During a home energy assessment, a certified contractor will identify where your house is losing energy and suggest cost-effective improvements that will reduce your energy costs while making your house safer and more comfortable.
Are you a renter or landlord?
There may be financial assistance for landlords to complete a whole house energy upgrade, increasing the comfort, energy savings and value of the building. Renters can qualify for individual home energy assessments, or work with their landlord to make improvements.
Are you a homeowner?
You are probably eligible for a reduced or no-cost home energy assessment through NYSERDA’s Home Performance with Energy Star® Program. Here’s how to apply:
Confirm you are eligible. You must be the owner of a 1-4 unit residential building with a total household income at or below 400% of your county AMI ($302,400 in Tompkins County as of 2018), and without asbestos or vermiculite insulation.
You must provide a 12-24 month summary of the energy usage for your building. If you do not have access to a full year of data, contact an Energy Expert at 607-272-2292.
Submit a Home Energy Assessment Application.
1) You can print the application form and fill it out by hand or fill it out online.
2) In the section that asks where you heard about the program, select your regional Constituency-Based Organization (CBO). NYSERDA also provides more information on these Community Energy Resources here.
3) Identify your preferred method of payment for energy upgrades, which will be some or all of what is recommended after the assessment.
4) Find household income range. You can find how yours relates to the income in your county, officially referred to as “area median income” or AMI. AMI is approximately the average income. You can calculate this based in information provided on page 2 of the application. After doing so, check off the corresponding box on your application.
5) Fill out Energy Supplier Information. Call or email the utilities that provide your electricity and heating fuel and ask 12-24 months of electric and fuel use history.
6) Sign the bottom and submit to the address indicated. If you have already chosen a contractor, list the contractor. If not, leave this section blank.
You should hear back from NYSERDA within 2 weeks of submitting your application. If approved, you will receive an energy assessment reservation number to give to your contractor. This reservation “pays” the contract for all except your portion.
Want to skip the paperwork? You can pay for your energy assessment up front, typically $300-$500, rather than apply for a reduced or no-cost assessment. If you hire the contractor who does the assessment to do work on your home, the contractor will usually refund the cost of the assessment.
Call a BPI contractor for more information.
Last updated July 17, 2018