When Plainsboro resident Manick Rajendran decided to save some money on electric bills and contribute to a cleaner environment by installing solar panels on his home on Briardale Drive in the Crossings at Grovers Mill, he ran into a surprising obstacle: The homeowners association.
When Rajendran went to the association, of which he is the architectural chair, to get permission, he got turned down. The majority sentiment was that the panels would lower property values in the neighborhood. But Rajendran persisted. “We are involved in conservation at home,” he explains. With solar panels “we could save 300 trees a year, without even lifting a finger.” And equally important: “My sons were emotionally invested in the project.”##M:[more]##
After a months-long battle with the association, in which Rajendran collected data from home sales throughout the state showing that solar roof panels do not lower property values, he finally succeeded. The home with the solar roof panels will be open for tours this Saturday, October 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the Green Buildings Open House Tour coordinated by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Complete details on the tour, which also showcases homes and businesses in Hopewell, Ringoes, Branchburg, Cream Ridge, Flemington, and Englishtown, are available at www.nsea.org.
Rajendran, who owns a medical records software start-up specializing in getting doctors’ offices organized, and his wife, Raji, who runs an online store, are the parents of two sons, a freshman at Georgia Tech and a sixth grader at Community Middle School.
The solar panels for the house were installed by GeoGenix (www.GeoGenix.com), a Rumson-based company that specializes in geothermal, wind power, and green planning and building as well as in solar energy installations.
One year after going solar, Rajendran has reduced his electric bills from $200 to $250 to zero in most months, and he just received a check for $1,”600 from PSE&G for his energy credits. What’s more, he has received only compliments on his panels from his neighbors, at least one of whom has put in an application for approval for his own solar array.
— Kathleen McGinn Spring
