NEW YORK (April 20, 2018) – The following is a statement from New York Energy Efficiency for All (NY EEFA), a coalition of affordable housing and energy efficiency advocates, regarding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s just-announced statewide energy efficiency initiative:
“We applaud the Governor for setting energy efficiency targets for utilities, which is an essential step toward delivering programs that will help cut energy costs and reduce pollution for all New Yorkers. We’re particularly excited to see that the Governor’s plan emphasizes the need to bring energy efficiency to low-income families across the state.
“We look forward to working closely with the utilities, the State, and all stakeholders to ensure that New Yorkers who need it most – the 1.7 million low-income households living in older, less efficient multi-family housing – get the energy efficiency upgrades they need to live healthier lives, cut energy costs, and make housing more affordable.”
Background:
Apartment buildings and other multifamily housing in New York State provide homes to more than 1.7 million low-income households, comprising more than one-fifth of the state’s total homes. Most of these New Yorkers reside in the oldest, least efficient housing in the state. Providing energy efficiency upgrades for these households would:
- Improve indoor air quality, reducing asthma and other respiratory illnesses that increase healthcare costs and result in work and school absences.
- Reduce the burning of fossil fuels, cutting air pollution, and helping New York’s electric grid meet high demand on hot summer days.
- Help keep housing affordable by reducing energy costs that comprise a substantial portion of operating and maintenance costs for owners and operators of multifamily buildings.
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Contact: Pamela Rivera, EEFA NY coordinator, [email protected]rdc.org, (212) 727-4650
New York Energy Efficiency for All is a coalition comprised of affordable housing and energy efficiency advocates, including the Association for Energy Affordability; Enterprise Community Partners; Green & Healthy Homes Initiative; LISC NYC; Natural Resources Defense Council; Pace Energy and Climate Center; WeAct for Environmental Justice; and New York Working Families. Learn more at www.nyeefa.org
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