If you’re a small commercial building owner, visit our commercial resources page. If you’re the owner of a multifamily building, visit our multifamily resources page. Below information is for residential 1-4-unit building owners and managers.

As a building owner/manager, you can improve your building or rental property by increasing its energy performance. With each energy-related upgrade you make, your building can become more efficient, marketable, and profitable. Visit this NYSERDA page to hone in on options.

Making energy efficiency upgrades can bring you many benefits, including:

  • Cost Savings/Increased Cash Flow: Achieving higher operational efficiency and saving money through reduced operating costs

  • Tenant Retention/Satisfaction: Bettering your tenants’ quality of life by reducing their energy bills and improving the comfort and safety of their homes, so there is less turnover

  • Property Value: Increasing the value of your property by creating a more durable building (e.g., by mitigating moisture issues and ice damming, which are costly to fix later on)

  • Property Marketability: Attracting an increasing population of energy and money saving savvy tenants

Energy programs

In addition to the programs available below, there are other tenant programs you can encourage your tenants to apply to. Learn more about tenant offerings on our renter resources page [link to page once posted].

Residential Energy Assessment Program

If you’re interested in increasing cash-flow and aiding your tenants by exploring energy improvements to your building, a no-cost energy assessment is a good place to start. An energy assessment is a review of a home’s or building’s energy performance, including a review of both the energy features and energy consumption patterns. 

Energy assessments identify how efficiently your home or building is operating and where your home or building is losing energy.  These are not related to code enforcement, but if there is a safety issue, the auditor will let you know. This is an interactive experience, so do not be shy and ask questions.

Work with your local Community Energy Advisor [link to Contact Us] to contact a participating energy auditor in your area to schedule your energy assessment. 

After the no-cost energy assessment is complete, you will review the results with your auditor to determine which of the recommended energy improvements make the most sense to do. These can include everything from adding insulation and energy-efficient LED light bulbs, to installing a heat pump for clean heating and cooling. Make sure you understand the recommendations and ask questions. You can also do installations in steps over time as it makes sense. For example, air sealing alone will have the highest impact.

When you are ready, discuss with your auditor when they can complete the work.

EmPower+

EmPower+ offers no-cost home energy assessments and no- to low-cost energy efficiency services to income-eligible renters and homeowners, including insulation, air sealing, and electric reduction measures such as energy-efficient LED light bulbs. Landlords of 1-4 units can encourage their renters to apply, and you would provide a simple rental property services agreement so tenants can participate.

For low-income eligible renters, where EmPower+ is paying for an eligible work scope, a landlord contribution is required only if the project exceeds program funding caps, or for certain measures such as heating replacements that the funding does not fully cover.  Your auditor can help you navigate this.

For moderate income-eligible tenants, where EmPower+ is paying for 50% of the eligible work scope, a landlord contribution is required. Again, you can always do installations in steps, and air-sealing alone will have a positive impact.

More information on benefits and current incentives for rental applicants are available on NYSERDA’s EmPower+ for renters website. Learn more about EmPower+ for single family homes on our incentives page. Apply online or with your local Community Energy Advisor.

Weatherization Assistance Program

The Weatherization Assistance Program is a federal program that provides additional energy improvements to income-qualified households. Renters can participate with landlord approval; the landlord may be required to pay a portion of the cost. Find WAP application resources here.

[Tompkins-specific]

Sustainable Finger Lakes Clean Energy & Equity Pilot

Tompkins County 1-4 unit rental buildings may be eligible for additional funding to install heat pumps. Learn more on the pilot’s website.