Last summer CHPC released the All Green Buildings Great and Small study, which identified barriers to implementing energy efficiency improvements in small and midsize buildings. Shortly thereafter we held a roundtable with industry experts and government actors to discuss some of our findings and recommendations. Since the roundtable, CHPC has continued to work with government agencies to find ways to encourage energy efficiency retrofits in small and midsize buildings:

  • CHPC has joined a working group convened by the Mayors Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability to advise in the implementation of a Community-Based Retrofit Accelerator. The Accelerator will conduct outreach to small and midsize building owners in order to provide them with technical assistance and connect them with available energy efficiency incentives. This is one of many initiatives implemented as part of the One City: Built to Last plan to reduce CO2 emissions in the City.
  • We are also in conversations with NYC Housing Preservation and Developmentas it develops a new financing program to incentivize energy efficiency upgrades in small and midsize buildings. This program was first announced in the Housing New York: AFive-Borough, Ten-Year Plan and is intended to facilitate retrofits that will lower operating costs and help preserve affordability in non-assisted buildings.
  • And we are providing feedback to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on its Clean Energy Fund proposal (CEF). The CEF proposal is made in parallel to the Public Service Commissions Reforming the Energy Vision proceedings, which will transform how utility companies are regulated. This transformation will move utilities towards more market-based regulation and will phase out charges on utility bills which have traditionally funded the energy efficiency programs offered by NYSERDA. The CEF will replace these charges and programs with new initiatives and funding streams.

We are excited to see CHPCs work reflected in the agencies new policies and proposals and look forward to continuing our work with them as these programs are unveiled.