Frequently Asked Questions About Energy Efficiency
What is energy efficiency?
What affects the energy efficiency of my home?
Why should I make energy efficiency improvements?
Do I qualify for help?
How do I get started?
What can I get from NYSERDA to help me improve my home’s energy efficiency?
Who will do the work on my house?
How will my contractor know what my house needs?
Is my contractor a code inspector?
If I have a comprehensive home energy assessment, do I have to commit to making energy efficiency improvements to my home?
What is the Affordable Housing Partnership (AHP)?
Can the Affordable Housing Partnership (AHP) help me in other ways?
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What is energy efficiency? - Energy efficiency means using less energy to do the things we do every day, which saves money, promotes a healthier environment and offers other benefits like being more comfortable at home.
What affects the energy efficiency of my home? - A home might use a lot of energy depending on how it’s built. For example, a house that has an older boiler or furnace, little insulation in the walls, and lots of leaky spots where air can get in from outside will burn a lot of energy, especially when someone turns the heat up during winter. That’s because older furnaces need to burn more fuel to make heat, and a house that has air leaks and poor insulation will let more heat escape. During summer, the opposite happens. Hot air leaks into the house and people have to turn up their fans and air conditioners to stay cool. Lighting and electric appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers can also affect energy efficiency. Older appliances and incandescent light bulbs use more energy than newer, energy-efficient appliances and more efficient lighting.
Why should I make energy efficiency improvements? - You can save hundreds—even more—each year when you cut energy waste in your home. You’ll also be more comfortable. Energy efficiency improvements reduce drafts and help you stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer. In New York, with our hot, humid summers and cold, icy winters, improving energy efficiency makes a big difference. If you pay for the energy you use in your home, energy efficiency improvements will help you stop wasting and start saving on energy costs.
Do I qualify for help? - We’ll help you find out. The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region has partnered with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, (NYSERDA), an organization that helps homeowners make energy efficiency improvements. We’re working with NYSERDA to be sure you can easily take part in programs to save energy, and take advantage of incentives, grants and low-interest loans to help pay for the energy upgrades. Funding and technical assistance are made possible by NYSERDA’s Green Jobs – Green NY program. We’ll start by figuring out which NYSERDA program is right for you. You'll work with a qualified contractor who will give your home a top-to-bottom look to see what upgrades you need—such as better insulation, air sealing to reduce drafts, energy-saving appliances, and more. We’ll explain options for financing, including low-interest loans for up to $25,000 and a program that will let you pay for the upgrades right on your utility bill with money you save by reducing your energy use. We can help you apply for a 10 percent cash back incentive to reduce the cost of some or all of your energy upgrades. We can also help low-to-moderate income residents take advantage of additional financial assistance, or even have improvements made for free. If you want to save energy and make your home more comfortable, NYSERDA programs can help. But please remember that public funding is limited and can run out. The most important thing you can do is contact The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region. We’ll help you get started.
How do I get started? - If you want to change the way you use energy—waste less and spend less, we can help you participate in one of NYSERDA’s energy efficiency programs. Start by completing the Assessment Application found on the Energy Assessment page of our website, email our Energy Advisor (energy@ahphome.org) or call us at (518) 434-1730 and we will make sure you have all the information you need to move forward.
What can I get from NYSERDA to help me improve my home's energy efficiency? - NYSERDA offers different levels of assistance based on homeowners’ household incomes. We’ll talk with you to determine exactly what you will qualify for. Here are some of the benefits that may be available to you: A comprehensive home energy assessment: A contractor will visit your home and test it to see where you’re wasting energy, then recommend improvements you can make that will save money and make your home more comfortable Energy efficiency improvements for free to New Yorkers whose income is lower than 60 percent of the statewide median. You can also qualify if you’re eligible for HEAP or if you participate in your utility’s payment assistance program. Call us at (518) 434-1730 and our staff will help you see if you qualify. Incentives or other assistance to help pay for energy efficiency improvements through NYSERDA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR programs Low-interest loans to pay for energy efficiency improvements On-bill recovery financing, which allows you to use the savings on your utility bill to pay for energy upgrades—without increasing your monthly expenses
Who will do the work on my house? - If you participate in NYSERDA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, you will work with a contractor that participates in the program. Participating Home Performance contractors are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), a national organization that trains and certifies contractors to do energy efficiency work.
How will my contractor know what my house needs? - If you participate in NYSERDA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, your contractor will begin the process with a comprehensive home energy assessment. This is the first step to see where your home is wasting energy and money. The home assessment is very important because it reveals hard-to-see problems like air leaking out of your house, walls that need insulation, trouble with your furnace and other problems. At the end of the assessment, you will get a report about the actions you can take to make your home more energy efficient.
Is my contractor a code inspector? - No. The contractors who come to work on your home are only there to help you make it more energy efficient. They may do some health and safety tests to make sure your home is safe, but they are not code inspectors or any other type of government official.
If I have a comprehensive home energy asseessment, do I have to commit to making energy efficient improvements to my home? - No. Whether you have a free, reduced-cost or paid home assessment, you don’t have to commit to making energy upgrades. Your only obligation is to learn how your home uses energy and what you can do stop waste and save on your energy bills.
What is the AHP Homeownership Center? - We’re a constituency-based organization, making it easier for homeowners, renters, landlords, not-for-profits and small businesses to participate in energy efficiency programs offered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). In addition to cutting waste and saving people money, these programs spark job and business opportunities—right here in our neighborhoods. We’ll help you take the first step.
Can the AHP Homeownership Center help me in other ways? - AHP offers a wide range of resources to help Capital District residents build assets and be successful homeowners while strengthening area neighborhoods. We work closely with the Albany Community Land Trust and Community Realty at our Homeownership Center.
