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2025 CLEAN POWER GUIDE
Welcome to the 2025 Clean Power Guide. We are here to help you make complex choices your way and take advantage of the stunning advances in both clean energy technology and economics. The cost of solar continues to fall, and heat pumps have outsold gas furnaces for the second year in a row. But as the Inflation Reduction Act and New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act show increasing impacts, political confusion can spill over into consumers’ newsfeeds and create an extra layer of fact-finding homework. And in this fast-moving marketplace, there are more diverse choices than ever. We hope this resource continues to support empowered consumer action. It’s the patriotic thing to do.
—Melissa
Everett, PhD, executive director, Sustainable Hudson Valley
From Policy to Reality
“We are blowing through our carbon budget the way an addict blows through cash.”
—Dr. Robert Howarth, Cornell University Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology
Right now, the biggest commitments to action in New York are reflected in two major laws, New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Both are in a class by themselves in terms of ambitious vision and financial investment to stop the emissions that are destabilizing the climate. Both are first big steps on a longer path of freeing economic prosperity from fossil fuel dependency.
In 2019, New York passed the CLCPA, a commitment to transformation of the state’s economy to operate on renewable energy supported by efficiency and battery storage. The law did not just set goals but established actual requirements to be met by suppliers of energy and transportation systems, industry—everybody—to decarbonize most of the way by 2040 and completely by 2050. State government, across agencies, was designated as the responsible party to make it happen with appropriate resources and policies.
With the passage of the CLCPA, state government quickly geared up to commission and permit transmission lines for large flows of renewable energy, create an Office of Renewable Energy Siting to sort out land use disputes, direct the utilities to
plan for grid upgrades, and commission the first offshore wind installations—which has already resulted in turbines turning on the first Long Island wind farm.
The result is an infusion of money and help to make it fairly easy to insulate, go solar, install a heat pump, choose an EV, upgrade your wiring if needed, and look back without regret on the minor hassles that gave rise to your efficient, cheap-to-operate, fossil-free life.
The Federal Inflation Reduction Act adds benefits. There is even a Direct Pay program so that nonprofits can access benefits similar to tax credits without paying taxes, and a whole suite of programs to improve the economics of clean energy in historically marginalized communities. And the IRA has a wider impact, funding a wide range of technologies, including grid modernization hardware and software for the utilities.
With the passage of the CLCPA, New York launched a structured planning process for implementing the policies and programs that would make it realistic for home owners, business owners, and industry to comply. The DEC and NYSERDA created a Climate Action Council representing most state agencies, industry, and community interests. Stakeholders across the spectrum, from the trucking industry to the New York City Environmental Justice Coalition, were in the room as options were discussed and a policy framework—called the Scoping Plan— was created. It was refined after 20,000 public comments were received. DEC was directed
to publish a regulatory framework linking the rubber to the road, by January of 2023. That framework has not emerged.
In spite of the money on the street and the widespread proof of possibility, politically, the CLCPA is in the doldrums. This is a result of two kinds of pushback: honest and cynical. There is room for honest people to wonder how millions upon millions of buildings and the entire electric grid will be decarbonized so fast. There is honest concern about “energy sprawl” among farming, historic, and community interests.
In spite of the money on the street and the widespread proof of possibility, politically, the CLCPA is in the doldrums. This is a result of two kinds of pushback: honest and cynical. Honest people can wonder how millions upon millions of buildings and the entire electric grid will be decarbonized so fast, or how to protect rural communities from “energy sprawl.”
But there has also been a cynical stirring of the pot, including a campaign by front organizations traced to the gas and propane industries, claiming literally that arms of the state would be confiscating furnaces. In reality, what we have so far are a few model local laws, such as Beacon’s, requiring heat pumps for new construction. So far, these have not caused a ripple because building contractors are learning that heat pumps work fine.
The CLCPA has opened a pipeline of funding and technical assistance to help all of us reduce our footprint, if we are willing to invest some time in understanding how to capture the opportunities.
South Fork Wind, a 12-turbine, 132 megawatt offshore wind farm powering over 70,000 homes on Long Island, came online earlier this year.
Energy Upgrades 101 Assessing Your Home and Choosing a Contractor
By Melinda McKnight, Owner and CEO, Energy Conservation Services, Inc.
The transition off fossil fuels can be a challenging journey. How does a homeowner navigate the marketplace and ensure that any improvements you decide to make will create the desired outcome? How do you protect your resources and investment? Knowledge is power. Start with a comfort and energy assessment, also referred to as an energy audit. This should be performed by a professional who is:
• Certified by the Building Performance Institute (which takes a systems approach to buildings).
