Launch your career in the green jobs of the future! From March 20th to April 7th, RETI Center is hosting a Solar Installation Training in Redhook, Brooklyn. Earn your certifications in solar training at no cost to any participants and no previous experience or qualifications are required!
More details about the program, along with the application, are available here at http://www.reticenter.org/solartraining
Tuesday, October 11th @ 6:30PM-8:00PM EST
Shrink Your Electric Bill and Your Carbon Footprint! Join us for an Information Session about the new community solar program in Red Hook.
On Tuesday, October 11th from 6:30pm-8:00pmSwitch your electric account to Local Power, a brand new community solar program that lets you cut your energy costs every month. You’ll start getting your power from large-scale solar energy systems on commercial buildings in the neighborhood. That means you can go solar without installing a system on your roof – the savings guaranteed, and it’s free to sign-up!
Help us create our local green power system. You’ll learn where the systems are being installed and we’ll discuss opportunities for investment and even ownership in a program that benefits the whole community, including training and jobs for our low-income populations.
Learn more at www.reticenter.org/communitysolar
Climate Works for All (CW4A) is inviting you to join us for our Local Law 97 is here! New Yorkers Tackling the Climate Crisis webinar on September 22, 2022 at 6:00 – 7:30 PM EST.
During this webinar CW4A will bring Climate Week back to every day New Yorkers and discuss how advocating for equitable implementation of city laws like Local Law 97 (LL97) can ensure a healthier and safer future for all of New York. We will also demystify the barriers around actively working towards a just climate transition using resources available to every day New Yorkers through LL97. We want to center the experiences of communities and work to create a space where we can talk to New Yokers about LL97, how it impacts our everyday lives and how we can advocate for an equitable implementation of LL97.
The most effective watchdogs are often those who are on the ground and closest to the work. New Yorkers should know and understand the requirements set forth in LL97 and can act as on-the-ground enforcement to ensure that building owners are meeting their requirements. This can only happen if we are aware of the responsibilities of our landlords and the methods of recourse available to us.
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Event: Local Law 97 is here! New Yorkers Tackling the Climate Crisis
Date: Thursday, September 22, 2022
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM EST
Location: Zoom
Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0tDu47tTT_OEypEx4XwsMw
Everyone is welcome, please circulate through your NYC network via direct email, social media and/or newsletters!
Join the Tishman Center and the NYC 2030 District for a talk about the how’s and why’s of energy and equity in the NYC area. This event will feature speakers with expertise on community shared solar, costal resilience and community capacity building.
Speakers include:
Eric Darrisaw, Director, Agile Fractal Grid
Gabe Landes, Principal, Cottonwood Energy, LLC
Tim Gilman, Executive Director, RETI Center
The panel will be moderated by Mike Harrington, Assistant Director at the Tishman Environment and Design Center.
Presented by the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School and the NYC 2030 District
Thank you to all who attended the Brooklyn Low-to-Moderate Income Household Webinar! If you were not able to attend, you can view the recording of the webinar by clicking here!
You can also download the recording below!
Commission Pumps $518 Million into Con Edison’s Signature Building Electrification Program
ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today approved Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.’s (Con Edison) request to transfer previously collected and unspent funds as well as future authorized electric energy efficiency budgets to support the continuation of its popular Clean Heat program. In addition, the Commission made other modifications to the program, including reallocating an additional $100 million into the program and approving a continuity funding mechanism. Combined, today’s decision will result in $518 million in funding being made available for the company to continue processing applications and will allow for up to $10 million per month of additional funding to continue operating the program.
“Governor Hochul’s commitment to protecting and enhancing our environment has been steadfast,” said Commission Chair Rory M. Christian. “The Commission’s actions today will provide for the funding necessary to allow the company to resume processing and accepting Clean Heat Program applications, thereby minimizing market disruption and advancing the State’s building electrification goals and mandates.”
The New York State Clean Heat Program, which all the major utilities participate in along with support from NYSERDA, promotes the electrification of space and water heating by offering contractor and customer incentives for the installation of air- and ground-source heat pumps.
Con Edison’s Clean Heat Program, which commenced in March 2020, saw rapid growth in the second half of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. That growth put the company on track to substantially exceed its cumulative 2020 through 2025 MMBtu savings target and exhaust its cumulative budget nearly four years ahead of schedule.
The extraordinary program growth led the company to announce that it would stop accepting new air source heat pump project incentive applications indefinitely and, more recently, has instituted a waitlist for all large multifamily and Commercial and Industrial ground source heat pump project applications and is limiting custom ground source heat pump incentives to a maximum of $1 million per project.
Similar to an air conditioner, however with the addition of a reversing valve, heat pumps allow for a change of the refrigeration cycle from heating to cooling or vice-versa. Heat pumps absorb heat from a source, such as outdoor air or the ground, and transfers the heat rather than producing it. In the heating season, heat is extracted from the heat source and supplied to the conditioned space. Conversely, during the cooling season, heat is extracted from the conditioned space and sent into the heat sink. Electrifying buildings’ heating loads are a critical component of meeting New York’s ambitious climate objectives.
Today’s decision comes amidst a chorus of requests from more than a dozen local government officials, sustainability organizations, as well as numerous heating contractors, supporting further funding for the Clean Heat Program in Con Edison’s service territory in order to lift the program pause and continue providing incentives for heat pump technologies.
Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 18-M-0084 in the input box labeled “Search for Case/Matter Number”. Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.
Learn about clean energy technologies, funding & financing available for Low- to Moderate-Income Brooklyn homeowners! Energy efficiency, heat pumps + solar can save money, make your home more comfortable and climate-friendly.
Join us for a webinar Tuesday, August 23rd from 6:30 to 7:30pm.
Register at bit.ly/CleanBuildingsBrooklyn
Co-sponsored by Association for Energy Affordability, Barrio Solar, Heat Cool Smart Brooklyn, New Yorkers for Clean Power, 350Brooklyn, Green Team LI, NHS Brooklyn, Sane Energy, and Sunset Park Redevelopment Committee
Click here to read the signed letter addressed to the New York Public Service Commission
Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn regretfully shares the following news with our stakeholders:
On May 9th Con Edison notified contractors and program participants that their funds for the NYS Clean Heat Program had been exhausted and new projects would no longer be accepted. The company administers the program in New York City. ConEd has issued a petition to the NYS Public Service Commission requesting the transfer of over $400M of unspent funds from other programs to revive the Clean Heat incentive pipeline. This request, if granted by the PSC through an expedited process, may restore program funding sometime this summer.
The announcement of the sudden suspension, issued without advanced notice, has placed considerable hardship on our contractors and prospective customers, and will cause substantial harm to the credibility of the Clean Heat Program and related energy efficiency programs.
From ConEd’s May 9, 2022 NYS Clean Heat Program Notice:
Due to the tremendous response from the market, as of April 2022, the Con Edison Clean Heat Program exceeded its 2025 energy savings target and has exhausted all available funding for the program. To keep the program running through today, Con Edison has already transferred millions of dollars of additional funding from other energy efficiency programs. Nevertheless, stronger than expected program participation will soon exhaust this additional funding. As a result, Con Edison must pause incentives for air-source heat pump projects for space and water heating effective immediately.
Here is a link to the full notice
Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn will provide updates to the community as we receive them. We anticipate a return to facilitating program incentives in the coming months.
