The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) says it recently wrapped up two clean-energy programs that have helped municipalities “reduce costs and increase energy efficiency” for their communities. ANCA describes itself as an “independent nonprofit organization growing the New Economy in northern New York.” Since 2015, the ANCA clean-energy program has worked with municipalities and residents to […]
The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) says it recently wrapped up two clean-energy programs that have helped municipalities “reduce costs and increase energy efficiency” for their communities.
ANCA describes itself as an “independent nonprofit organization growing the New Economy in northern New York.”
Since 2015, the ANCA clean-energy program has worked with municipalities and residents to help implement two programs from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The programs include the Cleaner Greener Communities (CGC) One Stop Shop (OSS) program and the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program.
The OSS and CEC programs provided more than $2 million in energy funding to the region, ANCA said.
“They spoke and we listened,” Nancy Bernstein, energy circuit rider (ECR) at ANCA, said in a news release. “We were hearing from multiple municipalities that they were interested in clean energy, but did not have the time or technical expertise to fund and complete projects.”
The OSS program was designed to meet those needs by offering assistance to municipalities through the creation of four ECR positions and the development of tools and resources.
ANCA’s energy circuit riders (ECR) “help municipalities plan, finance and implement energy-saving upgrades to buildings and infrastructure as well as projects that focus on renewable energy technologies. Working side-by-side with municipal officials, they provide capacity and expertise to support informed decision-making,” per the ANCA website.
Over a four-year period, the ANCA ECR team connected with 195 North Country communities and assisted in completing clean-energy projects. They included interior light-emitting diode (LED) lighting upgrades; building envelope improvements; battery storage feasibility studies; net zero design; pellet boiler installations; LED streetlight conversions; electric vehicle charging station installation; solar siting; and solar installations.
Clean energy communities program
Starting in 2016, ANCA’s ECRs led an outreach campaign through the CEC program, providing technical and financial support for 35 North Country communities and assisting each in the adoption of at least four of 10 “high impact action items” determined by the state as important first steps in achieving its clean-energy goals. The first 18 communities to achieve CEC designation were awarded funding to complete clean-energy projects.
To date, 19 local governments are designated CEC communities in the North Country. They include Jefferson County; Lewis County; St. Lawrence County; Towns of Colton and Waddington and Village of Canton in St. Lawrence County; Franklin County; Town of Malone; and Village of Saranac Lake.
They completed at least four “high impact actions” to earn the Clean Energy Communities designation, per the NYSERDA website.
“This CEC program has been invaluable in our ongoing efforts to make our highway garage more energy efficient and more comfortable for our workers,” Malone Town Supervisor Andrea Steward said in the release. “With the help of ANCA’s energy circuit riders, we have successfully upgraded our streetlights to LED, which has improved safety while reducing energy costs.”