• Familiar with the materials and methods used to improve comfort, efficiency, health and safety.
• Knowledgeable and experienced in applying Building Science and, therefore, most able to assist property owners by setting appropriate and specific priorities.
When considering a company to perform your comfort and efficiency improvements, make sure they are:
• Committed to industry-specific “best practices” in air sealing, ventilation, and insulation.
• Dedicated to developing solutions designed specifically to achieve your goals and to address your individual needs—not a “onesize-fits-all” insulation installer, but one who offers you options and describes the
reasons for them.
• Knowledgeable about how to safely and effectively improve comfort, efficiency, health, and safety for building occupants
• Able to achieve tangible improvements to the building envelope, and able to help homeowners become “heat pump ready”— if that is your eventual goal.
When you are ready to move forward with hiring contractors of any kind, consider whether they:
• Possess any necessary licenses or are accredited with industry-specific trade organizations. For example, the Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certification and Accreditation is the nationally recognized credential for the Building Performance Industry. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is a recognized credential for solar professionals.
• Warranty their work for a minimum of one year. Credentialing agencies, such as the Building Performance Institute require a “Dispute Resolution Policy” to be submitted with every renewal of the company-wide accreditation. No such requirement exists for certified professionals not associated with an accredited company.
• Carry general liability, disability and workers’ compensation insurance (for all
Before making any decisions about transitioning off fossil fuels, homeowners should start with a home energy audit.
employees) and can provide certificates of insurance.
• Provide references and/or testimonials.
• Are committed to quality and treat their employees well, because a positive workplace culture is more likely to result in an excellent work product.
• Obtain building permits from the municipality where the property is located and ensure that all work complies with local and state building and energy codes.
The best protection for consumers who hire contractors is to perform their due diligence before signing a contract. If a contract has already been signed, New York State mandates that all companies provide consumers with three days to withdraw.
Once upgrades have been performed— whatever they may be—if there were issues with work quality or contract compliance, the only recourse is to try to resolve them after the fact. The Office of the New York State Attorney General provides some oversight of consumer protections, and free educational resources on their website at Ag.ny.gov. These include extensive resources about home solar and about contractors and home maintenance. Another option is to file a lawsuit (although statutes of limitations apply). An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Do your homework and enjoy the results!
Heat pumps got big boost this year as expanded rebates were made available through NYSERDA’s Empower+ program.
Next Steps for Clean Energy
A Conversation with Tom Konrad on Green Economy Trends
Tom Konrad manages a clean energy-focused hedge fund for Investment Research Partners in Lermont, Pennsylvania, as well as being an energy coach for New Yorkers for Clean Power and the Chair of the Environmental Conservation Commission for the Town of Marbletown. He sat down to discuss trends he’s seeing in the clean energy space.
What’s happening with EVs? Sales trends? Rebates?
Electric vehicle (EV) sales have been less than expected for most US-based EV manufacturers. Tesla has been slow to launch a new model, and other manufacturers were overly optimistic about the speed of the transition to electric. The rapid growth in EV sales has outpaced the build-out of chargers, especially in California, if less so in New York. National stories about difficulty charging while traveling have drained the batteries of the shift to electric vehicles, which is now accelerating more like a 1980s diesel Rabbit than a Porsche Taycan. With auto manufacturers needing to convince a newly skeptical public, now is a good time to buy an EV. There is also a tax credit or upfront rebate for EV purchases—$7,500 for new EVs and $4,000 for used EVs. The used market is strong, but finding a used EV to buy can be tricky, since we were buying a lot fewer EVs three years ago. EV growth is still rapid, just less rapid than carmakers thought it would be.
What are we seeing in larger scale solar?
Commercial scale solar is slowing due to the difficulty of interconnection—a big challenge for building more large-scale solar installations is interconnection with the grid. The “low-hanging
fruit” of good spots for solar developments to connect to the grid easily has been used up, making it harder and more expensive to connect new solar installations. This will be a significant barrier to achieving the New York Climate Leadership and Protection Act goal of 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030. The issue is more challenging the larger the installation is, particularly when the solar farm is measured in megawatts, not kilowatts.
What are you seeing in heat pump adoption and home energy improvements?
