Top NJ solar options before you sign a 25-year lease.
This report compares your IGS/Velocity lease against five stronger NJ-serving alternatives using real review data, public warranty/equipment claims, and the exact contract issues that matter: escalators, roof risk, SREC-II ownership, buyouts, transfers, production guarantees, and service quality.
Short answer
Best first call: Public Service Solar
If roof + solar risk is your main concern, start with Public Service Solar because it is NJ-based, highly reviewed, uses in-house crews, has roofing capability, and publicly lists strong workmanship/equipment details. Also quote Green Power Energy and Exact Solar to pressure-test price and design.
2.9% annual escalator. 85% production guarantee. 5-year roof leak warranty. SREC-IIs retained by lessor.
Use this as the bar: every new quote should beat it on either total economics, risk allocation, or both.
Ranked top 5 for a New Jersey homeowner
Ranking weights: NJ availability, review quality/count, local accountability, in-house crews, roofing competence, warranty clarity, equipment transparency, and lease/PPA risk.
Deep-dive against the risks in your current agreement
Public company pages rarely publish full contract terms. Where exact lease/PPA language was not found publicly, I marked it as “ask,” not assumed.
What real reviews suggest
Positive signals to favor
In-house crews: Public Service Solar and Exact Solar reviewers repeatedly valued not being handed off to unknown subcontractors.
Visible workmanship: Clean conduit, hidden runs, symmetrical layouts, and one-day installs show up in positive reviews.
Paperwork ownership: Good companies handle permits, interconnection/PTO, and SREC registration instead of leaving the homeowner to chase agencies.
Technical sales: Exact Solar stands out for engineering depth and utility-policy knowledge; Public Service Solar for straight answers on NJ/PA regulations.
Negative signals to avoid
Long escalator leases: a low Year 1 payment can become mediocre after 10–25 years.
Weak roof/removal terms: “market rate” removal/reinstall during roof work is an uncapped future liability.
National handoffs: Palmetto, Sunrun, Momentum, Trinity-style complaints often involve post-sale service, subcontractors, activation delays, or billing disputes.
Vague equipment: broad approved-brand lists are weaker than exact panel/inverter/racking model numbers in the proposal.
Quick lease-vs-utility sensitivity
Slide your real utility rate and expected utility inflation. This approximates the 25-year value of your current IGS-style lease using its 346,423 kWh projected production and $74,090.88 payment total.
Estimated 25-year delta vs lease
—
Important: use your actual marginal utility rate after fixed charges. Fixed customer charges usually remain even with solar.
Exact questions to send each company
Give me cash price, loan price, lease/PPA price, and 0% escalator price for the same design.
List exact panel, inverter, racking, monitoring, battery model numbers. No broad approved-brand list.
Who owns the NJ SREC-IIs? If I own the system, will you register and assign them for me?
What is the 25-year production estimate, and do you offer a production guarantee? What is the remedy?
What is the roof penetration warranty, and does it survive roof work?
What does panel removal and reinstall cost if I replace the roof in year 8, 12, or 18? Is there a cap?
Do you use subcontractors? If yes, name the crew and license numbers before I sign.
If I sell the home, what exact steps and fees apply? Any UCC filing? Any lien-like fixture filing?
Provide fixed buyout schedule for years 5/10/15/20/end if offering lease/PPA.
Show the savings model using my last 12 utility bills, not generic electricity inflation.