In short: Newark, Jersey City, Clifton and Paramus get their power from PSE&G, which averaged just 45 minutes of outages per customer in 2024. Morristown and parts of Wayne are on JCP&L, which averaged 481 minutes, and the state regulator is pressing it to improve. Your utility shapes your backup plan more than anything else here.
Below: your utility, its outage record, the July 2026 storms and local permit offices. Statewide rules (net metering, SREC-II payments, plug-in solar, licensing) are in our New Jersey energy guide.
North Jersey at a glance
- PSE&G: serves Newark, Jersey City, Clifton, Paramus and most of Essex, Hudson and Bergen. Homes paid about 20.4¢ per kWh on average in 2024. Outages: 45 minutes per customer with major storms, 39 without; about one interruption every two years (EIA-861, 2024).
- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L): serves Morristown, much of Morris County and part of Wayne. About 15.6¢ per kWh in 2024. Outages: 481 minutes per customer with major storms, 255 without; about 2.5 interruptions a year (EIA-861, 2024).
- Rockland Electric: serves the northern edge of Bergen and Passaic counties, such as Mahwah. About 21.0¢ per kWh in 2024; 225 minutes of outages with major storms, 149 without (EIA-861).
- Town utilities: Butler, Madison and Park Ridge run their own electric systems, and Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative serves part of Sussex County (EIA-861).
- Prices since then: those are 2024 averages. New Jersey homes paid 25.2¢ in July 2026 (EIA), so expect your current rate to be higher.
- Sun: about 3.9 kWh per square meter per day in Newark (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,140 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Bergen County “very high” for coastal flooding and winter weather and Morris County “very high” for winter weather. Essex, Hudson and Passaic are “relatively high” for strong wind, flooding and cold waves.
- Public charging: 199 public ports in Jersey City, 174 in Paramus, 155 in Newark, 61 in Wayne and 57 in Morristown (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Your bill names your utility. If it is PSE&G, JCP&L or Rockland Electric, the utility owns the wires, but you can buy the supply part of your power from a supplier licensed by the Board of Public Utilities; if you do nothing, the utility supplies it at its regulated Basic Generation Service price (NJ BPU). In 2024 about 4% of PSE&G homes and 7% of JCP&L homes bought from a supplier (EIA). If you have solar, ask a supplier how it credits exports before you switch.
- PSE&G: net metering follows the statewide rule: exports credited one-for-one, with leftover credits paid out once a year at a lower wholesale rate. PSE&G’s state-approved EV charging program runs until its funds are used up (NJ BPU, May 2026); check PSE&G’s EV page for current amounts, because we could not load its program pages.
- JCP&L: extra solar power goes into a credit bank used in later months. Once a year, in the month your account became net metered, whatever is left is paid at the average wholesale market price, and you can move that true-up month only once (FirstEnergy, April 2026). JCP&L’s EV Driven home charger incentive was set to end July 15, 2026; in May 2026 the BPU told all four utilities to file extensions of their EV programs, so ask JCP&L what is open now.
- Rockland Electric: its Charger Ready for Home program pays 50% of the home-side wiring cost up to $1,000 and 100% of utility-side upgrade costs up to $5,000, capped at 90% of the project, for a Level 2 charger. The charger itself does not qualify, and you apply after it is installed (Orange & Rockland). Check the program page; spots are first come, first served.
- Butler, Madison, Park Ridge and Sussex REC: each sets its own rules for solar hookups and programs. Call your utility before you compare quotes.
Backup power in North Jersey
On a normal year, a PSE&G customer loses power for well under an hour. A JCP&L customer averaged about 8 hours in 2024 with storms counted and over 4 hours without them, and JCP&L’s northern region missed the state’s minimum reliability levels in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Board of Public Utilities opened an Order to Show Cause against JCP&L in August 2025 and took the next step in July 2026 (NJ BPU). If you live in Morristown or the Morris County hills, plan for longer outages than your friends in Newark.
Either way, the big storm can reach you. After a heat wave from July 1, 2026, storms with winds over 70 mph cut power to more than 380,000 PSE&G customers over the July 4 weekend; nearly all were back by midnight on July 7, and Bergen County’s executive reported Paramus homes still out that day (PSE&G, July 9, 2026). JCP&L had nearly 300,000 customers out across central and northern New Jersey (FirstEnergy, July 5, 2026). The BPU is reviewing how utilities handled them.
