NYSERDA Announces New Green Campaign

Clarke Gocker

Clarke Gocker

By NYSERDA

NYSERDA Announces Six Organizations to Lead Second Round of Clean Heating and Cooling Community Campaigns in New York

Increases the Number of Campaigns Supporting Workforce Development and Installations in Low-Income Households

July 31, 2019

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced six new organizations have been selected to lead the second round of local community campaigns designed to accelerate the installation of clean heating and cooling systems for residents and businesses. The campaigns support Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the most aggressive climate change program in the nation that puts New York State on a path to being entirely carbon-neutral across all sectors of the economy as well as the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, “Achieving New York’s nation-leading clean energy and climate goals is propelling us toward increased and widespread adoption of energy efficient clean heating and cooling technologies and these community campaigns are designed to increase awareness and confidence among residents and businesses interested in learning more about making the transition. Governor Cuomo’s forward-thinking plan for eliminating the state’s carbon footprint encourages all New Yorkers to help make a difference and we’re proud to work with our partners to help local community members take tangible steps toward reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and lowering energy costs.”

The Clean Heating and Cooling Community Campaign initiative supports community organizations in launching local campaigns that bring together groups of potential customers to obtain discounts for air and ground source heat pumps as well as solar heating through aggregated purchases and a simplified procurement process. It is also designed to educate and increase the awareness and knowledge of the benefits of clean heating and cooling technologies as well as other energy efficiency programs among residents and businesses.

The six organizations, which were competitively selected, will receive $50,000 per campaign and will run a total of three or four campaigns, depending on their respective proposals. The organizations will select installers in the next few months and then hold local events to inform and sign up residents and business to their campaigns.

Organizations were also able to apply for and receive additional funds to support workforce development and increase participation of low- to moderate-income (LMI) households in their campaigns. Workforce development activities include providing training to new and existing installers, providing job placement and support services to individuals and communities that have historically encountered barriers to employment in the clean energy sector, hosting certification training to expand the pool of installers and working with local colleges to provide training to students. Organizations awarded funding in this round are:

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