Heat pump installation continues to be strong. The pace of heat pump adoption is largely driven by the replacement of air conditioners and boilers. The good news is market share. The percentage of people making the mistake of reinstalling a furnace or boiler instead of replacing it with a heat pump is dropping. There are also fewer people installing new air conditioners that are not heat pumps.
One big boost for both heat pumps and the insulation industry is the expanded rebates available through NYSERDA’s Empower+ program. These funds came from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed by the Democrats in 2022 and signed by President Biden. New York was the first state to implement the low and moderate income rebates in the IRA, and that money went into expanding Empower+.
There may also be new technologies coming that make retrofitting older systems easier, like modern electric boilers that could replace the oil boiler in a home with baseboard heat. These are heat pump based, air-to-water heat pumps. These are already used in Europe and policy changes may open the market here.
What are municipalities doing?
There are increasing investments in clean energy by local municipal governments, particularly in EV chargers and medium scale solar installations. There is some progress in transitioning municipal and county vehicle fleets to electric. Electric buses are heavy vehicles requiring level 3 chargers, meaning that bus charging depots can be delayed by the same interconnection issues plaguing solar.
What new consumer tech are you excited about?
There are new induction stoves with built-in batteries from Channing Copper Co and Impulse Labs that could facilitate easier retrofits. These only need the standard 120 volt outlet that even gas stoves require to operate their controls and lighters. While they are not cheap, they can be a more affordable option compared to an electrical upgrade, which can cost thousands of dollars in difficult cases.
The falling cost of batteries and expanded tax credits are making home battery systems a more viable alternative to a generator. These systems, as well as the induction ranges with batteries mentioned above, qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit due to the Inflation Reduction Act.
What are the job opportunities going to be for Clean Tech?
There will continue to be a large shortage in the electrician, plumbing and HVAC trades. These jobs pay extremely well without needing a college degree. Transitioning to solar, EVs, and heat pumps requires us to expand our skilled trade workforce, which was already in short supply.
WIRED FOR CHANGE
What’s Now and What’s Next in EVs
BY STEVE WEHR
Steve Wehr is a retired IBM senior engineer, an EV coach for New Yorkers for Clean Power, and a member of the Town of Hyde Park Climate Smart committee. Wehr spends all day nerding out on electric vehicles, charging, renewable energy, and battery technology, so you don’t have to.
When I bought my first EV in 2019 there were about four car brands selling EVs. Now there are at least 45 fully electric models for sale in the US, from every car brand. From subcompacts, to pickup trucks, to three-row SUVs, there is an EV for sale today to fit every family and budget. I was one of the first in my town with an EV, but now there are over 250,000 EVs on the roads of New York and over 45,000 right here in the Hudson Valley.
Since the first Nissan Leaf rolled off the assembly line in 2010, EVs have been changing rapidly. Once exclusively expensive “luxury” vehicles, many EVs today are priced below the average new car. In fact the best-selling car in the world in 2023 was the fully electric Tesla Model Y. There are now six new EV models priced under $40,000, before incentives. And you can find many used EVs for $15-$25,000, before incentives.
The incentives have changed too. Current incentives are no longer tax credits, but are
deducted from the sale price by the car dealer. EVs that are assembled in the US, with batteries made mostly in the US, are eligible for $7,500 off the purchase price. New York offers an additional $2,000 off the purchase price. This means some EVs get instant rebates up to $9,500. Used EVs get a $4,000 instant rebate.
These powerful rebates have incentivized manufacturers to build their cars and batteries in the US. Dozens of auto and battery companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new factories in the US, creating hundreds of thousands of new manufacturing jobs.
EV chargers are popping up everywhere. You will see fast chargers at all the rebuilt rest stops along the Thruway, and along other major highways. Most states have finished their plans to use the federal government funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to build EV charging, and we are now seeing new fast chargers along most major US highways.
And at long last, EVs are converging to use one common charging plug, instead of the two different plugs we’ve always had. The Tesla charging plug will be on all new US EVs starting in 2025 or 26, and all car brands will be able to use many Tesla supercharger stations in addition to combined charging system stations.
Battery tech is improving too. The lithium-ion
battery is still king, but there are new types of that battery, called LFP (lithium iron phosphate), that offer cheaper prices, better cold weather performance, increased safety, and do not used nickel or cobalt. These batteries are in about 50 percent of the EVs made today. Huge new lithium deposits in the western US promise to continue lowering the cost of EV batteries.
For the last several years, we have heard that solid state batteries are just a few years away. But guess what—they are now just a few years away. “Solid state” means that the battery’s liquid electrolyte (what separates the anode and cathode) is replaced with a solid material. This leads to lower weight, higher energy density, faster charging speeds, and less risk of fire. A few car brands will feature these batteries in their 2025 models.
