News for the ‘Energy’ Category
December 2011 Energy Update
DID YOU KNOW: The biggest source of air leaks in the home isn’t the windows or doors, but floors, walls and ceilings, which average 31 percent of overall leakage.
In 2012, ANCA is launching, through NYSERDA, the Green Jobs Green New York program for the North Country, with a focus on residences and businesses.
The first step is for homeowners to do a free or reduced cost comprehensive home assessment from a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor, accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), to see which improvements will have the greatest payback. Each participating contractor is trained to identify energy efficiency improvement opportunities and to test homes using a “whole-house” approach. Then the participating BPI Accredited Home Performance Contractor will help you to develop a scope of work for the recommended measures and then install these upgrades. There is financing available to pay for the cost of work. Participants may be eligible for additional incentives including the High Efficiency Measure Incentives (HEMI) or the Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR subsidy (Assisted Subsidy).
Please contact us at anca@adirondack.org or by calling 518-891-6200 to find out how you can get a free or reduced home energy assessment.
President Obama recently announced commitments from 60 major CEOS, universities, mayors, labor leaders, and others to improve the energy efficiency of 1.6 billion square feet of commercial and industrial property. That’s more square footage than 500 Empire State Buildings.
Alcoa and Walgreens, two companies with a presence in the North Country, were among those committing to energy upgrades. More can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/02/we-cant-wait-president-obama-announces-nearly-4-billion-investment-energ
Refitting our nation’s buildings to be more energy efficient will help businesses save money, create jobs for out-of-work construction workers, and help protect our environment. In fact, meeting President Obama’s Better Building Initiative goal—improving energy efficiency in our commercial buildings 20 percent by 2020—is estimated to save businesses $40 billion per year and create 114,000 jobs.
More details can be found here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/02/numbers-16-billion-square-feet
Our goal is to raise $100,000 from individuals and businesses by the end of 2011. We are well on our way – but we need your help to get us over the top.
Join our network by giving online here or by printing and mailing this form
With our networks of partners across the region, ANCA has identified four project areas to help transform our region and localize our economies:
- Food: Uniting the emerging local food economy through mapping the key players and identifying gaps in the system
- Energy: Expanding the region’s capacity to meet its own energy needs by bringing thermal biomass resources and programs to pilot communities
- Work: Creating a dynamic support network for entrepreneurs
- Identity: Launching an Adirondack Branding Initiative
Read about our work in the region and our goals for the upcoming year in the newsletter here
We invite you to join us as we begin this exciting work throughout the region.
Former President Bill Clinton explained how the development of clean energy could stimulate job growth last Tuesday, when he was the keynote speaker at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Open for Business Statewide Conference.
A post about his remarks can be found here:
http://energysecuritya.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-energy-key-to-future-says-ex-prez.html
Governor Cuomo recently announced a new $8 million program to help residents pay for certain appliances and household equipment that were damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
The funding will be available to homeowners on a first-come-first-serve basis beginning Monday Sept. 19 at www.NYSApplianceRebates.com or by calling 1-877-NY-SMART (1-877-697-6278).
More information on the program, including a list of the eligible equipment and rebate amounts, is included here: http://www.adirondack.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Governor-Cuomo-Appliance-Grant-Program-for-Storm-Recovery.pdf
The LaFargeville Central School District, with support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), is installing a wind turbine to produce clean energy at its K-12 school building.
The $110,000 turbine is the capstone project of the district’s two-year clean-energy program.
The Jefferson County district is in the process of installing a 120-foot-high, 9-kilowatt wind turbine for its K-12 building, thanks to a $31,000 incentive from NYSERDA. Of the remaining $79,000, 73 percent will be reimbursed via state aid. The remainder will be funded through local taxes.
The turbine is expected to be up and running soon. The district, located in the Thousand Islands region of Northern New York State, recently installed a $96,000, 10-kilowatt photovoltaic system, with help from a $43,000 NYSERDA incentive. A link on this page will take visitors to a solar panel data collection website set up to monitor the progress: http://www.lafargevillecsd.org/district.cfm?subpage=40819
The combination of wind and solar power will provide nearly 4 percent of the school’s energy costs, both driving down the district’s yearly energy bill and reducing the state’s use of fossil fuels and its production of greenhouse gas emissions.