1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

I’m writing to ask you to publicly support Senate Bill S688 and signal that you would sign companion legislation establishing safe installation standards for balcony solar panel systems under the State Uniform Construction Code. Governor Sherrill, you declared a utility affordability emergency on your first day in office. That wasn’t just a headline — it told New Jerseyans that you understood what they were dealing with. Energy bills in this state are brutal, and they’re getting worse. PJM capacity prices are climbing, delivery charges keep ticking up, and for millions of renters across the state there is essentially nothing they can do about it. They can’t put panels on a roof they don’t own. They can’t opt into community solar if there’s no capacity in their area. They can turn off the lights and sweat through July, or they can pay the bill. Those are the options. Balcony solar panels could change that. These are small, affordable systems — a few hundred dollars — that mount to a railing or sit on a patio and plug into a standard wall outlet. No installation crew, no permits, no landlord approval. They won’t zero out an electric bill, but they can meaningfully reduce it, and more importantly they give renters something they’ve never had: a way to participate in clean energy on their own terms. Millions of Europeans already use them. The technology is proven and the safety track record is strong. S688 simply asks the Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish clear standards in the building code for these systems. It doesn’t create a new program, it doesn’t require new funding, and it doesn’t impose mandates on property owners. It removes an unnecessary barrier — and that’s exactly the kind of red tape your administration has promised to cut. This fits squarely within the affordability and clean energy agenda you’ve laid out. You’ve already moved to accelerate solar deployment and streamline permitting. Balcony solar is the logical next step — it extends those same principles to the people your existing policies can’t reach. New Jersey is one of the most renter-heavy states in the country. Any clean energy strategy that only works for homeowners is an incomplete one, and your administration has a chance to fix that. A public statement of support for S688 — or better yet, a directive to DCA to begin developing guidance proactively — would send a clear message that this administration’s affordability agenda includes everyone, not just property owners. It would also give the bill real momentum in the Legislature, where it’s currently sitting in the Senate Environment and Energy Committee without a companion in the Assembly. You ran on making New Jersey more affordable and more sustainable. This is a small bill that does both. I hope you’ll champion it. Thank you for your time.