Battery recycling is also gearing up to get ready for EVs to start retiring. Several companies, one based in New York, have built recycling plants that can reclaim nearly 95 percent of a battery’s constituent chemicals. These are sold to battery manufacturers to make new batteries in a closed loop system.
EVs are still in the beginning of their development. We’ve had over 120 years to develop the internal combustion engine, and only about 12 years of EVs in production. Changes are coming fast and I’m excited!
Bright Idea: Microtransit
Clean transportation is more than cool electric cars, buses, and trains. Connecting people with the transportation system and making transportation accessible at all price points means getting creative. As more and more companies and agencies lean into making electric transportation workable on a mass scale, creativity is flowing in a new arena: microtransit. From e-bikes, scooters, and pedicabs on the small end, to electric shuttles getting people to the bus and train, microtransit is mainstreaming in major cities. Uber and Lyft dominate in New York City, but in New Rochelle, there are electric micro-shuttles. In Queens, Dollaride is electrifying existing vans and engaging minority franchise owners.
In Hudson Valley communities, the most common manifestation is e-bikes and scooters, which rock when deployed on roads designed for their use. NYSERDA has launched a new Clean Mobility Program offering planning grants to communities to increase access to affordable, zero-emission modes of transportation, so watch this space!
—Melissa Everett
RESIDENTIAL
Enroll in Central Hudson’s Electric Vehicle ChargeSmart Program for a sign-on bonus and additional incentives for charging your vehicle during o -peak hours.
BUSINESSES & MUNICIPALITIES
Participate in the Make-Ready Program for up to 100% of electrical infrastructure costs covered when installing chargers. Plus, New York State o ers up to $4,000 per charger, while funds last.
The first step to decarbonization is an AWEsome three-step process: Assess, Weatherize, and Electrify.
If you’re a homeowner excited about making your home more energy-efficient, the journey can seem overwhelming. There’s a lot to consider: from researching the best technologies to choosing trustworthy contractors, and navigating the array of financing options available through state and federal programs. Luckily, with a thoughtful approach, it can be manageable and even empowering.
I suggest an AWEsome three-step process: Assess, Weatherize, and Electrify. This structured method helps break down the complexities of home upgrades into manageable actions. Let’s walk through the steps.
Assess Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
The first step in your decarbonization journey is to Assess your home’s energy performance. Owners of one-to-four family homes in New York State can receive a no-cost energy assessment through a NYSERDA program. This professional assessment provides a snapshot of how your home is currently performing and identifies easy fixes that could immediately reduce your energy consumption. It also provides a starting point for future improvements.
For example, switching to LED lighting, cleaning your dryer vents, or replacing worn-out AC filters can make an immediate impact. These small steps
Decisions, Decisions
SIMPLE STEPS TO ELECTRIFYING YOUR HOME
By Marcy Cleveland, Founder, Green Building Specialists
help optimize your home’s existing systems while you prepare for more significant upgrades.
Beyond the assessment, consider talking to an energy coach—many programs, such as New Yorkers for Clean Power, offer free online energy coaching sessions. An energy coach isn’t tied to selling specific products, so they can give unbiased advice on prioritizing improvements over time.
This can help you design a long-term plan for your home’s energy transformation that works with your budget and goals.
Weatherize for Maximum Efficiency
The second step is to Weatherize your home by improving its insulation and sealing up any gaps or cracks that let in drafts. Weatherization is the foundation of an energy-efficient home, whether you’re still using fossil fuels or have already begun to electrify.
The most significant energy savings in colder climates come from improving how your home retains heat during the winter. Gaps and cracks around windows, doors, and other parts of your home’s envelope allow warm air to escape and cold air to creep in, forcing your heating system to work much harder. Sealing these areas is a relatively inexpensive way to dramatically improve your home’s efficiency.
When hiring a contractor for weatherization, ask if they’ll conduct a blower door test. This test pressurizes your home, allowing the contractor to find even the smallest air leaks. These various air leaks can then be tightened and eliminated in many ways: a tighter door frame, caulk-like sealing of tiny cracks or openings, spray foam to fill larger gaps through to the interior of a wall. This is an amazingly cheap way to make your home far more efficient. It’s essential to perform this test before and after weatherization work to measure improvements. Addressing these hidden issues was a game-changer for my home’s comfort and efficiency.
