Uniondale, NY — June 18th, 2013 — On Friday, June 14, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) received the Vision Long Island Smart growth award for their on-going commitment to advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy on Long Island. The Smart Growth Awards celebrate and recognize those plans, projects, and industry leaders who have helped revitalize and develop communities on Long Island.
LIPA was presented with the prestigious award for their continued support of and growing investment in clean energy programs which includes their Efficiency Long Island program and their solar, wind, and geothermal programs.
“LIPA is honored to receive this award in recognition for our hard work and commitment to a clean energy future,” said LIPA Chief Operating Officer, John McMahon. “These programs help our customers become more energy -efficient, which helps reduce peak load, our carbon footprint, and continues to help grow clean businesses and provide green jobs on Long Island.”
“Vision Long Island recognizes the vital importance of LIPA's existing Clean Energy programs to our region's small businesses, residents and educational institutions. These programs provide energy efficiency and renewable alternatives that both reduce energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions and grow our economy. The allocation of $130 million-plus annually is the strongest regional investment in green energy in New York State. Local efficiency programs including home energy audits and the Small Business Direct Install are more active here than in any other region, and LIPA’s solar program has resulted in more solar installations on Long Island than the rest of the state combined. For these and other reasons we are honoring them at our Smart Growth Awards luncheon this year. Vision seeks to ensure the funding for LIPA's Clean Energy programs is preserved, or potentially strengthened, and that decisions regarding budgets and policies for those programs continue to be made locally, by Long Islanders.”
In addition to the 2013 Smart Growth Award, LIPA’s clean energy programs also received recognition from the Long Island chapter of US Green Building Council (USGBC). The announcement was made at the USGBC’s annual “Building Green Long Island” Gala.
LIPA has worked closely with the USGBC on a number of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified structures on Long Island. These projects include Wild by Nature, the first LEED certified market on Long Island and Hampton Bays Middle School, the first LEED certified school on Long Island.
Executive Director of the Long Island Chapter of the US Green Buiding Council Vince Capogna said, “LIPA has been a valuable partner in the U.S. Green Building Council – Long Island Chapter’s ongoing effort to educate the consumer regarding energy-efficient, environmentally responsible building operation, resulting in significant reductions in usage and a cleaner, healthier built environment. No single organization on Long Island has done as much to help achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s mission to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life. The combination of LIPA’s vast technical knowledge, engineering assistance and incentive programs are unparalleled and worthy of recognition not only for such a unique collaborative effort, but for the measure of the results they have shown to date.”
LIPA’s nationally recognized renewable and energy efficiency programs offer customers a wide array of sustainable energy options helping them go green and save money, while helping LIPA reduce peak load and the dependence on fossil fuels. In addition, these programs have acted as a catalyst in creating green jobs on Long Island. In furtherance of LIPA’s commitment to providing, clean, efficient and reliable power in advancing renewable energy resources on Long Island, LIPA achieved 121% of its share of the NY Sun Initiative targets for solar installed.
About LIPA
LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric provider, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA is the 2nd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of electric revenues, 3rd largest in terms of customers served and the 7th largest in terms of electricity delivered. In 2011, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State for frequency and duration of service interruptions. LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at www.lipower.org.