Starting January 30, New Yorkers will be able to conveniently finance energy-efficient upgrades to their homes through a charge on their electric bill. On average, this charge will be less than the money saved by the improvements, so participants should not see their bills rise on a yearly basis. And if you act soon, you won’t have any payments due until June 2012.

This is the new On-Bill Recovery Loan Program, which we explained in November. The program will be available to homeowners who are customers of Central Hudson Gas and Electric, Con Edison, Long Island Power Authority, New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, National Grid (upstate NY customers only), Orange and Rockland, and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. The program will soon be offered to small businesses, not-for-profits, and multifamily building owners, although it is not yet available for these groups.

NYSERDA recently released the details of the On-Bill Recovery program, which offers lower interest rates than its current financing programs.  For a rundown of the newly released details and an explanation of how the program will benefit you, continue reading after the jump.

EmPower New York services are provided free to households earning 60 percent or less of the statewide median income (HEAP eligible). Services include high-efficiency lighting, replacement of inefficient refrigerators and freezers with new ENERGY STAR® qualified models, heating system upgrades, insulation and air sealing, and health and safety testing to ensure the home is properly ventilated and gases are not escaping into the living space. To ensure quality, all EmPower New York services are provided by Building Performance Institute (BPI)-accredited contractors, and the work is reviewed to make sure it has been done correctly.

Applicants may apply directly or be referred to the program by participating utilities, local Offices for the Aging and Weatherization Agencies. Energy efficiency services are prioritized based on the potential for cost-effective energy usage reduction. For additional information call 1-800-263-0960 or request an application online. For more information on all NYSERDA programs, call the Energy $mart Communities Coordinator at 212-785-0734.

Read the complete NYSERDA Announcement

The money awarded by the DOE is for SunShot NY, a two-phase $3.4 million dollar plan that aims to increase the accessibility and affordability of solar for New York City residents by driving down administrative costs.

Phase 1 will shorten NYC’s approval process for solar installations by creating an online multi-agency permit tracking portal. Development of the portal will involve the support and collaboration of 30 organizations that are part of the solar industry, including utility companies, installers, government agencies, and industry leaders. Once completed, it will remove delays in city installations, cutting down the permitting processes from one year to 100 days. These changes will significantly increase the rate of new solar installations in NYC.

For more information on the award, you can read the press release here. You can also check out the DOE’s page about the Rooftop Solar Challenge, where you can see info about the other 22 award winners.

Following Governor Cuomo’s creation of 10 Regional Economic Development Councils in July last year, the newly created New York City Economic Development Council developed a plan to stimulate economic development and job growth in the region. On December 8, state agencies announced the funding awards that will put the plan into action, and New York City received over $66 million.

Many of the projects that received funding in New York City and around the state will reduce electricity use and promote sustainability. We are pleased to announce that Solar One received $229,000 for its Solar 2 project. The funding will go toward installing a green roof on Solar 2, a new energy positive and net-zero water use environmental learning center that will replace Solar 1 in Stuyvesant Cove Park.

NYSERDA is currently developing the on-bill financing program, which will available to the public in 2012. In the meantime, you can access the NYSERDA Green Jobs Green NY programs for audits and financing.

Want to know more? 

Chances are, unless you read our newsletter very carefully, you haven’t heard of on-bill financing. The concept was included in the Power NY Act of 2011 signed into law by Governor Cuomo in early August, and NYSERDA is currently evaluating how to implement an on-bill financing program, but it has received sparse coverage in the media.

Nonetheless, on-bill financing is something you should know about. It is one of the most significant energy-related laws to pass in recent years. In a Sept. 27 speech in Albany, Former President Bill Clinton touted the bill saying, “This on-bill financing is a very big deal that I think every region should maximize.”

So, what is it and what’s the big deal?

