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Sustainable Westchester

Smart Strategies for Combating Winter Chill

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As the chilly, dark months of winter close in on us, many of us retreat to our homes seeking warmth, hot chocolate and Netflix. The last thing we want is to feel the omnipresent, icy fingers of old man winter reaching through cracks in the door, walls or windows with a draft of Arctic air.

Sustainable Westchester and Lauren Brois are here to help you make your home more comfortable and save money on your electric and heating bills at the same time.

Brois is the Director of EnergySmart Homes and GridRewards at Sustainable Westchester, a county-wide nonprofit organization devoted to helping homeowners lower carbon emissions and improve their energy efficiency. Pleasantville, Bedford and New Castle, which includes Chappaqua and Millwood, are members.

She wants Westchester residents to think about “the way our homes use energy, in terms of the cost of energy, comfort and carbon emissions.” The number one reason to winterize is to help “avoid drafty breezes and cold feet,” Brois said. She’s been told by various Westchester residents that there are “certain rooms they don’t even go inside in winter.,” she said. “You want to keep warm air in your house,” she explained.

The magic of insulation is that it “will keep the house warmer in winter and cooler in summer,” she said. The places most susceptible to cold air sneaking into the home include high hat lights, attic ceiling lights, the front door, the edges of windows, holes in the basement made by your cable TV installer, and rim joists, where the foundation walls meet the support structures for your floor. Air ducts and vents are also areas that may need attention.

For those people who have no idea how to stop the cold from infiltrating the house (that includes me), Sustainable Westchester provides homeowners with ways to figure this out.

You can sign up for Sustainable Westchester’s Energy Smart Home program, which can hook you up with a free home energy assessment, identifying where cold air leaks are coming in and providing recommendations on the best, and most cost-efficient ways to fix them.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers, a free home energy assessment, with lists of contractors who can provide with you a diagnostic test which can assess where air is flowing into the house, so you can prioritize how to effectively upgrade your home, Brois explained.

The assessment “gives you a pathway to upgrade your home,” Brois said, so you can “prioritize your home energy upgrades” and either work to insulate your home on your own or hire a contractor who will “seal off entry places in the basement and the house in general.”

Sustainable Westchester offers residents a list of approved contractors who can do the work. Installing weather stripping under the door to close that gap is one of the most common ways to stop the flow of cold air, Brois explained. Caulking the windows helps too. Brois recommends putting in insulation on the floor of the attic and crawl spaces in the basement.

“The contractor will recommend different types of insulation for different spaces,” she pointed out. Insulation choices include cellulose, spray foam and rock wool insulation.

Additionally, Sustainable Westchester offers residents volunteer energy coaches who are building professionals to help show you how to best insulate your home and reduce your carbon emissions.

The organization provides on its website ways to learn about rebates and incentives for homeowners. For instance, Comfort Home, from NYSERDA, offers rebates of $1,000 to $4,000 to winterize your home, Brois said. Also, the Federal government has a tax credit program through the Inflation Reduction Act, to help homeowners pay for energy audits, new windows and insulation.

People on a fixed income who want to better weatherize and insulate their homes to lower their energy use can qualify for up to $10,000 in rebates from NYSERDA’s EmPower program, Brois pointed out.

Other home improvement options Sustainable Westchester recommends include installing air-sourced heat pumps, ground-sourced (also known as geothermal) heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.

Brois, who has earned certification from the Building Performance Institute, a non-profit home industry organization that develops and assesses standard practices for energy efficiency and weatherization, recruits high school students for both summer and school-year internship programs, so they can “learn about building science, and help residents learn about improving their home energy use, decrease their electricity use, and lower their carbon footprint.

The students help Sustainable Westchester get the word out about the organization’s work. “I’ve always been really passionate about the environment,” Brois said. “I hate waste. Wasting electricity means you’re not using resources efficiently. You can live more comfortably and protect the environment.”