Once your home is sealed, the next focus is insulation. Insulation slows heat transfer through your walls, floors, and roof, helping your home maintain a stable indoor temperature. A professional energy assessment using infrared technology can identify the areas where your home is losing the most heat so you know where insulation is most needed. There are many options for modern insulation, and it’s a good idea to speak with an unbiased energy coach to explore them rather than a single contractor. These options include spray foam insulation, rigid foam board insulation inside walls, and blown in, professional grade cellulose fiber. The best solution will depend on your home and your specific goals.
Electrify for a Clean Energy Future
The final step is to Electrify your home. Once you’ve sealed and insulated your home, it’s time to transition from fossil fuel-based systems (like oil boilers or propane heating) to electric alternatives. At this point, your home is more efficient, requiring less energy to maintain comfort—making the switch to clean electric technologies more effective and affordable.
During your early planning phases, make sure your electric system is in shape for higher loads. Your breaker box should be able to carry 200 amps (compared to the 60 to 100A capacity in some older houses). Your wiring should accommodate 240 volts if an induction stove, EV charger, heat pump, or heat pump water heater is in your future. Next time you are upgrading lighting or getting anything electrical fixed, talk with your electrician to makre sure your system can accommodate your plans.
Choosing the right heating and cooling system is essential. Cold climate air-source heat pumps are a popular choice due to their high efficiency, even in harsh winter regions. For new construction or larger homes, a ground-source or geothermal system can be a worthwhile investment, offering high efficiency and often superior long-term savings, despite higher up-front installation costs. Federal tax incentives and financing options help make these systems more affordable by spreading costs over time and aligning them with long-term energy savings.
Another option is installing a heat pump water heater, which uses three times less energy compared to traditional water heaters. These are
all great choices, but your decisions will depend on your home. It is important to do your research with an energy coach or by getting estimates from a few different contractors and comparing them. For example, heat pump water heaters are highly efficient, but create some cold air as a byproduct. In some smaller or tighter situations, a normal (high efficiency) electric resistance water heater is a better solution, and this older tech has also improved dramatically in the last 20 years. When it comes to sourcing clean electricity, you don’t necessarily need to install solar panels on your roof or on your property. Many homeowners opt for community solar programs or choose an energy supplier or ESCO (energy service company) that gets its power from renewable sources like solar and wind. These options allow you to go green without the upfront cost of installing solar.
Planning for the Future
It’s important to think about all your potential upgrades in advance so you can coordinate them effectively. Tackling low-cost, high-impact projects—like weatherization—first can save you money in the short term and give you more financial flexibility for larger investments down the line. Decarbonizing your home may seem like a daunting task, but by following the AWE framework—Assess, Weatherize, Electrify—you can take it one step at a time. With the right resources, planning, and support, you’ll be well on your way to creating a more energy-efficient, sustainable home.
DON’T MISS: SMARTER THAN EVER CLEAN POWER EXPO + INFO SESSION FOR HOME ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS
January 29, 2025, 5:30–7:30pm The Fuller Building, 45 Pine Grove Avenue, Kingston
As always, we launch the year’s programming with a festive, information-filled Clean Power Expo in Kingston on January 29, 2025. Our theme is “Smarter Than Ever.” A panel of home energy experts will be there to help, even with your most complicated and thorny questions. So will all the businesses that generously sponsor the Clean Power Guide.
The second step in the AWEsome process is to Weatherize your home by improving its insulation and sealing up any gaps or cracks that let in drafts.
Green Skills, Golden Opportunities
NEW YORK’S CLEAN ENERGY CAREERS
By Melissa Everett
Over the past year, the clean energy sector has experienced significant growth nationally, adding more than 250,000 jobs. In New York alone, the Climate Leadership and Protection Act (CLCPA) is projected to add 160,000 new jobs by 2030. This expansion presents numerous opportunities. But what do these roles entail, and how can you pursue them?
Direct benefits of the CLCPA’s policies and funding programs are the energy efficiency and clean energy industries. These include:
• Building weatherization and insulation
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning through advanced systems such as air source and ground source (geothermal) heat pumps and heat pump water heaters
• Solar electricity on rooftops and larger scale installations serving communities and utilities
• Wind, both offshore and on land
• Electric vehicle production, conversion, sales and service
• Battery storage manufacturing, installation, and maintenance.
The clean energy field is broader than the CLCPA specifically requires and funds, including areas such as bioenergy and solar water heating which make sense in specific contexts. And green jobs are broader still, from urban forestry to environmental public health. But let’s dive into clean energy as a
broad-enough field and a growing one.
