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NYSERDA Puts Green in Going Green

Business First - by David Bertola

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The new Green Residential Building Program offers incentives to owners of certain new or substantially renovated residential or residential mixed-use buildings that seek to lower energy costs, reduce waste and water use, and improve indoor air quality.

Incentives in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) program start at $5,125 for a single-family home and increase to $13,375 for an 11-unit building. To be eligible, buildings must receive a Certificate of Occupancy or Certificate of Completion from Jan. 1, 2010 to Oct. 31, 2013.

Geared toward spurring the building and certification of more green homes across the state, incentives will be paid to owners who demonstrate their building will use at least 30 percent less energy than conventionally-built homes, and uses:

• Green design principles, such as building siting and window positioning to take advantage of solar heat gain, minimize heat loss, using daylight and reducing energy use.

• Green construction techniques, such as proper phasing of construction and use of processes to keep materials clean and dry to reduce potential for mold growth.

• Green construction materials, such as recycled-content, reclaimed, rapidly-renewable and locally produced building materials.

NYSERDA spokeswoman Dayle Zatlin said there are extra costs associated with obtaining green building certification, like those for more efficient hot water heaters and higher quality building materials.

“If you take all those together, they usually fall into the range of one to 5 percent range of total construction cost,” said Zatlin, who added the long-term costs of green home ownership and utility bills are usually lower than traditional builds.

Those who have already built or renovated residences to program requirements include developers of an affordable-housing development in Rochester, student housing at Sullivan County Community College and a townhouse on Manhattan’s upper East Side.

The offer is available to owners of new residential or mixed-use buildings or substantially renovated existing residential buildings with 11 units or fewer, including manufactured and modular housing units that are permanently sited in New York State. Eligible buildings must be certified at the Silver level or higher using either the National Green Building Standard, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes or LEED for New Construction, and meet other program energy efficiency requirements. Substantially renovated homes are required to meet the same green certification requirements as newly constructed homes.
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