Millions in annual savings for public buildings and facilities
Albany, NY – April 12, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the New York Power Authority (NYPA) financed and completed 83 energy efficiency projects in 2012 at public facilities throughout New York State. The upgrades, totaling more than $88 million, will provide annual energy savings of $6.4 million to New York taxpayers. The projects will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 34,000 tons a year, equivalent to removing more than 6,400 cars from the road.
“Increasing energy efficiency statewide in public facilities is a common-sense investment in New York’s future and a core component of the state’s energy, economic development and environmental policies,” Governor Cuomo said. “Under the ‘Build Smart NY’ initiative, we are prioritizing projects to make buildings ‘greener’ and more sustainable, which will help create jobs, save New York taxpayers millions of dollars for years to come, and combat the growing threat of climate change.”
In addition to the projects completed in 2012, the Power Authority invested $247 million for energy-efficiency projects in various stages of development. That amount reflects a 68 percent increase in NYPA financing of ongoing energy efficiency projects compared to 2011. The increase is indicative of significant energy savings in the pipeline for public facilities, including schools, universities, hospitals, and state and municipal buildings, and will serve as the springboard for the Governor’s Build Smart NY initiative for improving the state’s energy efficiency.
NYPA Chairman John R. Koelmel said, “Each of the energy efficiency projects delivers energy and maintenance cost savings, freeing up money for the essential services of state and local governments. The upgrades also reduce greenhouse gas emissions in support of robust initiatives and programs established by Governor Cuomo to lower energy use, manage power supplies and improve air quality.”
NYPA President and Chief Executive Officer Gil C. Quiniones said, “Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, the New York Power Authority is making innovative, energy-efficiency technologies more accessible for public facilities and services, and we look forward to furthering New York’s commitment to reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Each NYPA energy efficiency project results in energy, maintenance and operating savings that pay for the cost of the initiative. The total savings for each project exceed the cost of the upgrades over the lifespan of the improvements. Program participants repay NYPA’s financing costs by sharing the savings; after the costs have been repaid, participants retain all the savings.
Last December, Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 88, directing state agencies to increase energy efficiency in state buildings by 20 percent over seven years—one of the most ambitious initiatives of its kind in the nation. The Governor also launched Build Smart NY, a plan to strategically implement the order by prioritizing and accelerating energy efficiency improvements. He designated NYPA to carry out the Build Smart NY improvements. To learn more about the initiative, visit www.buildsmart.ny.gov.
Ashok Gupta, director of programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, the environmental action group, said, “Especially in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, it is great to see that New York State is leading the way under Governor Cuomo to integrate the latest energy efficiency and clean energy technologies to help meet energy demand and reduce climate-changing pollution. These solutions are an effective means of reducing energy use, lowering energy bills and responding to the problem of extreme weather. Governor Cuomo and the New York Power Authority are to be commended for their efforts to advance energy-saving measures.”
For more than two decades, NYPA has provided and financed comprehensive energy efficiency and clean energy services, shepherding improvements from the design and engineering phases through the actual installations. Across the state, these comprehensive efforts have lowered annual electricity bills by more than $148 million at approximately 5,200 public facilities, while reducing peak electricity demand by nearly 240 megawatts and greenhouse gas emissions by 888,000 tons a year. (One megawatt is enough electricity to meet the needs of 800 to 1,000 homes.)
Descriptions of the 83 energy efficiency and clean energy projects that NYPA completed in 2012 are available at http://www.thenypa.com/sites/eeprojects/pages/EnergyEfficiencyProjects.aspx
Contact:
Governor’s Press Office
NYC Press Office: 212.681.4640
Albany Press Office: 518.474.8418
press.office (at) exec.ny (dot) gov
