By Jes Wickham
A recent study of the Southern Tier’s eight counties shows that many residents struggle to afford their energy bills, but most are unaware of the programs that exist to help. Local advisors are planning to increase their education and outreach efforts in response. In the meantime, residents facing energy challenges are encouraged to reach out to Smart Energy Choices at smartenergychoices.org/get-help.
The study was one of many conducted by the Regional Clean Energy Hubs, a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)-funded program. Earlier this year, the Hubs concluded their Regional Assessment and Barriers Analyses (RABAs). The RABAs covered a variety of topics like the energy challenges residents are facing as well as their general knowledge of clean energy and energy assistance programs.
“[The RABA results will] both help us serve our regions better, and it'll go into this bigger summary of what's going on across New York State that NYSERDA will read and … use to guide their work,” said Leigh Miller, community energy advisor (CEA) for the Southern Tier’s Hub, Smart Energy Choices.
The Southern Tier’s RABA (full text) covers results for Broome, Chenango, Chemung, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties. In total, over 300 residents were interviewed, as well as numerous community partners and energy contractors.
Demographics data from the Southern Tier shows there are two primary populations in the region — rural and urban — each of which having their own distinct needs.
For example, in rural areas like Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben and Tioga counties, 49-74% of homes are heated with expensive delivered fuels. These systems cause higher energy costs, less comfortable homes, and higher carbon emissions.
In urban areas like Broome, Chemung, and Tompkins counties, the majority of low-income residents (52%) are renters. Renters largely do not feel empowered or able to make energy improvements because energy benefits accrue to the homeowner or due to difficulties with their landlord.
With these issues in mind, the RABA sought insight into the challenges participants faced trying to get their energy issues addressed. Results showed that most participants (76%) haven’t applied to any assistance programs, with the most cited barriers to doing so being:
Lack of awareness of clean energy programs and jobs and training in the region.
Low-income renters feeling unable to participate in clean energy programs.
A lack of contractors covered by energy assistance programs.
These barriers help explain why many aren’t benefiting from the very programs that could help solve their challenges. For example, 40% of Southern Tier households qualify for NYSERDA’s EmPower+ incentive (earning less than 80% of the state’s median income), which can often cover most if not all of the costs involved in energy improvements for those who qualify. However, 87% of survey respondents had never applied to EmPower+.
“Since EmPower+ is new on the scene, there's a lot of folks that just don't know the money that's out there for them,” explained Jack Wright, another Smart Energy Choices CEA.
The Hubs have been working to address residents’ energy challenges since their founding, and their progress so far shows how much of an impact energy advising can have on a person’s energy challenges.
CEAs conduct outreach to low- and moderate-income residents to connect them to the EmPower+ program and other wrap-around services, such as SNAP, HEAP, and other home repair grants. CEAs work one on one with residents to help them apply to EmPower+, connect with a contractor, and complete energy-saving home upgrades. Contact your local CEA by visiting smartenergychoices.org/get-help.
Smart Energy Choices has reached over 14,000 residents and supported 2,700 homes with energy advising in the past two years. As a result of this work, CEAs have enabled more than 300 home energy upgrades. Still, the RABAs showed that there is still much to be done.
The Hubs are dedicated to addressing the challenges the RABAs identified. Key plans include targeted outreach efforts, strengthening workforce development programs and strengthening partnerships with clean energy contractors.
If you’re facing your own energy challenges, a CEA can help you navigate options to address your situation.
“If you're thinking about adding insulation to your home or getting a new water heater or a new heating system, I really encourage folks to call us first because there's so many incentive programs that it's kind of a lot to navigate on your own, but that's what we do,” Wright said.
Miller encourages residents who are looking to improve their energy situation to apply to various assistance programs to see if they qualify.
“You don't want to leave money on the table,” she said. “It wouldn't feel good to do an improvement and then, a year later, realize your neighbor did the same thing and saved $10,000 on it, and you could have [too].”
CEAs can guide you through the application processes and answer questions you may have about the programs. Visit smartenergychoices.org/get-help to find your local CEA.
Other notable results of the Southern Tier RABA include a considerable concern toward climate change. 88% of survey respondents said they either “yes, definitely” or “yes, somewhat” believe that climate change is really happening, and nearly 70% of respondents reported being either very concerned or somewhat concerned about climate change. Further, nearly 70% of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that their actions have an influence on climate change.
While improving a home’s energy efficiency generally helps residents save money and improve their home comfort, it also benefits the environment in the long run, as energy efficiency improvements lead to less energy consumption overall and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
CEAs are hoping that increasing their outreach efforts, concurrent with efforts at the state level, will help increase the rate of installs and help to put the state on track. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to spread the word about improvements they’ve done or programs they’ve utilized so more people can take advantage of the assistance that’s out there.
Visit SmartEnergyChoices.org/RABA for more information on the Southern Tier’s RABA. More information on the Hub can be found at SmartEnergyChoices.org/about-us.