The New York Energy Administration funded and completed 83 energy efficiency projects at government facilities across New York State, totaling more than $88 million in investments, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (pictured) announced.
The upgrade will provide New York ratepayers with annual energy savings of $6.4 million. The projects will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 34,000 tons per year.
In addition to projects completed in 2012, NYPA has invested $247 million in energy efficiency projects in various stages of development. This amount represents a 68 percent increase in NYPA funding for ongoing energy efficiency projects compared to 2011. The governor Canada Mobile Database says the increase represents significant energy savings in plans for public facilities, including schools, universities, hospitals, and state and municipal buildings. and will serve as a springboard for the Build Smart NY initiative to improve the state's energy efficiency.
Every 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 life of the improvements. Program participants pay off NYPA's financial costs by sharing savings; After expenses are paid, participants keep all savings.
In January, Governor Cuomo issued an executive order directing state agencies to improve the energy efficiency of government buildings by 20 percent over seven years.
At the same time, Cuomo also launched the Build Smart NY program, which will use the state's building energy data to prioritize projects that will provide the most energy savings per dollar. The largest and most inefficient buildings will be addressed first and will receive comprehensive building-wide improvements such as new lighting fixtures and controls, HVAC systems, electric motors and automated energy management systems.
Earlier this month, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority awarded $46 million to 76 large-scale solar projects totaling 52 MW through Governor Cuomo's NY-Sun competitive photovoltaic program. The awards were presented to 28 recipients for funding 76 projects in 33 counties across the state. The installations will be located in factories, factories, municipal buildings and other large commercial and industrial companies and are expected to be operational by the end of this year.