Submitted by Bernice Radle:
As the temperatures start to drop, many of us worry about how high our heating bills will be. Why worry and stress when there are programs you can take advantage of to reduce your utility costs? Doing energy efficiency upgrades will reduce your heating costs and it will provide added comfort, safety and value to your home!
One of the biggest hurdles is navigating and understanding the NYSERDA New York State residential incentive programs. It is important to note that all these programs require paperwork, time and energy to participate but their results are worth it! NYSERDA will not accept a project that does not make financial sense – meaning you will see a payback and you’ll worry less about how high that heat bill is going to be!
Here is a quick rundown of the programs out there for you.
For Single Family Home Owners (1 – 4 Units)
Your first step: get an energy assessment completed for your home!
For a very limited time, the energy assessment is free or provided at a reduced rate depending on your income. The energy assessment will help you identify your priorities and identify costs and savings paybacks for you.
Here are the programs available currently for residential home owners.
· Empower NY – NYSERDA’s EmPower New York program offers FREE energy efficiency services to low-income (i.e., HEAP-eligible) homeowners and/or renters. These services include lighting, insulation and appliance upgrades and more. This is a great program for low income renters who pay utilities – you will immediately reduce your utility bills. Click here for details.
· National Fuel has additional cash rebates out there for furnaces, boilers and other upgrades for the 2014/2015 calendar year. (Note: National Fuel incentives and NYSERDA’s programs cannot be combined!)
· Assisted Home Performance – Free home energy assessments and grants of up to $5,000 to pay up to 50 percent of the cost of energy upgrades for low income home owners/renters.
· Home Performance w/ Energy Star – Qualify for a 10% cashback incentive and low-interest financing that help you save on the cost of energy upgrades, then pay for them without stretching your budget.
For Multifamily Building Owners (5+ units)
If you own an existing multifamily building and want to upgrade your boilers, windows, insulation, lighting and other energy related items, you can qualify for up to $1,300 per unit in cash incentives if you commit to reducing your utilities by at least 15%. Buildings all around Buffalo have taken advantage of this program already; just ask Metro Horizon and L&T Realty!
For more information on the NYSERDA Multifamily Program, click here.
Important Note: these programs can change quickly! For more information, check out the NYSERDA website.
Bernice Radle works for Buffalo Energy. Buffalo Energy designs, consults and installs energy efficiency projects in residential, multifamily and commercial buildings across New York State.