Behind the scenes of all these products are constant innovations in materials, design, production, and implementation. For instance, a breakthrough in EV charging design for urban settings comes from the Brooklyn based company Voltpost, which has developed a charging technology designed to be embedded in street light poles. One of the biggest areas of innovation in climate tech is software and system controls. Another is innovative materials for efficient buildings, panels, turbines, batteries, and more.
To make sense of the gobs of information out there on green jobs, it helps to keep two truths in mind. First, there are many shades of green. That is, there are many nuances of ethics and impacts in clean and climate tech jobs across the range of employers, from mom-and-pop solar companies to Tesla. Employer size and stability also impacts the quality of jobs. For example, rooftop solar companies often operate at very thin profit margins, and installation is treated as an entry-level job. Utility- or community-scale solar companies, by contrast, are larger and in many cases, have unionized workforces.
Second, in today’s economy, occupational categories are murkier than they used to be. This brings us to annoying complexities when we try to make simple sense of whether an opportunity is really a job, and what its environmental benefits are. Example: installing and maintaining heat pumps is
a cool and growing green job category. You can do that job for companies that specialize in only heat pumps. But you can also do that job working for a conventional oil or gas delivery company, as they see the trend and diversify their services.
You don’t need to specialize in the technologies to support the industries. They all need administrators, finance people, sales and marketing, project and site management, HR, graphic design, and customer care. And the industries need policy advocates, research and development engineers, and others focusing on the bigger picture. They, in turn, may need support staff who can grow into senior roles.
If you do want to lean into the technology and develop a specialty, there are multiple entry points. Installing solar panels is an entry into the electrical trades. Insulating and weathering buildings is a small step into architecture; as you master the building science behind this work, you will be more equipped to go into architecture. Installing heat pumps and heat pump water heaters will give you a peek into the world of plumbing and HVAC.
While we used to talk about career ladders, today they are less consistent across employers and industries (and sometimes wobbly). The Department of Labor has come up with the euphemism “career lattices” to describe the less certain, more negotiable pathways you can take from entry level to greater expertise and responsibility. NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Career Maps (available at Nyserda.ny.gov) show the types of
roles that are common in key clean energy industries.
Entering into these industries requires the usual mix of skill, thoughtful targeting, and hustle. Fortunately, there is unprecedented opportunity for exposure and low- to no-cost learning. Many campuses have clean energy or sustainability clubs and relevant classes. NYSERDA even publishes a directory of free, online training resources in clean energy. Trade associations such as NYSEIA (the NY Solar Energy Industries Association) and NY-GEO have conferences that welcome newbies.
As you figure out how to get closer to clean energy opportunities to identify the good ones, your greatest asset is your prior experience—even if you think it is teeny. Whatever you have done—be it sales, event organizing, graphic design, or service—highlight the aptitudes and experience this brings you, as a foundation to build on.
And building is easier than ever. New York has invested millions into helping employees to get a foot-hold in the clean energy economy. Paid workforce development programs include:
• Paid internships, up to $17 an hour for 480 hours for students in New York colleges and universities at qualified employers.
• Climate Justice Fellowships, providing a full year baseline salary for members of “priority populations” including people of color, veterans, and single parents— at workplaces willing to cover full health insurance benefits.
• On-the-job training, paying employers for the initial phases of new hires training time.
• And next year, there will be a (just-funded) wind safety training academy in the Town of Newburgh, developed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Watch IBEW’s website for updates. Ibewlu363.org.
Working in Weatherization
AN INTERVIEW WITH KAREN BENNER OF PGH GATEWAYS
Knowing New York’s ambitious goals and timeline for reducing energy use from the built environment, I am considering a career in weatherization. Where should I start?
Start with the Building Performance Institute, which offers industry standard professional certifications like Building Science Principles (BSP), Site Supervisor Certificate (SSC), Healthy Housing Principles (HHP), and Total Building Performance (TBP). They also certify many professions within the field, including AC and heat pump, building analyst professional (BA-P), energy auditor, and envelope professional.
You can also look into the Building Performance Association, an industry association and a major hub for businesses, nonprofits, and government in the weatherization field, and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, a great source for information on industry workforce development, regulations, and clean energy market trends. They also have an initiative called Green Workforce Connect for posting or searching for jobs in the field.
What does working in the weatherization field look like?
