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High Impact Action Items

The High-Impact Actions include:

  1. Benchmarking

    Local governments can adopt a policy that requires annual reporting of energy used in buildings. Setting up a system for measuring and sharing energy use data helps identify opportunities to cut energy waste and associated costs. They can also choose to adopt legislation requiring private buildings of 25,000 sq ft. or larger to adopt the same practices.

  2. Clean Energy Upgrades—Achieve a 10 percent reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings through energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy.
  3. Clean Fleets

    Local governments throughout the State are investing in electric vehicles and infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollutants. Electric vehicles are more energy efficient and cost significantly less to operate than gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

  4. Clean Heating and Cooling Demo

    Local governments can play an important role in encouraging the adoption of clean heating and cooling technologies such ground and air source heat pumps and solar hot water. This action is designed for municipal facilities to demonstrate the benefits of clean heating and cooling technologies.

  5. Climate Smart Communities Certification—Earn Climate Smart Community (CSC) Certification through compliance with this robust, comprehensive rating system.
  6. Community CampaignsCommunity-scale campaigns can be an effective way to encourage adoption of new, innovative technologies to generate value and savings for consumers while advancing New York’s clean energy goals. Campaigns to promote program opportunities including community solar, electric vehicles, clean heating and cooling and energy efficiency, and demand response can provide consumers with increased access to clean energy. Campaigns are typically short-term, local efforts that brings together groups of potential customers through widespread outreach and education.
  7. Community Choice Aggregation—Transition to a cleaner, more affordable energy supply by facilitating the aggregated purchase of a 100% renewable electric supply for residential and small commercial customers within the jurisdiction.
  8. County Hosted Trainings- This High Impact Action is designed to convene and help communities understand how to manage responsible clean energy development in their communities.
  9. Energy Code Enforcement Training—Train code compliance officers and other municipal officials in best practices in energy code enforcement through training, collaborative plans reviews, and joint onsite inspections of local construction projects.
  10. Property Assessed Clean Energy (Open C-PACE) Financing

    Municipalities can establish an Open C-PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Financing program that enables eligible commercially owned buildings to secure funds for renewable energy projects and upgrades. This financing structure is available for projects that aim to install permanent improvements. Only Cities and Counties are eligible to complete this HIA.

  11. LED Street Lights—Convert at least half of the municipal cobra-head-style street lights within the jurisdiction to energy-efficient LED technology.
  12. NYStretch Code - NYSERDA developed NYStretch as a statewide model code to help communities meet their energy and climate goals by accelerating the savings obtained through their local building energy codes by roughly 11%. 
  13. Unified Solar Permit—Pass legislation to adopt the New York State Unified Solar Permit to reduce costs and delays for solar projects in the jurisdiction.
  14. 100% Renewable Energy

    Communities can highlight their role as a leader in addressing climate change and protecting the environment by making the decision to purchase renewable energy for their municipal electricity needs.