For more information on how to improve your home energy use, go to: sustainablewestchester.org/energysmarthomes/.

Also, go to: www.nyserda.ny.gov/PutEnergyToWork/Energy-Technology-and-Solutions/Energy-Efficiency-Solutions/Seal-and-Insulate-Your-Building.

Sustainable Westchester Names Noah Bramson as its New Executive Director

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Mount Kisco, N.Y. –  After a thorough and rigorous search, Sustainable Westchester, the county’s leading climate action advocate and provider of renewable energy, today announced that City of New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson will take the helm of the organization as its next Executive Director effective January 2024. Interim Executive Director Jim Kuster will remain in place until Mayor Bramson completes his current term in office.

Mayor Bramson has led New Rochelle for the last 18 years, and is widely credited with advancing the city’s sustainability goals. Under his leadership, New Rochelle is experiencing its fastest growth in a century, serving as a regional and statewide model for environmentally-friendly, transit-oriented development.  Bramson was instrumental in adopting New Rochelle’s first-ever sustainability plan, GreeNR, now undergoing a comprehensive update to emphasize resiliency and climate justice.  And he has been a champion of open space expansion, including ongoing efforts to create new parkland on the Echo Bay waterfront and along the “LINC,” a reimagined Memorial Highway. 

New Rochelle was among the first large communities in New York to adopt the State’s Stretch Energy Code and is presently the second-highest scoring large community in the State’s Clean Energy Communities program.  In addition, as one of the founding Board Members of Sustainable Westchester, Bramson helped to establish the county’s innovative Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, with New Rochelle one of the first cities to secure clean, renewable energy through CCA.

“I am thrilled to join Sustainable Westchester as its new Executive Director,” said Mayor Noam Bramson. “Sustainable Westchester is among the most impactful public interest organizations in our region, with a dedicated, highly-capable staff, a record of meaningful accomplishment, and a vital, growing role in helping localities, the County, and all of New York achieve ambitious climate and environmental goals. It will be a privilege to advance such an important mission, while working alongside colleagues, both in and out of government, whom I respect deeply.”

“Westchester is one of the state’s foremost leaders in combating climate change and Sustainable Westchester is an integral part of this work,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “Noam’s leadership driving New Rochelle’s sustainability efforts has been exemplary, and he will be an asset to the organization and all they are doing county-wide. We wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor.”

Sustainable Westchester is a hub of innovative climate tech programs and expertise designed to help local municipalities achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets mandated by New York’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. The nonprofit organization strives to improve clean energy solutions, save municipalities and consumers’ money, and promote equity and environmental justice within the communities it serves. Its popular and widely-used programs include Westchester Power; Community Solar; Building Decarbonization for commercial properties; Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure; EnergySmart Homes; GridRewards; and Zero Waste.

“New York State’s visionary climate objectives come with a host of unprecedented challenges and opportunities,” said Bramson.  “Sustainable Westchester is uniquely suited to make the most of this pivotal moment, position our region as a positive model, strengthen partnerships with aligned organizations and advocates, and encourage effective, collaborative policy-making at all levels of government.  It will be my goal to ensure that every municipality we serve has the information, tools, encouragement, and support to achieve our shared goal of a healthy, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable county.”

“Mayor Bramson’s vast experience in government and passion for leading impactful climate action initiatives will be of immense value to Sustainable Westchester as the organization continues to grow,” said Jim Kuster, who has served as Sustainable Westchester’s interim Executive Director since November 2022. “Under his leadership, we will strengthen and expand our innovative programming to help a broad range of municipalities meet the critical environmental and equity objectives contained in New York’s Climate Act.”    

“Mayor Bramson’s demonstrated track record of building consensus, attracting investment, and prioritizing healthy environments perfectly positions him to lead Sustainable Westchester’s continued growth and expand the great results we deliver to our members,” said Sara Goddard, Board Chair of Sustainable Westchester. “We are extremely excited to welcome him aboard.” 

