PSE&G vs JCP&L vs ACE vs RECO: Solar, Battery & EV Economics in New Jersey 2026

ACE (Atlantic City Electric) territory in southern NJ offers the fastest solar payback among the three major utilities — roughly 7-8 years — because it has the highest verified all-in rate at ~$0.30/kWh after the June 1, 2026 BGS reset. PSE&G territory (~$0.27/kWh) is close behind at ~7-8 years, while JCP&L's lower rate (~$0.21/kWh) means a ~9-10-year payback. However, all four NJ utility territories deliver strong long-term savings because the key solar incentives — ADI/SREC-II at $85.00/MWh for 15 years, 1:1 net metering, 100% property tax exemption, and 6.625% sales tax exemption — are statewide and identical regardless of your utility. (The residential ADI rate is $85/MWh for systems registered through July 26, 2026, then $77/MWh from July 27, 2026 — NJ BPU order, May 21, 2026.)

No. New Jersey net metering rules are set by state law and the NJ Board of Public Utilities. All four investor-owned utilities follow the same 1:1 retail rate net metering with annual true-up. Credits roll over monthly and are settled annually at avoided-cost rates. The only difference is the dollar value of each credit — since ACE charges ~$0.30/kWh all-in and JCP&L charges ~$0.21/kWh, an ACE net metering credit is worth more per kWh.

RECO (Rockland Electric Company) is a subsidiary of Orange & Rockland Utilities, which is itself a ConEdison subsidiary. RECO serves approximately 72,000 customers in Bergen and Passaic counties in far northern NJ. Its higher rates reflect its connection to the NY ISO grid (rather than PJM like the other three NJ utilities), higher transmission costs from the NY market, and smaller customer base over which to spread infrastructure costs. These higher rates make solar and battery storage more valuable in RECO territory.

Battery economics vary significantly by utility because of time-of-use (TOU) rate availability and spread. RECO offers the largest TOU peak/off-peak spread ($0.14-$0.17/kWh), yielding $500-$750/year in arbitrage value. PSE&G TOU spread is $0.12-$0.16/kWh ($400-$650/year). ACE offers moderate TOU benefit ($300-$500/year). JCP&L has no residential TOU rate, so battery value there is primarily backup power ($150-$250/year from self-consumption optimization only).

The Administratively Determined Incentive (ADI) under the Successor Solar Incentive (SuSI) program pays residential solar owners $85.00/MWh for systems registered through July 26, 2026, and $77.00/MWh for registrations on or after July 27, 2026 (NJ BPU order, May 21, 2026), locked at registration for 15 years. This is a statewide NJ BPU program that applies identically to PSE&G, JCP&L, ACE, and RECO customers. On a typical 10 kW system producing 12,000 kWh/year, ADI income is approximately $1,030/year (about $15,450 over 15 years) at the $85 rate, or ~$930/year at $77 — regardless of which utility serves your home.

ACE (Atlantic City Electric) generally has the fastest interconnection at 3-6 weeks, largely because its smaller territory and customer base mean shorter queues. PSE&G and RECO both average 4-8 weeks. JCP&L is historically the slowest at 6-10 weeks — as a FirstEnergy subsidiary, its interconnection queue can be affected by multi-state processing. All four utilities use the NJ Board of Public Utilities standardized interconnection application.

NJ offers both state-level and utility-specific EV charger incentives. The Charge Up New Jersey program provides a $250 rebate for Level 2 home charger installation, available to all NJ residents regardless of utility. On top of that, PSE&G offers up to $1,500 for smart charger installations, and other utilities have their own programs. The federal Section 30C EV charger credit (up to $1,000 for residential) expired June 30, 2026 and is no longer available. These state and utility incentives still stack — a PSE&G customer can potentially get $1,750+ in combined rebates.

The Section 25D residential solar tax credit expired December 31, 2025. NJ homeowners who purchase solar with cash or a loan receive $0 in federal tax credits. However, solar leases and PPAs can still benefit from the Section 48/48E commercial ITC (30%), which is claimed by the third-party system owner, not the homeowner. This can result in lower lease/PPA rates. The construction-start deadline for Section 48 is July 4, 2026.

The NJ Whole Home rebate program provides up to $7,500 for comprehensive home electrification projects that achieve at least 35% Total Energy Savings (TES). Qualifying measures include heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, insulation, air sealing, solar panels, and battery storage. The rebate is available to all NJ homeowners regardless of utility provider. Combined with ADI solar income and utility-specific EV charger rebates, whole-home electrification can stack significant incentives.

Check the header or logo on your monthly electric bill. As a general guide: PSE&G covers northern and central NJ (Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, New Brunswick). JCP&L covers central and western NJ (Morristown, Toms River, Long Branch, Freehold). ACE covers southern NJ (Atlantic City, Cherry Hill, Vineland, Cape May). RECO covers a small territory in Bergen and Passaic counties (Mahwah, Ringwood, Upper Saddle River). You can also enter your address on the NJ BPU website or use our NJ Utility Finder tool.