NYSERDA Announces $1.8 Million Available for Community Campaigns to Install Clean Heating and Cooling Systems

LongIsland.com

Supports Governor Cuomo’s Ambitious Clean Energy Goal to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40 Percent by 2030.

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New York, NY - November 17, 2017 - The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced the availability of up to $1.8 million for community campaigns to help residents and businesses install clean heating and cooling systems. Increasing the use of clean heating and cooling technology will play a major role in achieving Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s clean energy goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030.
 
Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, “Clean heating and cooling systems will provide users with energy bill savings, increased comfort levels and health benefits compared to conventional heating and cooling technologies. It’s a win-win for consumers and the environment and is vital to meeting Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
 
The Clean Heating and Cooling Community Campaign initiative will bring together groups of potential customers so they can obtain discounts for air and ground source heat pumps, biomass heating and solar heating through aggregated purchases and a simplified procurement process.
 
Community campaigns can be proposed by municipalities or community based organizations and will receive up to $150,000 for each campaign, with additional funds available for workforce development ($50,000) and low-to-moderate income engagement ($150,000) strategies. Community campaigns should be in a county, city, borough or region with at least 40,000 residents and are encouraged to include local financial institutions, colleges/universities and local utilities.
 
Funding for this initiative includes $1.3 million for the community campaigns and $500,000 for technical assistance and tools to support the community campaigns. More information about the funding is available at NYSERDA’s website. The funding is made available through the State’s Clean Energy Fund.
 
This is the latest funding being made available to support clean heating and cooling technology. Earlier this year, NYSERDA announced the availability of $15 million in rebates for the installation of ground source heat pump systems for residences, businesses and institutions as well as $10 million to install air-source heat pump systems for residences.
 
The Clean Heating and Cooling Community Campaign initiative is based on the State’s highly successful Solarize campaigns which bring together clusters of residents and businesses to install solar. Since 2014, there have been 850 solar projects installed or are in development throughout New York, saving participants more than $2.9 million on upfront purchase costs.
 
Currently, fossil-fuel based thermal energy – primarily natural gas, propane and oil – is the main energy source for space heating and domestic hot water in the residential and commercial sectors. It is responsible for about one-third of New York’s energy-related greenhouse gas emissions.
 
About the Clean Energy Fund
The 10-year, $5.3 billion Clean Energy Fund (CEF) is a core component of New York State's Reforming the Energy Vision strategy to achieve a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers. The CEF includes a focused effort to bring more clean energy opportunities and benefits to low- to moderate-income communities and is designed to deliver on New York State's commitment to accelerate the use of clean energy and energy innovation and drive economic development, while reducing ratepayer collections. It is already delivering for New Yorkers. NY Green Bank, a core component of the CEF, has generated $2.7 million in positive net income as a result of $291.6 million in investments in clean energy transactions across New York – one year ahead of schedule. By generating revenue in excess of expenses, NY Green Bank’s positive net income will be re-invested for future transactions. Its $1 billion NY-Sun initiative has already helped facilitate an 800 percent increase in solar deployment over five years – while reducing customer collections by $1.5 billion by 2025. The CEF supports New York's aggressive Clean Energy Standard requiring 50 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2030.
 
Reforming the Energy Vision
Reforming the Energy Vision is Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's strategy to lead on climate change and grow New York's economy. REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency and generating 50 percent of the state's electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030. Already, REV has driven nearly 800 percent growth in the statewide solar market, enabled over 105,000 low-income households to permanently cut their energy bills with energy efficiency, and created thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and other clean tech sectors. REV is ensuring New York reduces statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and achieves the internationally recognized target of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050. To learn more about REV, including the Governor's $5 billion investment in clean energy technology and innovation, visit rev.ny.gov, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
 
About NYSERDA
NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and funding to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect the environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York State since 1975. To learn more about NYSERDA’s programs and funding opportunities, visit nyserda.ny.gov or follow us on  Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.