Liberto discusses the positive impact of using solar energy
Page 4 • Wednesday, March 2, 2016 • The Hammonton Gazette
SOLAR, from Page 1
powered energy.
In September of 2015, Hammontonian Dave Liberto began
using solar energy at his home. He
has now completely eliminated his
electric bill and only pays Atlantic
City Electric for the connection
fees.
“I always say, there are two S’s.
You’re either spending or you’re
saving. I’d rather be saving, which
is exactly what I’m doing with my
panels. Better yet, when I’m done
paying them off in five years, I’ll
actually be making money. It’s a
no-brainer,” Liberto said.
Solar energy is light radiant and
heat from the sun that is converted
into thermal or electric energy. For
this reason, it is the cleanest and
most abundant energy source
available. The harnessing and converting of solar energy through
solar panels is one of the fastest
growing scientific fields in the
United States.
Many people don’t understand
the solar business. There are endless benefits to installing solar
panels at your home. First off, you
ensure yourself a steady electric
rate for as long as you’re utilizing
the solar energy, which is very important when you factor in the 6.7
percent increase on electric costs
that occurred from 2013 to 2014
according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The
amount of money a person saves
will be determined by how many
kilowatts of solar energy that person uses at your home, which is
determined by how many panels
SUCCESSS, from Page 1
night. People can come and perform anything they want. They
can sing, dance, play an instrument, whatever. We have had people recite poetry as well,”
Donio-Mento said.
According to their website,
family success centers are multifaceted community-based programs that offer families and
individuals convenient access to
information, support and resources that help develop and
maximize their strengths and potential. Their model for success is
not used only in Hammonton.
There are also family success centers located in both Galloway and
Egg Harbor Township, a sign that
everything they offer to local residents is helping the community
improve greatly.
All of the programs offered at
the family success center are completely free of charge. Some of
these ongoing activities include a
mother’s club, computer classes,
crocheting, a healthy relationships
class and a family movie night,
just to name a few. Each program
is geared to be both helpful and
educational for its attendees.
Along with open mic night,
they will be hosting an Easter egg
dyeing on March 24 from 2 p.m.
to 3:30 p.m. There are arts and
crafts activities offered multiple
times each month. Donio-Mento
has focused on hosting events on
afternoons that students are off
from school and invites anyone
interested to join them for their
next fun-filled day. On May 5,
they’ll host a Cinco de Mayo dinner to celebrate the important date
in Mexican history.
The recent renovations to the
downstairs floor make all of the
programs offered even more exciting than they already were. The
center now features an entertainment room, a gaming room, a
small exercise area, a theater and
a music room, all of which are
open to anyone during their normal hours of operation.
“Our computer lab downstairs
is really for people to come and
utilize. We’re encouraging kids to
come after school and use the facilities, especially the computer
lab to do homework or papers.
There’s a printer there, it’s all free.
There’s access to the internet,”
Donio-Mento said.
The goal is to attract students
from both St. Joseph and Hammonton High School to the newly
renovated lab. The space offers a
safe and peaceful environment for
the kids to finish their work in a
timely fashion. Members of the
success center are working with
coaches and teachers from the
schools to help spread the word to
their players and students.
For more information or to register for any of the upcoming
events, call the Hammonton Family Success Center at 567-2900 or
stop in to check out the improvements and schedule of programs.
Fun at Hammonton
Family Success Ctr.
are installed.
When you compare solar energy
to your typical electric costs, the
average 20-year savings is just
below $50,000. In addition to saving on your electric bill, solar
users also receive SRECs, or Solar
Renewable Energy Credits.
SRECs are generated based on the
amount of solar energy produced
by a homeowner and, if handled
correctly, are the perfect way to
pay for your panels over their life.
Each time a solar energy system
generates 1,000 kWh of electricity, an SREC is issued to the producer (owner of the solar system).
These certificates fluctuate in
value based on market changes.
Using solar panels protects the
environment by offsetting three to
four tons of carbon emissions into
the air each year. Amazingly,
Studies completed by the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department
of Energy now show that homes
with solar panels are selling for an
average of $15,000 more than
those without solar panels. Many
realty sites now give users the option to view homes that have solar
panels, another sign of the everevolving field becoming more and
more popular.
All Season Solar is the largest
installer of solar panels in Atlantic
County. They are rapidly expanding their business and expect 2016
to be their biggest