Focused on the 21st-century housing needs of a changing America, the National Building Museum's Making Room exhibition is poised for the first scheduled transformation of the exhibition's centerpiece-the 1,000-square-foot "Open House" built within the galleries.

The New York State Council on the Arts will be holding a Council Meeting February 16 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the NYSCA offices, 300 Park South, 10th Fl, New York, NY. The purpose of the meeting will be for the Council to vote on FY17 appeals, to review nominations for Panelists to evaluate FY18 grant applications, and to review grantees who have been awarded multi-year support and are scheduled to receive funding in FY18

Solar One, GRID Alternatives Tri-State and Co-op Power today announced the launch of Affordable Solar New York. The nonprofit initiative will bring lowcost solar power to affordable housing providers in New York, which provide critical housing and services to low-income residents. Solar can significantly reduce energy costs for both operators and tenants, yet up-front costs, credit scores and complex financing remain significant barriers for this sector to access the technology.

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced the release of $325,060,769 in heating and home energy assistance funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, providing vital assistance during both the cold winter and hot summer months.

New York’s Department of Public Services staff delivered recommendations to state regulators as part of the state’s Value of Distributed Energy Resources initiative. The report marks the first major milestone in Reforming the Energy Vision process, and depicts a promising opportunity for solar to deliver job growth, healthy communities and grid resiliency to the Empire State.

The Department of Buildings will issue permits for more than 3,000 solar panel installations this year alone and that will bring the citywide total to more than 8,000 installations in 2016. That is an increase from 1,819 installations at the start of the administration. This solar growth puts the City on track to meet its OneNYC goals of installing 100 megawatts (MW) of solar power on public buildings and spurring the installation of 250 MW on private buildings by 2025

The New York Power Authority will host on Wednesday a first responders training at the Niagara Power Project. NYPA security and staff will work with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Response Team on this exercise, which will run from 5-10 p.m. and involve deputies in full tactical gear and SWAT vehicles

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that Fortune 500 retailers Best Buy and Nordstrom have agreed to the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s (Fund) request that they increase the use of renewable energy in their operations and supply chain

The New York Power Authority and the State University of New York at New Paltz announced today they will partner to build a cutting-edge, solar-energy storage system on campus that will offset the school’s reliance on the electric grid.

National nonprofits GRID Alternatives, Vote Solar, and the Center for Social Inclusion today launched the Low-Income Solar Policy Guide, a new online tool offering the most comprehensive look at proven policies and program models for expanding access to solar power and solar jobs around the country.

The Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) and Steamfitters Local 638 members, who install the fire suppression systems that have helped make New York City the safest big city in America, laud the near-record low in fire fatalities last year. In 2015, the FDNY responded to a record 1.7 million calls, yet reported just 59 fire fatalities—the second lowest number since the city began record keeping a century ago

Standing outside of SolarCity’s new solar panel manufacturing site currently under construction in Buffalo, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) discussed the recently approved extension of the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the impact it will have on Western New York

Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20) this week continued his campaign to advance renewable sources of energy in asking Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to include in a year-end tax extender package key priorities related to the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC)

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced increased levels of support through Renewable Heat NY for high-efficiency, low-emission wood heating systems to improve the return-on-investment for homeowners and businesses.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded support for 11 innovative advanced building technologies as part of the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy to increase energy efficiency in buildings and grow businesses throughout New York State.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that he is deploying Department of Financial Services representatives to the Southern Tier to offer foreclosure prevention assistance to financially struggling homeowners.

New York’s aggressive efforts to expand its clean energy economy are continuing to produce impressive results, with the state ranking third in the nation in new solar capacity during the first quarter of 2015. New York trailed only California and Nevada in Q1, according to the recently released U.S. Solar Market Insight Report compiled by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

The World’s Largest Hardware Cooperative Retains 292 Jobs and Creates 25 New Jobs in NY Empire State Development (ESD) announced that Ace Hardware Corporation, the world’s largest hardware cooperative, will expand with a new Retail Support Center in Saratoga County at 55 Northern Pines Road in Gansevoort, New York.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that Area Development, a national trade publication covering site selection and facility planning, has selected the SolarCity development project at RiverBend as the magazine’s 2014 Economic Development Project of the Year in New York State.

Congressman Steve Israel (D-Huntington) announced a nearly $100,000 investment for Codagenix, Inc., a biotechnology start up located in Stony Brook, NY. The $99,811.00 federal grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) will provide Codagenix with the resources they need to develop a Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) vaccine, an infectious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals.

Sunrun, the largest dedicated residential solar company in the U.S., today announced a partnership with the Westfield Corporation to bring interactive stations to malls in New York and California. Beginning this week, Westfield malls will unveil stations that educate consumers on the ease and cost savings of making the switch to solar, and provide customized home proposals in minutes.

Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus announced on Thursday that the Department of Public Works has received a rebate for $16,500 by participating in Orange and Rockland’s Big Energy Solutions Rebate Program.

Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the selection of 11 organizations to deploy their innovative technologies and climate change solutions to at-risk and vulnerable small businesses. The technologies were selected from a group of 27 finalists competing in the Resiliency Innovations for a Stronger Economy (RISE : NYC) competition, a New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) program designed to help small businesses impacted by Hurricane Sandy prepare for future storms, sea level rise, and other effects of climate change, while strengthening New York City’s long-term resiliency efforts

SL Green Realty Corp (NYSE:SLG) today announced that Parimala Rao has joined the Company as Senior Vice President of Information Technology. Mrs Rao brings twenty years of experience to the position. Most recently, Mrs. Rao served as Executive Director of Technology at The New York Times where she was awarded the Prestigious Publisher's Award for Technology Innovation.

Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) called on Congress to support the Solar Ready Vets program, a federal initiative introduced by the White House to provide job training and opportunities for veterans in the rapidly growing solar industry. Speaking on the House Floor on Earth Day, Higgins urged colleagues to support the new initiative.