Small Businesses & Not-For-Profits Eligible for Energy Efficiency Assistance

by | Jun 2, 2011

New Rochelle’s recently-approved GreeNR Sustainability Plan aims to reduce community-wide energy use by at least 20% by 2030. To meet this goal, we need to work in partnership with forward-looking residents and business owners. After all, the private sector accounts for more than 95% of New Rochelle’s energy use, with the commercial sector making up nearly a quarter.

Con Edison’s Small Business Energy Efficiency Program provides a critical source of assistance to businesses and not-for-profits looking to use less energy and cut costs. The program is proactive and mutually beneficial: energy experts from the company will conduct a free survey of a small business’s energy use, provide a set of recommended upgrades to reduce consumption, and — here’s a key point — pay for up to 70% of the recommended upgrades.

One of the early local participants in this program is the New Rochelle YMCA. Yesterday, I joined officials from the Y and Con Ed to announce the very positive results from this partnership: 30% savings on the YMCA’s electric bill, with a payback on the Y’s share of the capital investment measured in just a few short months, and more savings in the years ahead.

Of course, energy efficiency benefits us all — less reliance on fossil fuels, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, greater energy independence, more reliability in our electrical grid, and dollars saved, instead of wasted.

I applaud the New Rochelle YMCA for taking advantage of this great opportunity, and I hope that the Y’s successful example will encourage many others to do the same.

Small Business Program Provides Funding for Energy Savings

by | Sep 28, 2010

Small businesses that use an average of 100 kilowatts or less per month are now eligible to receive significant financial assistance to help pay for energy efficiency improvements. The City is partnering with Con Edison and the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce to help publicize this program and encourage participation.

Eligible businesses will receive a free energy audit and free energy-efficient products, and will also receive funding to pay for up to 70% of the cost of improvements recommended through the audit. Examples of typical energy upgrades are high efficiency lighting; heating, ventilation and cooling system tune-ups; and refrigeration upgrades.

These investments will lower monthly utility bills, while also helping our community as a whole meet sustainability objectives related to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

New Rochelle businesses interested in taking advantage of this opportunity should call 1-888-945-5326 to find out if they are eligible for the program and/or to schedule their free energy audits. For more information on this and other sustainability efforts, contact Sustainability Coordinator Deborah Newborn at 654-2003.