At its simplest, on-bill financing is a way for New Yorkers to pay for energy-efficiency improvements of their homes or businesses through a charge on their monthly utility bills (hence “on-bill” financing). What makes it so exciting is that it’s an easy system to navigate, allowing wide-scale participation, and the improvement work is paid for by the energy savings that it creates. That means you don’t have to put down any money up front and you probably won’t see your utility bill rise.

How can you take advantage of on-bill financing?

The on-bill system won’t be rolled out until next year, and the details are still being finalized by NYSERDA. To get an idea of how it might work, however, we can take a look at NYSERDA’s current programs and see where on-bill financing fits in.

Let’s say you’re a homeowner. You might be interested in making some efficiency improvements around your house to save money on your utility bills, for example if you replaced all your incandescent bulbs with CFLs or upgraded to a new boiler. But how would you know how much you would you save?

If your household income is less than $124,600 per year, you currently qualify for a free assessment of your home’s energy performance through the Green Jobs/Green New York program. A contractor will come to your home and examine the energy efficiency of everything inside, including your lighting, appliances, insulation, boiler and other heating/cooling systems. The contractor will then provide you a list of recommendations for efficiency improvements you could make, along with the amount of money you would save with each one.

To apply for this evaluation, also called an energy audit, simply fill out this form and send it to the address in the bottom left corner. If you qualify, you will receiver a reservation number. Bring this number to a BPI-certified contractor who participates the program, and the contractor will arrange your free assessment. You can find a participating contractor near you here.

Once you receive the list of energy efficiency recommendations from the contractor, it’s up to you which, if any, of the suggestions you decided to implement. They will be listed in descending order of the amount of time it will take for the savings on your utility bill to pay back the cost of doing the work. At the top, you might see changes to your lighting, which often offers the quickest payback. At the bottom, you might see replacing windows, which generally has the slowest payback.

If you decide to follow through on some of the recommendations, NYSERDA already offers several ways to help pay for them. The first step is to go over the improvements you want to make with a participating contractor. It could be the same contractor who performed your energy assessment, or you could find a different contractor who participates. Once you have decided on your contractor, you will work with him or her to develop a “Scope of Work” document, which describes the improvements you will make and their projected energy savings. NYSERDA will review this, and, if approved, you can explore the financing options.

You could be eligible to receive 10% cash back up to $3,000 through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR^® program. But even if you qualify, you might need to take out a loan to help pay for the work. Currently, NYSERDA offers low-interest loans of up to $25,000 per homeowner through Green Jobs/Green New York program. You can even apply online.

This is where on-bill financing will fit in. Although the details are still getting worked out, the idea is this: instead of taking out a traditional loan to pay for the work and then paying it back in installments, you would instead pay no money up front and pay for the work via a charge on your utility bill. The law requires this charge to be less than the projected average monthly savings that come from the energy efficiency upgrades. This means that you probably won’t notice any change in the amount you’re paying. As long as your usage remains the same, the efficiency savings will pay for the work you had done. Once the work is paid off, the savings will be even greater.

One of the reasons many people hold off on upgrading the efficiency of their home is that they don’t know how long they will live there. If you have doubts about whether you will live in a house long enough for efficiency savings to pay for the work you had done, you might hesitate to make the investment. With on-bill fiancning, you won’t have to worry. The charge applied to your utility bill through on-bill financing remains attached to the property, even after it is sold. That way, you can start enjoying the savings immediately without wondering whether you’ll stick around long enough for them to payoff completely.

If you own a business or run a non-profit, the mechanism will be similar. As with current NYSERDA incentives and financing options for businesses, they will likely be different than those offered to homeowners. For assistance with the different programs, contact your area’s NYSERDA Energy $mart Communities Coordinator (for Manhattan and Staten Island, contact Solar One at 212-785-0734, for other areas of New York State refer to the Energy $mart Communities website).

We will be discussing on-bill financing more in the coming weeks, so check back regularly for updates.

Photo Credit: © All rights reserved by Governor Andrew Cuomo

Join us this Thursday for the 5th event of Solar One’s and NYC ACRE’s cleantech discussion series Clean Energy Connections: Biomimicry in the Big City: Can Nature Inspire Cleantech Solutions?

Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 7:00pm-9:00pm (doors open at 6:30p)
The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC
44 Charlton Street, New York, NY 10014
General Admission: $25, Students: $10

Register for your advanced tickets here
Order in advance because only a limited number of tickets will be available at the door.

Humans have always looked to nature for inspiration in industry and progress. By observing nature, we have developed better machines, materials and buildings to improve our world. Only recently, however, have we begun to explore the potential of observing nature to advance clean-energy technology. Entrepreneurs, investors and biomimetic designers will discuss how companies are utilizing biomimicry to design, build and operate innovative cleantech technologies. Join us as experts explore the benefits and challenges of this new collaborative model and dive into the best strategies for success.

A networking reception will follow the panel discussion and audience Q&A.

Opening Speaker:
- Miriam Pye, Senior Project Manager of Manufacturing Technology Development, NYSERDA

Panelists:
- Sam Cochran, Co-founder, CEO & Chief Design Officer, SMIT
- Mark Dorfman, Consulting Scientist, Biomimicry 3.8
- Chris Garvin, Partner, Terrapin Bright Green
- Pat Sapinsley, Venture Partner, Good Energies; President, Build Efficiently, LLC

Moderator:
- Reena Jana, Contributing Editor, SmartPlanet, a CBS Interactive site

Can’t make it? Greentech Media is the media sponsor for this series and will host a free live web stream of this event at www.livestream.com/greentechmedia. Questions for the panelists and comments can be submitted via Twitter @CleanECNYC, #CleanNRGx.

Biomimicry in the Big City is a part of the cleantech discussion series Clean Energy Connections. Clean Energy Connections is a program of Solar One and NYC ACRE at NYU-Poly that brings together professionals, policymakers, investors and academia to explore major topics shaping NYC’s blossoming cleantech industry, and provides an expert forum to share best practices and new inspirations. The event partner for Biomimicry in the Big City is Terrapin Bright Green.

How can smart co-ops and condos turn pressure to “go green” into an opportunity to reduce costs and comply with new codes?

Solar One and the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums (CNYC) are hosting another Intro to Green workshop for co-ops and condos at 7:00pm on October 13. This two-hour workshop will present cost-effective ways to reduce energy expenses and have a healthier, greener building; details on the NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program for energy efficiency retrofits and financing; an overview of new green laws and code changes; and strategies for engaging owners in the greening process.

Date: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 W. 64th Street, New York, NY 10023
Register

If your building wants to go green but doesn’t know where to start, this is the workshop for you. We hope to see you there! See below for how to register, or check out the Intro to Green website to learn more. Pre-registration is required due to limited space.

This workshop is free for residents of CNYC member buildings. If your building is a CNYC member, please register by contacting CNYC at (212) 496-7400 or info@cnyc.coop. For questions about the workshop, call Solar One at (212) 785-0734 or email jeff@solar1.org.

There is a $30 fee for non-CNYC members. Please sign up by clicking here.

Taken together, these upgraded technologies are known as the smart grid. In August, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the non-profit organization that manages New York’s electricity grid and administers the state’s wholesale electricity markets, unveiled a $74 million initiative to upgrade New York’s electricity grid with new smart grid technologies.

Backed by more than $37 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, these technologies will improve the efficiency of the state’s bulk transmission system and improve grid operators’ visualization capabilities and situational awareness. NYISO also held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $35.5 million primary power control center in Rensselaer County.

What does it all mean?

New Yorkers will save money. New capacitor banks will reduce electricity costs in New York State approximately $9 million per year by reducing the amount of electricity that is lost when carried over long distances on the bulk transmission system. All told, the upgrades will provide New York with approximately $190 million in annual savings.

Power reliability will improve. New phaser measurement units will improve NYISO’s ability to receive, process and monitor changing conditions, which it does on a moment-to-moment basis, 24 hours per day. Ultimately, NYISO hopes to integrate its smart grid with others across the Northeast and Canada, which could help avoid potential outages, such as the 2003 blackout.

