(Photo Credit: Robin Tell, Flickr Creative Commons)New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) launched a $30 million Buildings of Excellence competition to encourage the construction and operation of low- or zero-carbon emitting buildings.
Buildings currently account for 59% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions, according to the governor’s office. To help tackle those emissions, the new Buildings of Excellence competition offers financial incentives and recognition for building construction that demonstrates cost-effective and replicable low-carbon or carbon neutral designs.
Such designs offer developers a competitive edge with predictable revenue and cost projections, NYSERDA and the governor say.
“The competition will show how low-carbon buildings can be profitable, attractive, and affordable for New Yorkers and will demonstrate how advanced building design can eventually be adopted into the New York State Energy Conservation and Construction Code,” according to NYSERDA.
Each of the competition’s three rounds provides up to $10 million, with as much as $1 million available per project. The first round focuses on multi-family buildings with applications accepted through June 4, 2019. NYSERDA specifies that eligible projects must be located in one of the six electric investor-owned New York State utility company territories. In addition, proposals must be for projects that are in one of these phases: early design, late design, under construction, or post-completion performance optimization
The new competition is part of the governor’s Green New Deal aimed at completely eliminating the state’s carbon footprint. In January, Cuomo included $1.2 billion for renewable energy projects in this year’s Executive Budget for the state.
In addition, Buildings of Excellence supports a proposed increase in New York's Clean Energy Standard mandate to generate 70% of the state's electricity through renewable energy sources by 2030, the governor’s office says.
“The technology is there, the technical knowledge is there,” said Brendan Hall, a LEED-certified mechanical engineer and government affairs chair for the Central NY chapter of ASHRAE. “The time is right for a few innovative projects to really show the market that net zero energy is both achievable and profitable.”
The 4th Annual Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference takes place May 13 – 15, 2019 in Denver. Learn more here.
