If you currently own a 1-4 family home in New York State, NYSERDA has a program that will help you increase the energy efficiency of your home, while assisting you with a way to pay for the changes.
How the Program Works
Initially you have to find an Accredited BPI Contractor. This contractor will use special diagnostic equipment, which generally lasts up to three hours. The assessment provides homeowners with valuable information regarding the existing condition of their home, and identifies areas where energy efficiency, comfort and safety improvements can and should be made. During the Comprehensive Home Assessment, the contractor completes a visual inspection of the living space, attic, basement (or crawl spaces), and performs a number of tests using special diagnostic equipment. This equipment includes a blower door, which helps the contractor measure how much, and where, air is leaking from your home. Most importantly, your contractor will perform essential health and safety tests to determine whether the major combustion appliances (furnace, boiler, hot water tank and stove) in your home are operating safely. According to BPI health and safety standards, if these tests identify any potential threats in the home, the recommended health and safety repairs must be included in any work scope you choose to implement.
The participating contractor may charge a fee for the Comprehensive Home Assessment. The assessment fees vary by contractor and region; so when calling a contractor ask what their fee is and their deductibility policy. If you choose to have another participating contractor perform the work, you may have to pay for the new contractor to perform a second assessment.
You are encouraged to accompany the contractor as they perform the assessment; let the contractor know what, if any, issues or concerns you have about your home (drafts, uneven temperatures, discomfort, evidence of moisture or mold, strange smells, even physical symptoms such as persistent headaches or flu-like symptoms). And don't be afraid to ask questions. Using results from the Comprehensive Home Assessment, your home performance contractor will explain what improvements can be made, and develop a proposal detailing the proposed improvements and the associated costs. Your contractor may subcontract work to other companies as he puts together a comprehensive set of energy efficiency and health & safety measures.
In addition to receiving comprehensive energy efficiency services, using a participating BPI Accredited Contractor also gives you access to a number of attractive financing options designed to help you pay for the cost of the energy efficiency upgrades. Your contractor can provide you with additional details.
Incentives for income-qualified homeowners are available through Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. If you expect to receive the Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR incentive, you should be sure that you qualify before you sign the contract. For information on income eligibility or to see if you qualify, click here You can also call Energy Finance Solutions at 1-800-361-5663 , or contact a local lender in your area.
More Financing Options:
You may be eligible for federal or state tax incentives by installing energy efficient equipment and measures.
Only work performed by a participating Building Performance Institute Accredited Home Performance Contractor qualifies for financing through any of the options listed below. Homeowners can choose from the following options to pay for the cost of work.
Financing options cannot be combined with the Homeowner Financing Incentive.
Low-interest ENERGY STAR Financing is offered through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. Your contractor can supply you with the current interest rate.
The following conditions apply:Payment is made directly to the contractor after a signed Certificate of Completion is received by the program on a work scope. The work scope must also have been reviewed and approved by the program implementer.
- This is an unsecured loan, not a second mortgage or equity loan.
- The limit on the loan is $15,000 or $20,000, depending on your credit score.
- You can select a term of 3, 5, 7 or 10 years.
- Financing is available to owner-occupied 1- or 2-family homes.
New York Energy $martSM Loan Fund
Energy $mart Loans are offered through a number of participating New York State Financial Institutions. Locate a participating lender in your area using our locator map.
The following conditions apply:Eligible Improvements for 1-4 Family Homes are:
- Loans may be unsecured for up to $20,000 ($30,000 for Con Edison service customers).
- Your interest rate is bought down by up to 4% (up to 6.5% for Con Edison service customers) for up to 10 years.
- Procedures and conditions may vary by participating lender, and by loan.
For more information, please contact NYSERDA's toll free hotline: 1 (877) NY SMART or 1 (877) 697-6278
- Eligible Measures and Accessories that have been determined by NYSERDA to meet the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program guidelines. For more information, please contact a Home Performance Contractor in your area listed here.
- The purchase of ENERGY STAR Appliances.
- The purchase and installation of grid-connected wind turbine systems by a NYSERDA- eligible installer.
If you choose not to use either ENERGY STAR Financing or the New York Energy $martSM Loan Fund, you may be eligible to receive 10% of the cost of eligible energy efficiency improvements, up to a maximum incentive of $3,000, directly from the program. Payment is authorized after you sign the Certificate of Completion and the program implementer reviews the project.
Additional subsidies are available to income-qualified homeowners
Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR provides an additional subsidy to assist income-qualified customers to pay for cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. The subsidy may be combined with other financing options offered on this page or other low-income programs with the written approval of the program implementer. However, customers that receive a subsidy are not eligible to receive the 10% Homeowner Financing Incentive. The customer must reveal other sources for payment, and must provide 10% of the cost of eligible work or $500, whichever is less. The subsidy payment is made directly to the contractor after you sign the Certificate of Completion.
4. The Customer Contract
When you have decided on the improvements you want, you will be presented with a written contract to review and sign. Check this contract carefully.
- Make sure that all the work you want done is detailed, that everything you want to have installed is in the contract, and that there is nothing that you do not want, or do not understand, in the contract.
- In general, the price offered should be a fixed price that cannot be changed without your written permission (see section on " Change Orders "). Be sure the contract clearly states whether it is a fixed-price contract or an estimate.
- The contract should cover payment terms, such as a down payment, installment payments and when the final payment is due.
- The program only recognizes contracts between a customer and a participating BPI Accredited Contractor. If other contractors are called in to complete a part of the comprehensive job scope, they must be subcontractors to your BPI Accredited Contractor (unless they are also participating BPI Accredited Contractors). BPI Accredited Contractors typically carry their credentials with them; or you can verify their current status by clicking here or by calling 1-877-NY-SMART .
IMPORTANT! Do not sign a contract with a contractor who does not perform a Comprehensive Home Assessment. AND, never sign a contract before the contractor has presented you with a work scope that includes details of the work to be performed including the cost of the proposed work.
After you have reviewed the contract document and are satisfied, sign the contract and the Home Performance Customer Information Form. Be sure your contractor provides you with a copy of both documents. Your contractor must also submit copies to the program. No work can begin until both you and your contractor have signed these documents. At this time, you should also discuss with your contractor the expected start and completion dates of the project.
More information about what consumers should know before signing a contract can be found on the New York State Consumer Protection Board's website.
The energy efficiency work performed on your home will often result in your home being more airtight. To ensure that the increased air tightness does not cause air quality or combustion health and safety problems, your home performance contractor is required to repeat the tests performed during the Comprehensive Home Assessment. This process is referred to as Pre- and Post Testing or "Test-In/Test-Out." It is a requirement of the Program that these tests be completed and strongly recommended that you be present during the tests. On rare occasions, this test process will reveal conditions that do not meet the program's health, safety, and technical requirements. Should this be the case, your home performance contractor will recommend modifications to bring your home into compliance with program standards. These modifications must be performed before a Certificate of Completion can be signed.
Comments(0)