Renewable energy will get a boost. The smart grid upgrades and new power control center will aid the integration of renewable energy supplies, such as solar and wind, into the power supply.

To learn more, visit the NYISO website, read its press release or check out the NYS Smart Grid Consortium overview.

SAVE THE DATE:

Future Metropolis Volume III
“Water in New York”
May 8, 2011
5-7pm
University Settlement
184 Eldridge Street
New York, NY 10002

Tickets on sale in Early April

Future Metropolis Volume III: “Water in New York” is part of the
New Museum’s Festival of Ideas for The New City,
running May 4-8, 2011.
For more information about the festival, please visit:
http://www.festivalofideasnyc.com/

New York City The Future Metropolis is an ongoing series of events focused on creative thinkers who are using their expertise to make New York City a more sustainable place to live, work, and do business. Each event is an exciting, fast-paced showcase of pioneering ideas and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that both inspires innovation in green industry professionals and remains accessible to the general public.

The theme of the next installment in the series will be “Water in New York.” This theme will cover the water bodies surrounding the city, the ways that water gets used in the city, and the cultural significance of water to New York. The speakers will cover a wide range of topics that relate to water, for example: harbor ecology, rain/grey water harvesting, green infrastructure, the impact of hydrofracking on NYC’s water supply, creating an innovative waterfront, designing landscapes and buildings with water in mind, learning from and on the water, and art created with or in response to NYC’s water.

Back by popular demand!

Solar One Energy Connections, NYSERDA Energy $mart Communities and the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condos (CNYC) have just announced the next Intro To Green for Co-ops and Condos course for April 6, 7-9pm, at The New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West. Doors open at 6:30pm.

This two-hour workshop will:

• Present easy ways to reduce energy costs and have a healthier, greener building
• Provide details on the new NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program for comprehensive energy efficiency retrofits
• Give an overview of new green laws and code changes
• Offer guidance on complying with the May 1st Bench marking requirements for buildings of 50,000 square feet or larger
• Share strategies for engaging owners in the greening process

There is no cost for CNYC members to attend this workshop, but advanced registration is required. Reserve your place by calling CNYC at (212) 496-7400 or by emailing workshops@CNYC.coop.

Non-CNYC members are welcome! Please preregister and pay the $30 course fee by clicking here (or visiting http://co.clickandpledge.com/advanced/default.aspx?wid=40722).

For more information about this and other Intro To Green courses, please visit solar1.org/i2g.

What will NYC look like in twenty years? Will our city become more sustainable and efficient with the resources it consumes as its population reaches nine million in 2030?  Is green really the new black – as in the new norm – for New Yorkers?

We New Yorkers can do a lot to live up to the green potential offered by the history, the geography, and the ingenuity of our city. Sustainability is not a goal but a process, and in order to be most effective, it should shift all aspects of society onto a greener course. From projects affecting the whole city, like the smart electric grid, to small adjustments to personal habits, like recycling, change for the greener must be systemic in order for sustainability to take root in New York.

The systems that run New York – or any other city – are not just physical entities. They are best identified by asking not “What?” but “How?” For example, the question, “What can make our building systems more resource efficient?” can be answered simply: “Do an energy audit and fix the problems that are found.” However, if we ask, “How do we stop the building from being wasteful from now on?” the answer becomes a lot broader: “We do an audit, fix the building, teach the owner, the operators, and the tenants how to use it properly, and establish protocols for checking that everything is running smoothly from now on.” That second answer shows that to fix our carbon problem we need to establish new systems, both hard and soft infrastructures for living and working in a more sustainable way.