What affects the energy efficiency of my home?
Why should I make energy efficiency improvements?
Do I qualify for help?
How do I get started?
What can I get from NYSERDA to help me improve my home’s energy efficiency?
Who will do the work on my house?
How will my contractor know what my house needs?
Is my contractor a code inspector?
If I have a comprehensive home energy assessment, do I have to commit to making energy efficiency improvements to my home?
What is the Affordable Housing Partnership (AHP)?
Can the Affordable Housing Partnership (AHP) help me in other ways?
What is energy efficiency? - Energy efficiency means using less energy to do the things we do every day, which saves money, promotes a healthier environment and offers other benefits like being more comfortable at home.
What affects the energy efficiency of my home? - A home might use a lot of energy depending on how it’s built. For example, a house that has an older boiler or furnace, little insulation in the walls, and lots of leaky spots where air can get in from outside will burn a lot of energy, especially when someone turns the heat up during winter. That’s because older furnaces need to burn more fuel to make heat, and a house that has air leaks and poor insulation will let more heat escape. During summer, the opposite happens. Hot air leaks into the house and people have to turn up their fans and air conditioners to stay cool. Lighting and electric appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers can also affect energy efficiency. Older appliances and incandescent light bulbs use more energy than newer, energy-efficient appliances and more efficient lighting.
Why should I make energy efficiency improvements? - You can save hundreds—even more—each year when you cut energy waste in your home. You’ll also be more comfortable. Energy efficiency improvements reduce drafts and help you stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer. In New York, with our hot, humid summers and cold, icy winters, improving energy efficiency makes a big difference. If you pay for the energy you use in your home, energy efficiency improvements will help you stop wasting and start saving on energy costs.
Do I qualify for help? - We’ll help you find out. The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region has partnered with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, (NYSERDA), an organization that helps homeowners make energy efficiency improvements. We’re working with NYSERDA to be sure you can easily take part in programs to save energy, and take advantage of incentives, grants and low-interest loans to help pay for the energy upgrades. Funding and technical assistance are made possible by NYSERDA’s Green Jobs – Green NY program. We’ll start by figuring out which NYSERDA program is right for you. You'll work with a qualified contractor who will give your home a top-to-bottom look to see what upgrades you need—such as better insulation, air sealing to reduce drafts, energy-saving appliances, and more. We’ll explain options for financing, including low-interest loans for up to $25,000 and a program that will let you pay for the upgrades right on your utility bill with money you save by reducing your energy use. We can help you apply for a 10 percent cash back incentive to reduce the cost of some or all of your energy upgrades. We can also help low-to-moderate income residents take advantage of additional financial assistance, or even have improvements made for free. If you want to save energy and make your home more comfortable, NYSERDA programs can help. But please remember that public funding is limited and can run out. The most important thing you can do is contact The Affordable Housing Partnership of the Capital Region. We’ll help you get started.
How do I get started? - If you want to change the way you use energy—waste less and spend less, we can help you participate in one of NYSERDA’s energy efficiency programs. Start by completing the Assessment Application found on the Energy Assessment page of our website, email our Energy Advisor (energy@ahphome.org) or call us at (518) 434-1730 and we will make sure you have all the information you need to move forward.
What can I get from NYSERDA to help me improve my home's energy efficiency? - NYSERDA offers different levels of assistance based on homeowners’ household incomes. We’ll talk with you to determine exactly what you will qualify for. Here are some of the benefits that may be available to you: A comprehensive home energy assessment: A contractor will visit your home and test it to see where you’re wasting energy, then recommend improvements you can make that will save money and make your home more comfortable Energy efficiency improvements for free to New Yorkers whose income is lower than 60 percent of the statewide median. You can also qualify if you’re eligible for HEAP or if you participate in your utility’s payment assistance program. Call us at (518) 434-1730 and our staff will help you see if you qualify. Incentives or other assistance to help pay for energy efficiency improvements through NYSERDA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR programs Low-interest loans to pay for energy efficiency improvements On-bill recovery financing, which allows you to use the savings on your utility bill to pay for energy upgrades—without increasing your monthly expenses
Who will do the work on my house? - If you participate in NYSERDA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, you will work with a contractor that participates in the program. Participating Home Performance contractors are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), a national organization that trains and certifies contractors to do energy efficiency work.
How will my contractor know what my house needs? - If you participate in NYSERDA’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, your contractor will begin the process with a comprehensive home energy assessment. This is the first step to see where your home is wasting energy and money. The home assessment is very important because it reveals hard-to-see problems like air leaking out of your house, walls that need insulation, trouble with your furnace and other problems. At the end of the assessment, you will get a report about the actions you can take to make your home more energy efficient.
Is my contractor a code inspector? - No. The contractors who come to work on your home are only there to help you make it more energy efficient. They may do some health and safety tests to make sure your home is safe, but they are not code inspectors or any other type of government official.
If I have a comprehensive home energy asseessment, do I have to commit to making energy efficient improvements to my home? - No. Whether you have a free, reduced-cost or paid home assessment, you don’t have to commit to making energy upgrades. Your only obligation is to learn how your home uses energy and what you can do stop waste and save on your energy bills.
What is the AHP Homeownership Center? - We’re a constituency-based organization, making it easier for homeowners, renters, landlords, not-for-profits and small businesses to participate in energy efficiency programs offered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). In addition to cutting waste and saving people money, these programs spark job and business opportunities—right here in our neighborhoods. We’ll help you take the first step.
Can the AHP Homeownership Center help me in other ways? - AHP offers a wide range of resources to help Capital District residents build assets and be successful homeowners while strengthening area neighborhoods. We work closely with the Albany Community Land Trust and Community Realty at our Homeownership Center.
