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Dear Friends of the Climate,

We are pleased to present GridRewards, a free app created by our partners at Logical Buildings. GridRewards tells you when and how to reduce electricity at peak periods to keep those dirty peaker plants turned off. Join the community and take direct climate action using the GridRewards platform. 

● You earn cash payments at the end of the year for reducing summer peak demand.

● You get a grip on your energy use with real-time tracking so you can reduce carbon and lower your electricity bill all year round. NYC 2030 District (NYC2030) will help you save!

● You reduce energy use for just a few hours during summer peaks and have a powerful impact on the city’s carbon footprint and air quality. 
 

● The average household earns more than $100/year, and 97% of GridRewards participants got paid last year through Con Edison’s Smart Usage Rewards program. 

Get started 

Use the QR code above or Download the GridRewards App. Use code “NYC2030” to earn a $10 gift card as a sign-up bonus once you connect GridRewards to your ConEd account. Follow the Sign-Up Tutorial for instructions to enroll, it takes just five easy steps and less than ten minutes. 

Enroll now 

Sign up by April 30th maximizing your earnings for the full 2023 GridRewards season, which runs from May 1st through September 30th. You will receive your GridRewards payment digitally or by check next January, and have the option to donate all or part of your earnings to a select group of climate non-profits. NYC2030 receives a donation to support our NYC community climate work when you enroll . Download GridRewards today to join thousands of neighbors earning money and saving energy! 

Spread the word + a bonus giveaway 

Earn an additional $10 per sign-up with your unique refer-a-friend code when your friends reduce their energy* during GridRewards events. Access your unique referral code by tapping the gift icon at the top-right corner of the mobile app. 
 

All the Best, 

NYC2030, The GridRewards Team and our Community Climate Partners 

When you refer a friend, you’ll automatically be entered into a GridRewards giveaway for a chance to win one of two $500 Whole Foods gift cards, a weekend stay at Getaway House ($750) or a $500 LG Smart AC unit!*

*Refer-a-friend program: No limit to how many friends you can invite. If your friend reduces their use by 0.5kW during each GridRewards event, you’ll both earn the $10 bonus. You will receive your referral bonus when GridRewards payments are made. 

*Terms: This giveaway is not sponsored or endorsed by Whole Foods, Getaway House, or LG. No purchase is necessary.

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

Hello Friends of Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn,

Thank you for your interest and participation in the Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn (HCSB) Campaign. Since 2020 we have helped convert over 50 homes (1-4 Family) from fossil fuel heating to efficient electric heating and cooling systems, and weatherized a few along the way. We have also engaged many multi-family properties of different sizes, and hundreds of apartments, to plan clean heat conversions. HCSB’s funding from NYSERDA (NY State Energy Research and Development Authority) comes to a close this spring.

In May ’22 Con Edison suspended the Clean Heat Program and halted issuing incentives, pending the program’s restructuring and refunding. Most of the HCSB clean heat projects then under contract were delayed or cancelled, and our campaign has been on hold. Con Edison relaunched the program in mid-January with reduced incentive levels and monthly limits on project awards. Details on incentives for different project types are available under the ‘Con Edison Restart’ menu on our website: https://heybrooklyn.org/

We regret to report that the majority of HCSB’s clean heating and cooling contractors have not expressed interest in immediately returning to the ConEd Clean Heat Program. 

HCSB had prepared to launch an Aggregated Retrofit Campaign to secure bulk procurement discounts and streamlined heating/cooling, weatherization and solar retrofits for customers in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the aggregated campaign is not feasible due to the Clean Heat Program delays and the limited time and resources available to us.

HCSB will continue to accept applications, share updated information and be available to assist with your projects through the spring. We will hand off the campaign enrollment contacts to a successor campaign through NYSERDA’s Clean Heating and Cooling Communities program. We expect that ConEd will work through the backlog of projects from the 8-month pause in the program, and NYSERDA will pick up the Brooklyn retrofit campaign later this year.

For any questions or comments, or for information on available retrofit programs for LMI or market rate properties, please contact us at: [email protected]

If you have enrolled in HCSB and have not signed a contract with an installer, we will contact you with opportunities for future retrofits.

If you would like a referral to a clean heat, weatherization or solar contractor, please fill out a form for your property type at https://heybrooklyn.org/.

Best Wishes,
The Heat/Cool Smart Brooklyn Team

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.

Click here to register!

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.       

—

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!

Wednesday, September 21st from 6:00PM-7:30PM

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.

Register Here

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