State Honors Building Pros Committed to Saving Energy
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ — More than 100 contractor companies, 350 home builder organizations, 30 home energy raters and several trade organizations are part of an elite group of professionals committed to helping New Yorkers occupy homes that use less energy and provide greater comfort, health and safety, and protect the environment.
Since 2001, the building professionals participating in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Home Performance with ENERGY STAR(R) and New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes programs have helped New York lead the nation in saving energy and improving the environment in the residential market. Collectively they have:
* improved the efficiency, comfort and safety of more than 9,000 homes, saving more than $5 million per year on energy costs * built more than 6,000 homes to New York ENERGY STAR standards, saving more than 3.2 million kWh of electricity or enough to power 500 homes for a year * helped to keep more than 32,000 tons of carbon dioxide out of the air, the equivalent of taking nearly 6,500 cars off the road
NYSERDA and the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) honored the very best of these professionals at the 2006 New York ENERGY STAR for Homes Awards in Syracuse on February 1 (see attached list of award winners). The awards were created in 2002 to honor builders, contractors, home energy raters and trade allies who are leading residential energy efficiency in the home improvement and new home construction industries.
“I commend the program participants in the New York’s ENERGY STAR for Homes programs who have set a new standard for building performance excellence,” said Peter R. Smith, president of NYSERDA. “We look forward to expanding upon that success in 2006. With increased energy prices that are expected to rise steadily into next year, there’s never been a better time for building professionals to help their customers reduce those costs through improved energy efficiency in the home.”
NYSERDA has seen significant growth in the number of contractors and builders signing on to its ENERGY STAR programs, as well as growing consumer demand. Nearly 500 participants in the programs attended the awards ceremony and the two-day Solutions for Success conference last week — a record- breaking attendance for the annual event.
“In five short years, we’ve seen a seachange in the way consumers and businesses view energy efficiency in New York,” said Rick Gerardi, director of NYSERDA’s residential programs. “The top building science professionals in the country are drawn together in New York because they know something special is happening here. The contractors and builders in our programs and their customers are the real heroes of energy efficiency in this state and they set a fine example for energy efficiency advocates across the country.”
The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes programs are sponsored by NYSERDA and LIPA under Governor Pataki’s New York Energy $mart(SM) program. Under the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program, 1-4 family homes of any style or size can be improved to reduce energy use by up to 40 percent. New homes built to New York ENERGY STAR standards are up to 30 percent more efficient than conventionally built new homes.
For more information about these programs, visit http://www.getenergysmart.org/ or call 1-877-NY-SMART. For more information about LIPA’s Clean Energy Initiative and LIPA’s electric conservation and efficiency programs, visit http://www.lipower.org/cei.
All New York Energy $mart(SM) programs are funded by a System Benefits Charge (SBC) paid by electric distribution customers of Central Hudson, Con Edison, NYSEG, National Grid (formerly Niagara Mohawk), Orange and Rockland, and Rochester Gas and Electric. NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation established by law in 1975, administers SBC funds and programs under an agreement with the Public Service Commission.
New York Energy $mart(SM) programs are designed to lower electricity costs by encouraging energy efficiency as the State’s electric utilities move to competition. The programs are available to electric distribution customers (residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial) who pay into the SBC.
LIPA, a non-profit electric utility, owns the retail electric system on Long Island and provides electric service to nearly 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties, and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA does not own any electric generation assets on Long Island.
2006 New York ENERGY STAR(R) for Homes Complete list of award winners Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (R) Excellence in Advertising GreenHomes America by Hughesco, Amherst, NY Outstanding Achievement by CBO New Buffalo Impact, Inc., Buffalo, NY Excellence in Energy Savings GreenHomes America by Hughesco, Amherst, NY Outstanding Program Ally Energy Finance Solutions, Madison, WI Outstanding Partnership Building Performance Institute, Malta, NY Outstanding Achievement Entherm, Inc., Syracuse, NY New York ENERGY STAR(R) Labeled Homes Outstanding Achievement Belmonte Builders, Clifton Park, NY Superior Sales Ryan Homes, Rochester, NY Excellence in Advertising Robert Marini Builders, Albany, NY Excellence in Energy Performance Charlew Builders, Schenectady, NY Outstanding Partnership (for HERS Rater) MIG Building Systems, Rochester, NY Outstanding Program Ally New York State Builders Association, Albany, NY LIPA Outstanding Program Ally Long Island Builders Institute, Islandia, NY LIPA Superior Sales Emmy Builders, LLC, Smithtown, NY LIPA Outstanding Achievement Beechwood-Benjamin Homes, LLC, Arverne, NY Residential Energy Champion Award William M. Flynn, Chairman of the Public Service Commission
First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact:
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
CONTACT: Gayle Dougherty for NYSERDA, +1-978-525-3742,gayle@haggman.com; or Colleen Ryan, +1-866-NYSERDA ext. 3359, cqr@nyserda.org;or Michael Lowndes of LIPA, +1-516-719-9892, Media pager: +1-516-525-LIPA