 NEWS COURTESY OF SUSTAINABLE WESTCHESTER

About Sustainable Westchester

Sustainable Westchester is the county’s leading climate action advocate and provider of renewable energy. The nonprofit, membership-based organization is a hub of innovative climate tech programs and expertise designed to help local municipalities achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets mandated by New York’s landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Sustainable Westchester continuously strives to improve clean energy solutions, save municipalities and consumers’ money, and promote equity and environmental justice within the communities it serves. Its popular and widely-used programs include Westchester Power; Community Solar; Building Decarbonization for commercial properties; Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure; EnergySmart Homes; GridRewards; and Zero Waste.  

Westchester County Office of Economic Development and Sustainable Westchester Team Up to Launch Clean Energy Accelerator Program

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Collaboration launches with formation of working group to identify local industry needs and support workforce development

Westchester County, New York  – The Westchester County Office of Economic Development is pleased to announce it has partnered with Sustainable Westchester to launch a Clean Energy Accelerator Program (CEA). The Program, which includes a Careers Working Group that recently met for the first time, convenes key stakeholders who will work together to identify the workforce needs of the clean energy sector and create strong clean energy career pathways for Westchester residents.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “The clean energy industry is booming, with state, federal, and utility incentives, creating more career opportunities at every education level. And, clean energy projects are increasingly in disadvantaged communities, creating an opportunity to train a local workforce who historically and disproportionately have been harmed by environmental burdens. Expanding Westchester County’s capacity in this sector will have a tremendous benefit to both current and future employers, as well as our residents.”

Westchester County Director of Economic Development Bridget Gibbons said: “We understand that clean energy project implementation can be challenging due to workforce barriers, which range from lack of skilled talent to limited awareness among potential workers of opportunities within the industry. The climate career field is growing and there are opportunities for residents to both build new skills and pivot existing skills to a new industry.”

Sustainable Westchester’s Interim Executive Director Jim Kuster said: “We are delighted to partner with Westchester County to scale career pathways in clean energy for residents. The heart of this work speaks to Sustainable Westchester’s mission and we welcome the opportunity to participate in an initiative that benefits the community, economy and environment.”

Sustainable Westchester’s Program Director Rachel Carpitella said: “As a non-profit in the clean energy sector we know firsthand the challenges surrounding recruitment, hiring, and retention. We see our solution provider partners seek to hire skilled workers and at the same time we are aware of community members across the county who desire a career.  This program solves for the missing links and will accelerate the just transition to a clean energy economy.”

Among the CEA Working Group’s goals, are:

  • Align resources to implement existing and develop new clean energy training programs;
  • Provide local clean energy businesses access to a qualified workforce and increase their capacity to broaden their activities, including potentially hiring workers at a subsidized rate through the NYSERDA program;
  • Create strong clean energy career pathways for Westchester residents;
  • Support local businesses to broaden their services in correlation with the market demand for clean energy; and,
  • Attract clean energy companies to Westchester and ensure workforce availability to accelerate the implementation of money saving, pollution reducing technology across the county.

About The Westchester County Office of Economic Development

The Westchester County Office of Economic Development works to improve the County’s economic well-being and quality of life.  This includes a broad range of activities to attract, create and retain jobs, and to foster a resilient, pro-growth and inclusive economy. For information, visit https://westchestercatalyst.com/.

About Sustainable Westchester

Sustainable Westchester is a nonprofit consortium of Westchester County local municipalities that facilitates effective collaboration on sustainability initiatives. Sustainable Westchester’s goal is to bring socially responsible, environmentally sound, and economically viable solutions that create healthy, resilient, sustainable communities. For more information visit https://sustainablewestchester.org/

 

Editor’s Note: The above news release has been republished in its entirety to help support efforts of  the Westchester County Office of Economic Development partnering with Sustainable Westchester. Opinions and information presented have been neither independently reported or fact checked. Please refer questions pertaining to the news within to the sources cited.