix my generator. The technician’s name was John. He was very polite and professional. He was very efficient and took the time to explain to me the cause of the problem and the steps he took to resolve it. I am very happy with Green Sun Energy’s response to my generator problems and I have full confidence in their wonderful staff and technicians.

Why Gerald chose Green Sun Energy Services

One company removes the solar, fixes the roof, corrects what is underneath and puts everything back right.

Complete backup power, from sizing and installation to the service that keeps it ready.

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 2,800 sq ft.
• Solar: design and installation supervised by a NABCEP-certified professional (#PVA-111016-016148). On this home: an 8.99 kW solar array of 31 SolarWorld SW-290-5BB panels, a Micro-Single inverter, the QuickMount mounting system and the panels removed and reinstalled.
• Standby generators: installed and serviced as a Generac Authorized Sales and Service Dealer, by factory-authorized Generac technicians. On this home: a Generac 7228 standby generator (18 kW LP / 17 kW NG) running on natural gas, on a 200-amp transfer switch (managed whole house) and serviced by Green Sun Energy Services.
• Warranty: backed by a 50-year roof warranty, a 5-year roofing workmanship warranty, a 25-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 completed roofing projects, 25 completed solar projects and 13 completed standby generator projects across Mercer County and 92 roofing projects, 361 solar projects and 621 standby generator projects throughout New Jersey.

Our work in Princeton Junction

Green Sun Energy Services has completed 1 roof replacement, 2 featured solar projects, 2 standby generator installations and 2 generator service customers in Princeton Junction. Princeton Junction, a community in West Windsor Township, is served by PSE&G.

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

Thinking about a new roof, solar, or a standby generator for your Princeton Junction home? Tell us about your project here or call 732-410-7818.

Power it. Protect it. Maintain it.

Questions from Princeton Junction homeowners

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 generatorCan a standby generator backfeed the utility lines?

A properly installed and functioning automatic transfer system is designed to prevent it. That is the point of the transfer switch: it stops generator power reaching the utility supply, where it could endanger line workers and damage equipment. Backfeeding is a risk of improvised connections, not of a correctly installed system.

SolarShould the roof be replaced before the panels go on?

If the roof is near the end of its life, replacing it first is often the sensible order, because removing and reinstalling an array later adds labor and materials. The decision turns on roof age, shingle condition, any leaks, the decking, the remaining warranty and how long the solar system is expected to last.

SolarWhat is the difference between kW and kWh?

kW measures the size of the system; kWh measures the electricity it produces or the house consumes over time. An 11.5 kW array might be estimated at 13,100 kWh in its first year. Confusing the two makes proposals look larger or smaller than they are.

RoofingWhat is LayerLock Technology?

LayerLock is GAF technology that mechanically fuses the common bond between overlapping shingle layers. It works together with GAF's StrikeZone nailing area to help installers place fasteners accurately.

RoofingDo HOAs in Princeton Junction, NJ control roof color or material?

Many associations have architectural rules affecting color, shingle style, visible metal, solar integration, and scheduling. Homeowners should obtain required approvals before ordering material or starting work.

RoofingCan a roof warranty transfer to a new owner?

Certain warranties can, subject to that warranty's own conditions and a required notification procedure with its own time limit. It is worth knowing the process before the house goes on the market rather than during the sale, and a transferable warranty is a genuine selling point.