There are many roles and positions in the field, encompassing professionals that work with energy audits, building envelope and air sealing, insulation, and more. Most of this work is basically contracting and building, but as in any industry, businesses small and large also have a need for employees working in management, administration, and sales and marketing. Many people also enter a career in weatherization through initially working in the electrical or HVAC field. Because there has been great federal funding for weatherization since the `90s through the Weatherization Assistance Program, there is always federal funding flowing into the industry. Due to the need for regulation of all these federal funds there is a need for the above mentioned certifications to work in this field. These certifications may be necessary for individuals and companies to access most of these opportunities. It is technically possible to work in the industry without these certifications, perhaps for a utility provider or a private company working primarily with wealthier private clients who don’t care about the federal incentives.
The clean energy sector contains a broad array of jobs, from solar installers to urban foresters and beyond.
Are you ready to leap into home energy upgrades, but looking for some sort of safety net? Read on to learn how to investigate product performance, contractor qualifications, and your recourse if a bad thing should happen.
What can I expect about the safety and operation of any system I buy?
First of all, home energy technology products—solar arrays, heat pumps, and electric vehicles—fall under consumer product safety laws, meaning that they must meet certain safety and quality standards before being sold to the public. They are rigorously tested before they are allowed on the market to ensure they meet industry safety and performance standards. Regulatory bodies, including the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the National Electrical Code (NEC), set minimum safety standards for these products.
• Industry Standards: Organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) establish performance and safety standards, which manufacturers must comply with.
• Also basic are certifications from UL (Underwriters Laboratories) for safety and Energy Star ratings for energy efficiency.
• Operation Expectations: Systems should operate within specified efficiency and performance parameters. For example, a properly installed heat pump should reduce heating and cooling costs significantly, and an EV should meet its advertised range and charging capabilities.
• Maintenance: Understanding the basic maintenance requirements can help prolong the life of the system. This could include regular cleaning of solar panels or annual servicing of heat pumps.
• Consumer Responsibility: It’s crucial for consumers to understand their role in maintaining the safety of these systems by following manufacturer guidelines and scheduling routine inspections or services as recommended.
Consumer Protections for Clean Technologies FAQs
By Alyssa Rivera, Climate Justice Fellow, Sustainable Hudson Valley
Solar arrays and home battery storage systems are among the many home energy technology products that fall under consumer product safety laws.
What can I expect in a warranty?
Rooftop Solar
• Equipment Warranty: Typically covers defects in the solar panels and related components, lasting between 10 to 25 years.
• Performance Guarantee: Ensures that the panels will produce a certain percentage of their rated power output (e.g., 90 percent for the first 10 years) and often extends up to 25 years.
• Installer Warranty: Covers labor-related issues, usually for a shorter period (5 to10 years).
Home Battery Storage Systems
• Cycle Life Warranty: Specifies the number of charge and discharge cycles the battery is warranted for.
• Capacity Retention Warranty: Guarantees the battery will retain a certain capacity level (e.g., 70 percent) after a set period (usually 10 years).
EV and Battery
• Powertrain Warranty: Covers the battery, electric motor, and other key components, typically ranging from 8 to 10 years or up to 100,000 miles.
• Battery Degradation Warranty: Guarantees that the battery will not degrade below a certain capacity level (e.g., 70 percent) over the warranty period.
Electric Appliances (e.g., lawn mower, snow blower)
• Motor and Parts Warranty: Covers the electric motor and other components against defects for a certain period, often two to five years.
• Battery Warranty: If battery-operated, check for a separate battery warranty specifying cycle life and capacity retention.
Induction Stove
• Cooktop Warranty: Typically covers glass and electronics for defects, usually for one to five years.
• Electronic Components: May have a separate warranty for internal electronics and controls.
Insulation
• Material Warranty: Covers the insulation materials against defects, often for 10 to 25 years.
• Installation Warranty: Some companies offer warranties that ensure the installation was performed correctly, reducing the risk of settling or sagging.
What should I consider when choosing a solar installer?
Get at least three estimates, and get bids from both national and local companies to compare different options. Take your time, don’t feel pressured to make a decision or sign a contract. Ask questions about customer service and warranties. Look at both the manufacturer’s warranty and the installer’s warranty. Read online reviews and check references for the company you’re considering.
If you aren’t sure if you want to own or lease your panels, get quotes for both and compare. If you choose to own your solar panels, you will be entitled to a federal income tax credit that you can’t claim if you lease. If you purchase the system, you will be responsible for maintaining the system after the workmanship warranty expires. Solar is a reliable technology at this point, but it’s important to select a reputable contractor who will install the system properly and provide good customer service.
