ALBANY, NY--The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has made more than $1.6 million available through the Multifamily Performance Program to the Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority (SMHA) as part of a comprehensive statewide energy reduction plan.
Following an efficiency upgrade, SMHA will reduce energy use by more than 20 percent in six of its apartment complexes, which is expected to save SMHA nearly $480,000 annually. The NYSERDA initiative is part of Governor David A. Paterson's '45 by 15' plan to meet 45 percent of the State's electricity needs through efficiency and renewable resources by 2015.
Governor Paterson's '45 by 15' program is one of the nation's most aggressive energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. By 2015, New York State will receive 45 percent of its electricity through energy efficiency and clean renewable energy - 15 percent electricity savings from efficiency measures and 30 percent met by renewables. It is estimated that this program will create 50,000 new jobs throughout the State.
The project encompasses six different SMHA apartment complexes made up of more than 1,000 units. Improvements included the installation of:
* High-efficiency heating and air-conditioning systems
* Programmable thermostats for each apartment
* ENERGY STAR(r) qualified refrigerators
* Air-sealing measures
* Low-flow showerheads, aerators and toilets
* Energy-efficient lighting upgrades, including distributing more than 5,300 ENERGY STAR(r) compact fluorescent light bulbs to the residents, and
* Health and safety measures, such as carbon monoxide detectors.
In addition to the financial and technical assistance from NYSERDA, SHMA is also receiving weatherization funds from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. To date, SMHA has received $600,000 for insulation improvements to three of its properties and is expected to receive more weatherization funding through federal stimulus dollars soon.
The total cost to fully implement the energy improvements at SMHA is more than $7 million. To help offset the cost of the project, SMHA also received a $6.2 million dollar loan from Bank of America. Using NYSERDA's New York Energy $martSM Loan Fund, a program that buys down loan interest rates by up to four percent, SMHA received an additional incentive of $947,000 for the Bank of America loan.
NYSERDA
www.nyserda.org
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