New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Albany, New York
Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence
Energy Efficiency Program Delivery
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), a public benefit corporation, offers objective information, innovative programs, technical expertise, and support to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA administers a number of programs which are designed to support the transition to a more competitive electricity market, reduce New York State’s dependence of foreign fossil fuels, and reduce the State’s overall energy consumption. NYSERDA’s Residential Energy Efficiency Program increases awareness and demand for the implementation of energy efficiency services, ENERGY STAR® products, and advanced technologies. NYSERDA is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence recognition for its ongoing support of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HPwES). Key 2015 accomplishments include:
- Substantially increasing the number of completed HPwES projects. In 2015, 8,577 HPwES projects were completed with an audit-to-project conversion rate of 42 percent, an increase of 32 percent and 10 percent compared to 2014 respectively. An easier application process and more consumer-friendly materials contributed to this improvement.
- Approving projects within one business day, an improvement from eight days through the adoption of the Home Performance XML data standard (HPXML) to streamline the project approval process and many administrative functions.
- Creating a subset working group in the Green Jobs–Green New York Advisory Council specifically to review the low-to-moderate income sector to provide recommendations on how NYSERDA can better support and increase participation of low-to-moderate income consumers.
- Driving more than 26,000 visitors to an energy efficiency microsite where they could learn about energy assessments, financing, and how to get started.
- Offering incentives for more than 1,300 units built to ENERGY STAR requirements, for a total of 27,040 certified homes built since NYSERDA joined the program.
- Saving customers in New York almost 20 million kilowatt hours of electricity and almost $2.4 million in energy costs through its ENERGY STAR-focused appliance and lighting programs. These programs featured robust consumer education, media outreach, and industry promotions, and strategic engagement with almost 900 retail partner stores and almost 80 manufacturer partners.