Did you know that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has funds available to help you install energy-efficiency measures in your home? Under the Home Performance with Energy Star program, free or reduced fee energy audits, rebates of 10-50% for installation, and low-cost financing are available to owners of one- to four-family homes.
The process begins with a comprehensive home assessment, also known as a home energy audit. A home performance contractor, who is accredited with the Building Performance Institute (BPI), looks for health and safety issues such as mold, asbestos, and gas leaks, and tests the operation of your heating and hot water heater. The auditor will perform a blower door test to determine how much air is leaking from your home.
Based on these results and the construction materials of your home, the auditor will build an energy model. A few days later, he or she will present a report highlighting any health and safety concerns and recommending options with their costs and estimated annual savings. The results can then be used as a roadmap to a more comfortable and energy-efficient home. The homeowner is under no obligation to have the measures installed.
The full program cost of the audit is $250 for a one-family home and $400 for a two- to four-family home. However, the audit is free if you make less than $130,000 (200% of the area median income, or AMI), and prorated for incomes up to $260,000 (400% AMI).
The application process is easy, and just requires submission of 12-24 months of utility bills. The audit then needs to be completed within 90 days of approval.
Assisted Home Performance with Energy Star
Regarding the actual work, the best program is for lower income residents, those with incomes up to 80% of the AMI. In Brooklyn, that figure is $45,687 for an individual and $65,507 for a family of four. For a one-family property, 50% of eligible work up to $5000 would be paid by the program. For the two- to four-family home, the program covers 50% up to $10,000 of the cost, if the tenants also qualify. If the owner qualifies and does not want to submit forms for the tenants, the limit would be the same $5,000 as with the one-family.
Through this program, even renters can receive up to a 50% subsidy toward the purchase of Energy Star appliances and lighting or other energy-reducing products.
(Programs for households at or below 60% AMI, which are not discussed in this article, include the Weatherization Assistance Program and EmPower New York.)
Home Performance with Energy Star
For other homeowners, the Home Performance with Energy Star program has the high-efficiency measure incentive, which pays for 10% of the installed costs of eligible measures. As with the assisted program, the measures must be economical — that is, the cost must be paid back over the life of the measures.
The model created during the audit is used to assess these measures. The home performance contractor will create a package that is eligible for the program, submits the paperwork, and gets the project approved.
Examples of eligible measures are: insulation (attic, exterior walls, floor, band joists, basement, crawl space), air sealing, efficient furnaces/boilers, efficient central air-conditioning, duct sealing, heating pipe insulation, efficient hot water, solar thermal, programmable thermostats, replacement Energy Star windows and storms, exterior Energy Star doors, faucet aerators, and low-flow showerheads, and appliances (refrigerator, clothes washer, dehumidifier, and CFL lighting).
Once all health and safety issues are remediated, the next step is to make the home “energy-tighter” — insulating and air-sealing from the attic first down to the basement. Insulation works because of the trapped air it contains, so it’s crucial to air-seal before you install insulation; this will stop that air from flowing through the insulation, taking the heat with it. Insulation and air sealing are always economical.
After you reduce your heating load, you might consider installing a new high-efficient heating system. New systems for hot water and hot air can are in the mid-90% range. Unfortunately steam can only get up to 82.5% and, therefore, is usually not economical to replace
Contractors
All Home Performance with Energy Star contractors have been trained in building science that uses the whole-house approach. They can help with insulation, air sealing, and heating/hot water issues. For these contractors, BPI and NYSERDA perform quality assurance that includes review of projects and audits of a number of jobs. In addition, they are insured and must have a home improvement license issued by the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs.
Additional information is available on the web at bit.ly/NYSERDA-program.
In a future article, I will discuss financing options.
— Robert Gilbert is the Civic Council’s treasurer and president of Brooklyn Green Home Solutions.