"Green mortician," Bob Prout has turned his funeral home into a model for green energy production and now, people from all over the state of New Jersey and even the nation, are coming to see him. Prout was recently recognized by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) as one of only eight NJ businesses and organizations for leadership and innovation in creating clean energy solutions that save energy and help reduce greenhouse gases.
Prout's family-owned funeral home in Verona, NJ, was one of the first small businesses in the state and the Northeast to install a 17.4 killowatt solar photovoltaic system that generates 24,000 kWh per year and avoids over 22,000 lbs. of CO2 emissions.
Prout, a 51-year-old conservationist who also drives a hybrid car, is not only cutting his monthly electric bills from around $1,000 to $350, he's also saving his clients money and helping to save the environment while educating kids and community groups about the benefits of solar and renewable energy sources.
In the basement of his third-generation funeral home, Prout's solar conversion equipment is on display, encased in glass, allowing tours of school kids and curious community members to view first-hand how solar technology is practically employed.
For Prout's part, he says that going solar was not only an environmental decision, but also a business decision. Indeed, thanks to NJBPU, which offers the best solar electric incentive program in the nation, 60 percent of the $157,685 installation cost was covered by rebates, and there are also tax credits and energy credit buybacks. Prout estimates that he'll recoup all of the $73,000 he borrowed for the system within five years. And, after that, it will be all profit. In fact, he says he is so encouraged, that he is beginning phase 2, where he will be installing ground mounted solar panels in the rear of his parking lot.
In addition, Prout is also leading the way as a proponent of natural or "green" burials, which further protect the environment and give people another option in the end of life planning process. "More and more people who truly loved the earth in life are choosing to continue their conservation efforts in death by opting for natural burials," Prout says.
But, for now, Prout says he'll keep doing his part as a clean energy advocate by showing off his green funeral home. "I'm hoping to expose that if even a traditional business like a funeral home can thrive with this technology, it must be moving toward the mainstream," he says. Adds Prout: "It's not just for leftover hippies and tree huggers from the 60's."