The ideas for smarter, cheaper, and more environmentally responsible methods to run a city like New York should inform the evolution of existing infrastructures or establish the necessary new ones. Infrastructures, by definition, have a broad reach, from the generation and delivery of electricity to getting rid of waste water; from food supply to waste disposal; from growing our businesses to deconstructing our buildings; from teaching our future designers, engineers, and other creative professionals to incorporate the triple bottom line into their visions of the future, to preparing the workforce for making those creative visions come to life in a way that works. And perhaps most important of all is the infrastructure offered by our growing collective certainty that we can achieve our goals in a smarter, cheaper, and yet more environmentally responsible way.

In trying to catch a glimpse of the transformation of New York over the next twenty years, we at Solar One decided to put together an evening with the experts who are currently working on developing new (or improving old) infrastructures. Whatever our city looks like and however it functions in twenty years, right now we can only see it through the lens of today’s innovative ideas and discoveries. However, concrete plans have already been put forth by the city government, starting with PlaNYC to give the framework for moving New York towards sustainability. More specific objectives have been set forth in city-wide governmental plans as well as smaller scale private-sector and academic projects. Examples of such forward-looking projects include water quality management through green infrastructure; waterfront revitalization and improving the city’s sustainable food supply through short-sea shipping; and creating ecological art both as a form of expression and means to raise public awareness.

The speakers invited to NYC Future Metropolis vol. 2 will address these and other infrastructure-related topics directly and in discussion of their projects. Please visit the NYC The Future Metropolis section for more information.

Do you ever wonder what New York City will look like in 20 years? If so, please join us on February 17 at 7pm for the second NYC The Future Metropolis event, an exciting, fast-paced look at some of the new technologies, projects, and ideas that are shaping the future of our city.

Volume II of this series will explore the physical infrastructures and shifting networks of ideas that are enabling the green transformation of NYC.  The invited speakers will address topics such as the smart electric grid, NYC food supply, and the importance of human capital to the greening of our business, buildings, and society.

Thursday, February 17, 7pm
The Educational Alliance
197 East Broadway, Mazer Theater, NYC

Click here for directions.

Reserve your spot by registering now! $5 per person (through Click & Pledge). $10 cash at the door.

No more free spots available via MeetUp RSVPs, but you can still buy tickets online or at the door. And you can always RSVP on our MeetUp page to stay informed about future events! www.meetup.com/Solar-One-Energy-Connections/

Please visit the full NYC Future Metropolis website for profiles on the speakers.

New grants are available for Manhattan community associations, gardens, friends of parks groups, housing developments, schools, college/universities, hospitals, or private businesses who plan to start or expand a small scale composting program. These grants range from $100 to $750.

The Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB), Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, and Citizens Committee of New York City have made these grants available to help provide funding assistance for community small-scale organic waste programs in the borough of Manhattan. Additional goals are to encourage projects that utilize environmentally preferable alternatives and to promote plans that generate soil amendments for gardens, parks, street trees, landscaping and/or are marketed as a product.

Manhattan Community-Scale Composting Grant proposals are due by February 4, 2011. Please click here for more information about the grants, proposal process and other requirements.

If you have any questions, please contact Cuong Nguyen at 212-669-7664 or CNguyen@manhattanbp.org

Happy composting, Manhattanites!

As 2010 comes to a close, great news comes in from DC! With the passage of the Federal Tax bill, President Obama also signed an extension of Section 1603, the renewable energy Tax Grant Program.

This extension is a boon for businesses that want to put up renewable energy on their property. Currently, a commercial entity interested in installing a renewable energy system is eligible for a 30% federal tax credit on all expenditures related to the installation. This tax credit, by the way, is called the Business Energy Investment Tax Credit (ITC). Section 1603 is super cool because it allows the entity to receive that 30% federal tax credit as a cash grant.  Since its launch in 2009, this program has been incredibly successful and, to date, has helped encourage more than 4,000 clean energy projects.

Section 1603 is only available to businesses who install one of the qualified renewable energy sources, which include solar, small wind, fuel cells, microturbines, and Combined Heat and Power. There are size and financial caps for each technology, so read the IRS’s literature about the program before you start your renewable energy project.

