New York Unveils US$12 Million Heat Recovery Program
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled a US$12 million Heat Recovery Program to modernize buildings in New York State, focusing on decarbonization and retrofit projects that reuse heat to save energy and reduce fossil fuel use in buildings across the state. The practice of heat recovery, which is recuperating wasted heat and reusing it directly or storing it for later, represents a promising approach to building decarbonization, and helps accelerate progress toward the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse emissions 85% by 2050.
“New York’s robust statewide decarbonization efforts are bringing forward innovative and replicable approaches to lowering building emissions and combatting climate change,” said Governor Hochul. “Through this new initiative using heat recovery, we will help increase the adoption of heat recovery solutions, make building operations more affordable, and promote a healthier living environment for more New Yorkers across the state.”
Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), this open-enrollment funding is available to projects in existing commercial, multifamily, institutional, and industrial buildings in New York State. For awarded projects, NYSERDA will provide up to a 75% cost share, with maximum awards of US$40,000 to produce heat recovery opportunity assessments, and US$80,000 to develop design and construction plans for heat recovery projects. Heat recovery projects will include the capture and transfer of rejected heat to lower the energy used by other systems, such as heat rejected and captured from cooling and dehumidification, ventilation exhaust, or wastewater processes. Low- to moderate-income multifamily housing is eligible for up to 100% cost share, and NYSERDA will dedicate US$3 million of the total funding exclusively for projects in low- to moderate-income multifamily housing buildings.
“NYSERDA is pleased to add the Heat Recovery Program to its portfolio of available offerings that aim to increase energy efficiency and advance the use of new decarbonization technologies,” said NYSERDA President and Chief Executive Officer Doreen M. Harris. “Buildings, even those that are well-run, waste heat through a variety of processes including ventilation, cooling, and wastewater. Applying heat recovery to building operations lowers costs by recapturing energy that has already been paid for and reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in safer, more sustainable living conditions.”
