The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees has approved $1.5 billion in additional program funding over the next seven years as part of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s BuildSmartNY program.
The NYPA board authorized investing in a wide variety of energy technology and renewable energy services, including energy audits, project engineering, design, installation and construction management.
The strategic support will ensure that NYPA continues to meet its goal of substantially reducing energy usage by investing $300 million annually on energy efficiency and renewable measures at public facilities.
BuildSmartNY energy efficiency projects include high efficiency lighting retrofits, occupancy and daylighting lighting sensors, building and energy management systems, boilers, chillers, air-handling systems, thermal storage, micro-grids, solar photovoltaic systems, digester gas systems, and emerging energy technologies. NYPA provides upfront financing with full cost recovery by its customers.
Cuomo’s office said the board’s action supports the targets in New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act through improved energy efficiency in government buildings that will reduce electricity demand by three percent annually, the equivalent of 1.8 million New York households, by 2025.
Over the last 20 years, the NYPA board has approved nearly $4 billion in spending on energy efficiency projects with state and local governments across the state. That money has supported hundreds of energy-saving projects.
The projects are directly linked to the fulfillment of BuildSmartNY and Executive Order 88, which calls for an increase in energy efficiency in state buildings by 20 percent by 2020.
Additional information about BuildSmartNY is available here.
