LIPA Lauds Brookhaven’s New E-Star Homes Law
Provides $25,000 Grant to Train Inspectors
Farmingville, NY—April 25, 2007—The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)
presented the Town of Brookhaven with a $25,000 grant today to help train the
inspectors who will implement the Town’s new ENERGY STAR Homes Law. The law
requires new homes built within Brookhaven to meet New York ENERGY STAR-Labeled
Homes criteria.
Brookhaven was the first town on Long Island to adopt such a measure. The
Towns of Babylon, Oyster Bay and Riverhead have also implemented their own laws.
The Towns of East Hampton, Hempstead and Huntington have proposed laws under
consideration.
“The best way to secure long-term energy savings in homes built on Long
Island is to put energy efficient designs and techniques into their construction
at the outset,” said LIPA CEO/President Richard M. Kessel. “By adopting New York
ENERGY STAR-Labeled Homes standards as the minimum criteria for new homes,
Brookhaven is leading the way. Now it’s time for all towns and cities on Long
Island to do the same thing.
“The Towns of Babylon, Oyster Bay and Riverhead have already joined
Brookhaven by adopting New York ENERGY STAR-Labeled Homes standards for new home
construction, and several other towns have laws under consideration,” said Mr.
Kessel. “LIPA will provide training grants to any other town or city on Long
Island that adopts an ENERGY STAR homes program similar to the one enacted by
Brookhaven, as a way to encourage long-term energy efficiency island-wide.”
“I would like to thank Mr. Kessel and LIPA for the $25,000 grant to help the
Town of Brookhaven train the inspectors that will be needed to ensure that new
homes meet the ENERGY STAR home standards," said Supervisor Brian X. Foley. "It
reflects LIPA’s commitment to conservation efforts, and ENERGY STAR building
standards are a cornerstone in the effort to promote effective energy
conservation. ENERGY STAR building standards can be a key part of the solution
to one of the most serious threats facing our country—our reliance on oil, the
pollution that dependence causes, and the enormous cost of fossil fuels, which
will only increase.
“We’ve got to do more to make living on Long Island affordable and I want to
thank LIPA for helping us in that effort,” said Supervisor Foley. “ENERGY STAR
can save homeowners a great deal of money in energy costs and can cut pollution
dramatically. Right here in Brookhaven Town, we need to find ways to cut energy
costs and make home ownership more affordable for both our young people and our
senior citizens. These ENERGY STAR standards can save homeowners a great deal of
money by cutting energy costs long-term, and that will help keep families in
Brookhaven Town.”
“The energy star resolution, which I am proud to have sponsored, is changing
how houses are built not only in Brookhaven, but throughout the Island,” said
Councilwoman Connie Kepert. “That resolution changes ENERGY STAR from a
voluntary program in which less than 1% of new homes meet, to a program which
requires participation from all new construction. ENERGY STAR, with its
performance test, will insure that new homes meet energy code requirements,
conserve on the consumption of fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gases, and make
Brookhaven a more affordable place to live.”
“Unlike some proposals to address global warming that require federal action,
this local legislation is something that will have an immediate and significant
beneficial impact,” said Neal Lewis, executive director of the Long Island
Neighborhood Network. “If all Long Island towns follow Brookhaven’s lead by
enacting this law, then every year we will avoid producing 125,000 tons of
greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The offset of greenhouses gases from
this law are equivalent to eliminating 24,000 cars from our roads,” Lewis
concluded.
LIPA has committed to providing $25,000 grants to all other Long Island towns
and cities if they adopt similar local laws by June of this year. LIPA also
committed to providing the Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI) with a $25,000
grant once six towns and/or cities adopted their own E-Star Homes laws.
The ENERGY STAR Homes program was developed by the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and is available on Long Island
through LIPA. The program encourages home builders to implement the highest
standards in energy efficiency measures and build homes that use up to 30
percent less energy compared to conventionally built homes. This provides
significant savings to homeowners on their energy bills over the short and long
term.
LIPA has been fostering the adoption of ENERGY STAR Homes standards on Long
Island as part of its Clean Energy Initiative (CEI), which is a 10-year, $355
million program designed to foster energy efficiency and the development and use
of renewable alternative technologies such as solar, wind and geothermal.
Brookhaven’s local law was advanced by Supervisor Brian X. Foley and
Councilwoman Connie Kepert to require home builders to construct new homes in
the town to ENERGY STAR standards.
In an effort to assist Brookhaven Town with developing a cadre of trained
specialists who will be needed for this energy efficiency effort that will save
the owners of E-Star-rated homes thousands of dollars in energy costs, LIPA is
providing the Town with a $25,000 grant to help train the raters and inspectors
that will be needed to ensure that new homes meet the E-Star home standards.
The New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes program is voluntary and works in close
partnership with participating builders to increase the energy efficiency,
safety, and quality of homes in New York State. Built to higher design standards
with closer attention to construction details, New York ENERGY STAR Labeled
Homes incorporate proven building science practices and new technologies to
strengthen insulation and air sealing properties, lower electrical consumption,
and improve indoor air quality through proper ventilation strategies. Each home
must pass an evaluation by a participating certified Home Energy Rater. This
evaluation includes a plan review, computer-based energy analysis, and a number
of diagnostic tests to verify the home’s performance. |