If you have a company in New York and are interested in installing renewable energy, now is the time to do it! In addition to the federal tax program, NY state also has a host of financial incentives for renewables available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

For more information about Section 1603, check out the IRS website.
There is also a really great write-up about the program from Green Tech Media.

For more information about NYSERDA’s programs, you can contact one of the Energy $mart Communities Coordinators, whose contact info is here.

You can also check out NYSERDA’s Renewable Energy website: PowerNaturally.org.

Our very own NYSERDA Energy $mart Communities Coordinator, Sara Jayanthi, will be on hand in the morning to educate the attendees on how to access information about NYSERDA incentives and other energy efficiency tips.

Community Access to Green Technology
Friday, December 17
11am-4pm
The Armory Foundation 216 Fort Washington Avenue @ 168th St.
Contact: 212.568.4396

Learn how to access the web and internet. Join NoMAA and participate in a raffle for a computer!

Award-winning director and producer Alan Blake traveled cross-country, from Massachusetts to California, visiting the people that use solar power or work in the industry. The Solar Generation USA Road Trip campaign chronicles his three-week trip as a three-part online webisode series to educate the public on the benefits of solar energy.

Webisode No. 1 focuses on the Northeast capturing smaller residential and commercial applications, from a boat marina, fire station and horse farm, to a New York City rooftop and the Crayola Crayon manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania. Webisode No. 2 captures installations in the Midwest including a zoo (with ‘solar bears’), a gas station converted to a solar charging station for electric vehicles, the Ohio Governor’s mansion and a solar manufacturing facility. The last webisode (Webisode No. 3) covers larger scale solar in the West including Denver International Airport, a Garbett Homes community with both solar water heating and solar electric as standard features, Colorado State University, the ballpark of the 2010 World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants, and a Napa Valley vineyard.

Check it out and pass it on:  www.solargenerationusa.org

Opportunity for Restaurants to Make Green by Going Green

The New York State Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NYSRAEF), through an EPA grant funding their Green Hospitality Initiative, is offering a free training on practical and cost efficient ways to save on energy and water usage and cut back on hazardous chemicals while increasing a restaurant’s bottom line.  The training will include:

• Strategic practices in running a sustainable business presented by green hospitality experts and supported by case studies demonstrating previous success in the restaurant industry

• Opportunity to sign up for free energy, water, and hazardous waste audits customized for your establishment

• “Marketing Your Green Efforts” Presentation

• Extensive green resource guide & one-to-one NYSRAEF support

Savvy and responsible operators are realizing that greening their restaurants can be a triple win opportunity: the environment is helped, customers feel good about your efforts, and your bottom line is increased.

To sign up contact:
Alan Someck
516.448.1504
212.398.9160
asomeck@gmail.com

Steve Hruby
440.308.5202
shruby2@gmail.com

For more information: www.nysraef.org/greenhospitalityinitiative

Thursday, October 28, 8:30 AM -11:00 AM
NYSRA Offices
1001 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor
Between West 37 & 38 Streets
Refreshments Provided

Solar One has partnered with Superintendents Technical Association (STA) to reach building operators in New York City and provide them with an “Intro to Green”. Although targeted towards superintendents, property managers and coop board members could also benefit from this technical seminar.

On Monday, October 18th from 6-9pm, a new three-hour course will introduce the concept of green and how it relates to buildings in New York City.

This introductory course will help building operators, property managers, and coop boards manage their buildings in a more energy efficient and cost-effective way. The course will orient building stakeholders in green terminology and concepts; review NYC’s new green laws for existing buildings; discuss NYSERDA incentives available for New York buildings; and determine if future education and/or certifications may be right for the attendees.

For more information or to register, please visit nycsta.org

Monday, October 18th, 6-9pm
230 E 90th St.
Pre-register: $55.00
STA Member & non-members: $65.00 at the door

For more information, contact Mary Tchamkina at Solar One:
646-576-5663
mary@solar1.org