City of Rochester
News Release
(Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018) – Mayor Lovely A. Warren
announced today that the City received a $150,000 grant from the New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for a campaign to increase
awareness and encourage the installation of clean heating and cooling systems
for improved home energy efficiency.
“Rochester is always striving to be cleaner and greener
and I am very grateful to Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYSERDA for helping
residents install more energy efficient systems and save money on their energy
bills,” said Mayor Warren. “Combined with our ongoing climate related
initiatives, this grant will help us to reduce our carbon footprint and become
a more sustainable city, bolstering our efforts to create more jobs, safer/more
vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities for our citizens.”
As a result of the grant, the City of Rochester will
partner with PathStone Corporation Home Rehabilitation and Energy Services to
launch an awareness campaign designed to raise awareness and increase local
adoption of “clean heating and cooling systems” such as air and ground source
heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
The program will facilitate access to home energy
efficiency measures such as energy audits and building envelope improvements,
and offer competitive pricing for city residents for the purchase and
installation of the systems.
NYSERDA’s Clean Heating and Cooling Community Campaign is
part of Governor Cuomo’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent
by 2030.
“Once again, the City of Rochester is leading by example
in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Alicia Barton, President and CEO
for NYSERDA. “Rochester’s pro-active measures to improve energy efficiency and
reduce costs for residents and businesses align perfectly with Governor Cuomo’s
commitment to ensuring clean energy for all New Yorkers.”
“The PathStone Corporation is eager to help raise
awareness and use of clean heating and cooling technologies so that we can
lower our energy use and make our homes more environment-friendly,” said Scott
Oliver, Deputy for Energy Programs at PathStone. “Air source heat pumps are a
great way for people with oil or electric heat to save money on their heating
costs and add air conditioning to their homes.”
The City is one of eight clean heating and cooling grant
recipients in New York State. The grant will play a key role in the City’s
Climate Action Plan’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent
from 2010 levels by 2030 (www.cityofrochester.gov/climateactionplan/).
Some of the City’s climate-related initiatives include:
• Installation
of public electric vehicle charging stations;
• Use of
LED lighting in City facilities and street lights;
• Construction
of a two-megawatt solar field on Emerson Street;
• Launch
of mixed household recycling
• Installation
a green roof and permeable parking lot at City Hall;
• Expansion
of the City’s electric vehicle fleet; and
• 100
percent of electricity use at City Hall from renewable energy sources.
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News Media: For more information, contact Press Officer
Jessica Alaimo at (585) 428-7135.