A 4-year look back on Electric Vehicle Chargers and Solar Installations in Hillsborough Township

In the last four years, Hillsborough Township has seen many changes in installations of home electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and solar installations. EV charging stations have become more mainstream in the last few years with more vendor selections, utility rebate programs, and the introduction of load management modules. 

Load management module products have revolutionized the industry by utilizing Current Transformers (CT’s) to monitor a home's power usage allowing homeowners the option of higher ampacity charging when the power usage is below the threshold when the service load calculation may indicate that the service is not capable of supplying the required amount of power. This technology opened up installations to many homes without the need to perform costly service upgrade,s while keeping compliance with the National Electrical Code requirements providing for safe code compliant installations.  Even now, we are seeing advances with the load management products that allow real-time control of certain manufacturers' products to allow for the highest charging capabilities without end-user interaction.  

In addition Hillsborough Township has seen increasing interest and installations of EV Charging stations in existing planned developments, which have provided new challenges and opportunities to work with the owners of these communities to further extend the availability of EV charging stations within our communities. Many of the new homes being built today also include pre-wired connections or conduits for future EV charging stations as part of the initial build.

The following data was polled from our permitting software for the last four years to provide insight into how many residential EV charging stations have been installed within our township. 

(These numbers do not include new construction homes that have opted to install as part of the original build.) 

Residential solar installations over the last four years has also seen many new technological improvements from the integration of Energy Storage Systems (ESS), efficiency increases in solar shingles, increases in individual panel wattage, Back fed meter connections, micro inverters, Transfer/ESS backup power transfer switches, increases in ESS capacity offerings, ground mount installation options, and even “fashion” color options for ESS covers with some manufacturers. 

We know what you are thinking: “fashion colors an advancement?” Well, for some, yes, there have been a few installations that chose a pop of color to make their installations more noticeable, with the majority keeping with the sleek slim line factory offerings. Most notably, the popularity of ESS systems for backup power solutions. Some of these installations have leveraged the ESS and generator options, while most have chosen the ESS backup only.  

With all of the new products, there have been a lot of code changes to encompass these products as well. The utility companies had to evaluate meter back feed devices and provide local guidance for installation practices, the 2021 International Residential Code saw changes in pathways for firefighter operations, requirements for more stringent protection of ESS systems from vehicle impact protection, installation within garages and residences addressing fire ratings in areas of ESS installation and smoke or heat detector requirements for early warning of occupants in the event of a battery fire when installed within the residence. 

While codes go through a three-year process of updates to produce the next adoptable code one can expect that as newer products come out there will be advancements in the code requirements as well.

The Hillsborough Township building department staff are always learning about new products, keeping up with code changes to keep our residents safe, ensuring that they are knowledgeable and ready to assist with navigating the complexities of the Adopted New Jersey Uniform Construction Code. 

The following data was polled from our permitting software for the last four years to provide insight into how many residential Solar installations have been installed within our township.