Jennifer Jabs bought the property at 411 W. Buffalo St. in Ithaca as a triplex in 2023. Since this was her first time owning a triplex, she wanted to make sure her tenants were happy and comfortable living there. But the home was over 50 years old and thus wasn’t very energy efficient, so home comfort was a challenge. So, she decided to research programs that could help, and that’s when she learned about Smart Energy Choices.
“This house had been a rental for 50 years and never been taken care of well, and so it had these really ancient gas heaters, and it was cold,” she explained. “It wasn't insulated. It needed a lot of help. And [it had] old single-pane glass windows and wood frames that you could feel the wind come through as you walked by them. So, we had a lot of energy issues.”
Community Energy Advisor Leigh Miller. Photo by Aaron Fernando
Jabs reached out to Smart Energy Choices, the Regional Clean Energy Hub for the Southern Tier, where she talked with Community Energy Advisor (CEA) Leigh Miller. Miller told her about various programs available for landlords like her to make energy improvements to their properties and helped her navigate through the Empower+ program.
Unfortunately, owning a triplex complicated the application process and limited some of what she could qualify for; her income was within range for many programs, but since two of the units were unoccupied at the time, she couldn’t qualify for some programs. But Miller was still able to help her understand and navigate programs she did qualify for, so Jabs received assistance from Empower+ to get some crucial weatherization work done.
Miller’s education also showed her the value of updating heating systems to improve energy efficiency. So, Jabs used rebates from NYS Clean Heat to convert three gas furnaces to heat pumps. She also took some do-it-yourself (DIY) measures like installing storm doors.
Jabs said that these improvements have had a great impact on her tenants’ home comfort, so she’s glad to have made this effort.
“It's no longer when you walk across the floor do you feel air coming up, so much more comfortable in that sense, and also much cooler in the summer [since] the attic made a huge difference,” she said. “And then the wind, putting on the storm door helped just the main entryway, which feeds into two of the apartments. … It's hard to tell, because we weren't there a full winter when we had the gas heaters, but the heat pumps are either comparable or less than the heating of the oil, and it's much more comfortable in the summer because now we have air [conditioning].”
While Jabs expressed some disappointment at not being able to qualify for as much as she was hoping, she said she doesn’t regret trying.
“As far as the upgrades, they were huge,” she said. “The majority expense was out of pocket, but the insulation, that was a huge help. So that definitely improved the comfortableness of our house and makes our renters happier too.”
Jabs said Miller was a big help throughout this process, and she’s glad she had someone she could talk to to navigate energy challenges.
“Our situation was a little different, but Leigh was a huge help,” she said. “I think [she] was a great help in navigating because their programs are all different and they all have different requirements.”
As for future improvements, Jabs said she’s planning to upgrade the property’s windows, though that may take some time to come to fruition.
Jabs encourages other landlords or prospective landlords to reach out to Smart Energy Choices to make similar improvements, as they have helped make the home more comfortable and more desirable for future tenants. Contact your local CEA by visiting smartenergychoices.org/get-help.