For your plan: an apartment can often get by with a portable power station for phones, Wi-Fi and a CPAP machine. A house with a sump pump in flood-prone Passaic or Bergen should cover that pump first, with a home battery or a generator on a transfer switch. In JCP&L territory, price a standby generator or a battery paired with solar. Compare options in backup power and size them with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing tool.
Generator safety on tight lots: the CPSC says to run a portable generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from openings, never in a garage. A small city lot may have no such spot, which makes a battery easier. Wiring into the house needs a licensed electrician and a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in North Jersey
North Jersey’s sun is the weakest in the state, about 1,140 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate, and city roofs are often shaded or shared. Solar is still common: EIA counted 54,556 home systems on JCP&L’s grid and 90,063 on PSE&G’s in 2024. In Newark and Jersey City, check that the roof is yours to use and how much of it gets sun. Start with the solar potential tool, then run the solar savings calculator with your current rate and a real quote. More in solar installation and how net metering works.
Batteries in North Jersey
Because New Jersey’s net metering already credits summer surplus at the retail rate, a battery here is bought for backup rather than for bill savings. The case is strongest in JCP&L territory, with about 8 hours of outages in 2024. JCP&L reported 1,588 home solar systems paired with a battery in 2024; PSE&G reported no battery figure. We found no utility battery rebate in North Jersey that we could confirm. See home battery installation.
EV charging in North Jersey
Public charging is dense here (see the list above). If you can charge at home, a Level 2 charger needs a 240 V circuit from a licensed electrician and a permit. Rockland Electric’s rebate is the clearest local offer; for PSE&G and JCP&L, check your utility’s EV page. Estimate your cost with the EV charging calculator and read EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Newark: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Every New Jersey town enforces the state Uniform Construction Code itself, so permits come from your town’s construction office.
- Newark: Office of Uniform Construction Code, with an online permit portal.
- Jersey City: Division of the Construction Code Official, with online permitting.
- Morristown: Building and Construction.
- Wayne: Permits and Inspections.
- Clifton, Paramus and other towns: your municipal construction office. State permit forms are on the NJ Division of Codes and Standards site.
- Utility and association: solar and batteries also need interconnection approval from your utility, and condo or HOA approval in writing where it applies.
Cities we cover
- Newark
- Jersey City
- Clifton
- Wayne
- Paramus
- Morristown
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North Jersey energy FAQ
Is my North Jersey home on PSE&G or JCP&L?
Check your bill. Newark, Jersey City, Clifton and Paramus are PSE&G; Morristown and much of Morris County are JCP&L; Wayne is split. The far north of Bergen and Passaic is Rockland Electric.
Why are outages longer in Morris County?
Much of it is JCP&L territory, and JCP&L averaged 481 minutes of outages per customer in 2024 against PSE&G’s 45 (EIA). Its northern region missed state reliability minimums three years running, and the Board of Public Utilities is pursuing an Order to Show Cause.
How bad were the July 2026 outages in North Jersey?
PSE&G restored more than 380,000 customers after a heat wave and July 4 weekend storms with winds over 70 mph, one of the ten most damaging storms in its history; nearly everyone was back by July 7. JCP&L had nearly 300,000 customers out. The BPU opened a review of all utilities’ response.
Can I buy my electricity from someone other than PSE&G?
Yes, the supply part. Any BPU-licensed third-party supplier can sell you power, while PSE&G (or JCP&L or Rockland) still delivers it and handles outages. If you have or plan solar, ask the supplier how it credits exports and pays leftover credits before you switch.
Sources
EIA-861 data for 2024 (utilities, prices, outages, suppliers, solar). HIFLD service territories. NJ Board of Public Utilities: NJ Power Switch, EV extension order (May 21, 2026), JCP&L Order to Show Cause (August 2025) and July 15, 2026 release. PSE&G (July 9, 2026) and FirstEnergy (July 4 and 5, 2026) storm releases; FirstEnergy net metering page; Orange & Rockland Charger Ready for Home. Newark, Jersey City, Morristown and Wayne construction offices. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC. Read October 3, 2026.