BPU Moves Forward With Prevailing-Wage Regulations

The Board of Public Utilities is moving forward with proposed regulations to comply with legislation enacted last summer requiring prevailing wages on Green Energy Projects Including Energy efficient lighting, HVAC and even Insulation projects receiving financial assistance from the agency.

Unions claim it levels the playing field for Contractors using union labor. The Democrat controled Senate and Assemby backed by union money and controlled by Legislators who themselves are union members railroaded the legislation through in the lame duck session after the November election of Governor Chris Christie.

The reality is that excesive union wages and egregious union benefits are responsible for a union contractors inability to compete. An average Merit Shop Solar Installer earns $25 to $30 per hour, but with prevailing wage it could run as high as $94+ per hour including the mandated $36+ per hour benefit portion of the wage. Find Prevailing Wage Rates in your area Here

The requirement does not apply to projects that rely on developer funding and solar energy renewable certificates. 

Given the opposition from business interests, it remains to be seen whether the rule, promoted by the failed Corzine administration, will survive the 90-day review period for all pending state regulations Gov. Chris Christie promised during the campaign.

Solar Photovoltaic Installations: The Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors Explains.

It seems there is considerable confusion about whether an electrical contractor's license is required for solar-photovoltaic (SPV) installations.

Substantially, the question is: are SPV installations, including the SPV panels themselves, electrical work within the meaning of the regulations, so as to require an applicant for a construction permit to obtain an electrical contractor's license to perform such work? 

The short answer is yes; except that owners of single-family homes doing work on their own dwellings are exempt.

Recently the Board considered this issue and concluded that SPV systems, including the SPV panels themselves, to the extent that they are used for the generation, transmission, or utilization of electrical energy, constitute electrical work within the meaning of the Act.

Therefore, unless work was exempted by statute (e.g. operates at less than 10 volts, etc.), a contractor is required to obtain a license and business permit issued by the Board to install, erect, and repair, etc., SPV systems including SPV panels themselves.

To read the Excerpt on SPV Systems from the Spring 2010 Construction Code Communicator click Here.

To view the Spring 2010 Issue of The Construction Code Communicator click Here

New Jersey Solar Rebate Program Crashes

Last week, New Jersey ran out of four months' worth of Solar Rebates in a day. Less money was available than originally budgeted for in December because Gov. Chris Christie was forced to take $158 million from the Clean Energy Fund to help close an unprecedented $11 billion state budget gap created by this current Legislature and past Adminstrations.

More than 1,000 people, including contractors camped out the night before to claim a portion of the $6 million in residential and $1.5 million in non-residential one-time rebates when the Office of Clean Energy opened on May 3.

The Board of Public Utilities closed the normally four-month distribution period until the next scheduled disbursement Sept. 1

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Take Our Poll on PV Solar Panel Installations

During the Public Session of the April 4th 2007 Business Meeting of the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, the Board ruled that Only Electrical Contractors with a valid Electrical Contracting License and Business Permit are permitted to handle, mount, and wire, Solar PV Panels

The rule applies to all Solar Photovoltaic Array Modular Panels that emit a voltage greater than ten volts when subjected to natural or artificial light.

Please take our Poll contained within this Blog concerning this topic
Your input is important to us.

For Board Ruling Click Here
Click Here for Board Meeting Minutes