He also guides homeowners through the financing options, which include low-interest loans and, for some upgrades, cash incentives that partially fund the modifications. Lower-income residents may get a percentage of the work paid for by NYSERDA.
Recommendations for improvements might include sealing window frames, beefing up insulation, replacing appliances with more energy-efficient models, buying power strips that turn off energy delivery to devices when not in use, replacing incandescent light bulbs with high-efficiency LED bulbs — now low enough in price to use in place of the curly compact fluorescents.
D’Arcy can also provide guidance in making choices about which upgrades to undertake. “I sit down and go over the report with you,” he said. “We work with a contractor and determine the savings-to-investment ratio. I like to see a seven-to-nine-year payback. New windows might be ten to 20 years, but sealing around windows might be seven to nine.”
Strong observed that some homeowners might be reluctant to upgrade if they expect to move before enough energy savings accumulate to pay back their investment. One option available is on-bill financing, in which monthly loan payments are added to the utility bill. “We move all the time, every five years on the average,” she said. “With on-bill financing, the bill stays with the property even if you move.”
Energy champions
The problem is how to get information out to homeowners who might want to take advantage of NYSERDA’s program. At the January 8 meeting, Transition members discussed recruiting “energy advocates” who will invite their neighbors to take the Ten Percent Challenge and will explain measures they can take, such as the energy audit offered by NYSERDA.
Julie Last of Transition proposed beginning with a few pilot neighborhoods. “I know all my neighbors, and there are probably 20 people I could rally for a potluck dinner and see if could get them signed up. If you had ten neighborhoods that signed up, you could build a buzz.”
“That makes you an energy champion,” said D’Arcy, also a grass-roots organizer who started a Neighborhood Watch program in his area of Kingston. “Highlighting people in the community is a best practice. The town has to embrace it too, send out one-sheeters, and hold town hall meetings with presentations.”
Town council member Ken Panza and Jim Hansen of the Woodstock Environmental Commission attended the meeting to offer their support for the initiative.++
For more information on NYSERDA programs, see https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/. To offer to act as an energy advocate in your neighborhood, contact Katryna Barber of Transition Woodstock at 679-0779 or [email protected].
