Alliance Associate NYSERDA Engages in Community Project

NYSERDA joined the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo) and Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. in celebrating the completion of Intervale Green, the largest affordable ENERGY STAR-certified building in the country. The Bronx building complex – the result of a partner project between NYSERDA and WHEDCo – is estimated to be 33 percent more energy efficient than a standard apartment building. It is expected to reduce tenants’ energy bills by nearly a third, incurring savings which can go to toward food, education and other household necessities besides heating and rent.

“This will not only be the largest high-rise affordable housing development to earn the ENERGY STAR label, but it will provide a comfortable living environment for its residents," said NYSERDA's New York City Director of Energy Programs Michael Colgrove. Intervale Green is also the first building in New York to join the Enterprise Green Communities program, the premier national green building program dedicated to affordable housing. “It demonstrates that large-scale affordable housing can be built to high energy and environmental standards without sacrificing performance," added Colgrove.

Intervale Green is one of many NYSERDA energy efficiency initiatives and successes across the state of New York. Their Weatherization Assistance Program, for instance, helps underprivileged individuals and families weatherize their homes, while their Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program has reduced electricity usage in over 21,500 households since 2001. NYSERDA also oversees the New York Energy $mart Loan Fund, which provides qualified families with low-interest loans for energy efficiency improvements.

As NYSERDA President and CEO, Francis J. Murray, Jr., explains it, “We offer low-interest financing and other incentives to help New Yorkers pay for the work and start saving on energy bills immediately. It's worth making the investment in energy efficiency improvements today in order to get ahead of the hefty costs expected for this heating season."