I have heard of solar companies going out of business— does this make leasing solar panels on top of my house a risky choice?
Leasing solar panels is not particularly risky. If the company goes out
of business, your service or contract may shift to a different provider. Even if the solar installer you used goes out of business, that will not void the manufacturer’s warranty. When considering a solar lease, look for a performance guarantee. The proposal should be clear how much energy is going to be produced. Any good lease should have a performance guarantee. There are different risks to leasing and owning. If you own, you assume more of the risk for future repairs and maintenance (although you are generally well protected by warranties). If you lease, you pay a company for the electricity that is produced—if the system underperforms, you pay less. The solar company will be motivated to keep their technology working and producing well. One important consideration is that if you lease your solar panels, the lease will have to transfer or be paid out when you sell your home.
What can I do if I’m not getting appropriate customer service from my solar company?
If your company is not being responsive or not providing good service, you can threaten to call the Better Business Bureau (BBB). If this gets no response, you can actually file a complaint through the BBB. The Department of Public Service also has a consumer affairs hotline. Good news, though: if you have done the homework above, you probably won’t have to.
What Can Renters Do?
DIY Actions
There are many no-cost and low-cost opportunities to save energy without making any major changes to your space. For example, simple actions such as replacing inefficient light bulbs with LEDs—which are 90 percent more energy efficient than past incandescent light bulbs—using a programmable thermostat, buying a countertop induction cooktop unit (you can take it with you if and when you move), and getting the correctly sized window air conditioner can reduce your monthly energy bills. Energy-efficient upgrades often reduce costs for both occupants and property owners, making them a smart investment for everyone.
• Turn down your thermostat. Keeping your thermostat down just one degree saves about two percent of your heating bill. A five-degree reduction will generate 10 percent annual savings and could keep $80 to $200 in your pocket! Wear a sweater to help you stay warm.
• Consider installing a programmable thermostat and set it to 68° F when you’re home, and 55° F when you’re gone. It will remember to turn the heat down for you!
• Tighten up your windows. Even a small gap can drive up fuel bills. Got a loose window? Install weather stripping or caulk any gaps. It helps keep cold air out of the house.
• Install door sweeps if the gap between the door and floor is large. Use “draft dodgers” like a long pillow or towel under the door to reduce drafts.
For a comprehensive list of ways to reduce energy use in your condo or apartment, visit NYSERDA’s website (Nyserda.ny.gov) or Energy.gov. Visit Rewiring America (Homes.rewiringamerica.org) to check out renter opportunities. Other DIY methods are listed on Cornell Cooperatiev Extension’s Smart Energy Choices website (Smartenergychoices.org).
Assitance Programs
• HEAP: The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides assistance to heat and cool homes.
• HEAP Regular Benefit helps with heating expenses for income-eligible homeowners and renters. Incentives are also available to those with heat included in their rent.
Excerpted with permission from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Smart Energy Choices website
• HEAP Emergency Benefit can help you heat your home if you are in a heat or heat related emergency.
• HEAP Cooling Assistance Benefit is for the purchase and installation of an air conditioner or a fan to help your home stay cool.
• NYSEG’s Energy Assistance Program (EAP): If your HEAP grant was applied to your active NYSEG account, an EAP monthly bill credit is automatically applied to your NYSEG bill. The credit will display as a line item under your electricity and/or natural gas delivery charges on your NYSEG bill.
Need help talking to your landlord?
Electrification—or switching from appliances that run on natural gas, oil, propane, and other fossil fuels to better alternatives that run on electricity— can greatly reduce your energy bills. But substantial changes to energy technologies need landlord permission to perform.
Having that conversation can be difficult. A good time to start that conversation is when an inefficient appliance like an old gas-powered stove is failing or needs repair (don’t wait until it’s dead, since that will put time pressure on your landlord).
Landlords tend to respond best when you appeal to their priorities regarding their properties. Here are some angles you can take:
• Electrification makes buildings cheaper to operate.
• Electrification raises a building’s value.
• Electrification is better for the planet.
• Electrification protects your health.
• Electrification aids tenant retention and attracts new tenants.
For a more comprehensive guide to talking to your landlord, Rewiring America is a great resource. Visit the site for more talking points and a sample email to start conversations. NYSERDA also has a webpage breaking down assistance programs to discuss with your landlord. Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Community Energy Advisors are here to help throughout the process.