News and Events
News
New Pilot Project Could Cut Heating Bills in HalfCornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Tompkins County and Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) are launching a pilot program to retrofit 24 homes in Tompkins County. The "24 House Project" aims to demonstrate the benefits of energy efficiency and biomass heating in houses that heat with liquid propane gas (LPG) or heating oil. The program will combine energy efficiency work - insulation and air sealing - with the installation of a pellet stove.
CCE and INHS staff will guide participating homeowners through every step in the process. Starting with an energy audit, certified contractors will identify the biggest potential energy savings. CCE and INHS staff will help participants apply for existing state and federal incentive programs and finance the remaining cost through a 5-10 year loan with a 3% interest rate.
The loan payments are structured so that homeowners' payments are less than what they are saving through the program, so all participants will experience a net positive cash flow. In addition, each homeowner will be eligible for a $500 rebate on the cost of the pellet stove.
Once the retrofit work is done, CCE will monitor fuel use and overall costs of heating in those 24 homes over the next two years. CCE projects that most homeowners who participate in the pilot project will experience as much as a 50 percent reduction in their heating bills.
Next TCCPI Meeting
Friday, August, 27 2010
9:00 - 11:00 am
Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce
904 East Shore Drive
Ithaca, NY 14850
If you have any agenda items, please submit them by August 20. For details, call (607) 229-6183.
General meetings are on the last Friday of every month.
Events
Clean Energy Summit: "Re-Imagining Upstate New York's Energy Future"Discover what a clean energy future would look like in Upstate New York:
What are the green collar careers that will be created in a clean energy future?
What are economic development opportunities related to clean energy?
What are successful area examples?
What are the opportunities for and examples of industry/educational partnerships in clean energy research?
Where: Ithaca College Campus Center, Emerson Suites
When: Friday, September 17, 9:00 am - 12:15 pm
Event check-in begins at 8:00 am with continental breakfast.
Closing Keynote Address:
U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, NY 22nd District
This event is free and open to the public but you must pre-register before September 10 in order to save your seat.
Register online at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
If you have additional questions, please contact Marian Brown, Special Assistant to the Provost for Sustainability, at 607-274-3787 or by email at mbrown@ithaca.edu.
