NYPA Press Release

Plans in Place to Save More Than 4 Trillion BTUs of Energy at State Facilities

New York State Exceeds Goal of Executive Order 88 through BuildSmartNY to Reduce Energy Use in State Buildings by 20 Percent

WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority has made significant progress during the first year of BuildSmart2025, a statewide energy efficiency program aimed at drastically reducing energy usage in state facilities. The energy saving program calls for a reduction in site energy use in state buildings by 11 trillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) by the end of 2025, the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars off the road. As of the end of 2020, state entities have implemented or are actively developing energy projects with calculated energy savings of more than 4 trillion BTUs with the expectation that they will reduce an additional 1 trillion BTUs by the end of 2021.

There are 68 state entities participating in the BuildSmart 2025 program, with an assigned cumulative goal of reducing energy use in state facilities by 11 trillion BTUs. The goal is equivalent to a 34% reduction in energy use from a baseline year of 2015. The program goal directly supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which calls for a reduction in energy use statewide by 185 trillion BTUs. Additionally, the program supports the work of the GreenNY Council, which helps state agencies implement the state’s lead-by-example directives. More information on how agencies are reducing energy use, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing climate resiliency can be found in the most recent Greening New York State report.

Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO, said, “Through the bold direction laid out in the Governor’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the Power Authority is acting swiftly to drastically reduce energy use in state buildings. I have every confidence that BuildSmart2025 will build on the success of BuildSmartNY as we help our customers achieve their energy goals and lead the charge to advance a clean energy economy for New York State.”

BuildSmart2025 builds on the success of BuildSmartNY—which was launched in 2012 alongside the Governor’s Executive Order 88—and directed state agencies to reduce their source energy use intensity 20 percent by 2020. Including committed projects, the state exceeded that goal, recording a combined source energy use intensity reduction of 22.6 percent. NYPA financed more than $650 million in energy efficiency projects at state buildings under BuildSmartNY and the Power Authority currently has plans to invest more than $850 million in energy efficiency projects at state buildings over the next several years as part of BuildSmart2025.

NYPA provides a wide variety of energy technology and renewable energy services to its governmental customers under BuildSmart2025, including energy audits, project engineering, design, installation, and construction management. The energy efficiency projects carried out by NYPA include high efficiency lighting retrofits, occupancy and daylighting lighting sensors, building and energy management systems, boilers, chillers, air-handling systems, thermal storage, microgrids, solar photovoltaic systems, digester gas systems, and emerging energy technologies. NYPA provides financing with full cost recovery by its customers.

Some of NYPA’s state customers include the State University of New York, City University of New York, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Office of General Services, Office of Mental Health and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Some major energy efficiency projects already completed under the program include more than $23 million for a new chiller plant and cooling towers at Grand Central Terminal, nearly $24 million in comprehensive air-handling improvements at the State University of New York at Stony Brook Life and Science building, and nearly $18 million in boiler and chiller plant upgrades at W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus.

NYPA’s NY Energy Manager directly supports BuildSmart2025 by providing energy-use monitoring and suggestions to customers for improvements. Through the NYEM service, NYPA tracks hundreds of energy efficiency projects implemented by state agencies and benchmarks their performance into the future.

Over the last 20 years, the NYPA Board of Trustees has approved nearly $4 billion in investments on energy efficiency projects with state and local government customers around the state, supporting hundreds of energy-saving projects.

Please visit NYPA on the web for more information on clean energy solutions.

Doreen Harris, acting president and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, said, “Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, state agencies are consistently challenging themselves to identify new opportunities and solutions for driving down energy use, increasing renewable energy production, and moving toward clean heating and cooling sources for their buildings. Combatting climate change requires immediate actions that deliver meaningful results and BuildSmart2025 will continue to be a valuable program in helping us meet our nation-leading clean energy and climate goals.”

Basil Seggos, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner, said, “Rising to meet the challenges caused by climate change will take an all-hands-on-deck approach and every tool at our disposal to reverse the trends of global warming and flatten the climate change curve. Through the BuildSmart2025 initiative, Governor Cuomo’s administration is leading by example and building on New York’s national leadership on environmental and energy policies to transition the state to a cleaner greener future for all New Yorkers.”

OGS Commissioner RoAnn Destito said, "Governor Cuomo has made it a priority for agencies to lead by example as we work collaboratively to meet the state’s ambitious climate and sustainability goals. OGS is proud of its leadership role on the GreenNY Council, and we look forward to achieving the Governor’s BuildSmart2025 goals through the continued procurement of green products and technology and the advancement of energy-saving initiatives at our facilities.”

New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker said, “As the Chair of the Energy and Telecommunications Committee I applaud Governor Cuomo for continuing to put forth resources and programs to get us to a clean energy future. We are making significant progress as we partner with state agencies to build initiatives that are proven to be effective in helping us reach our clean energy goals for the state.”

New York Assembly Member Michael J. Cusick said, “As we continue to work toward achieving the energy and climate goals set forth by the CLCPA, our state entities are doing their part to reduce their overall energy consumption and improve their energy efficiency. Today’s announcement signifies that our state is committed to achieving these ambitious goals and will continue to lead by example for the rest of the state and for the country.”

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New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

Governor Cuomo's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieving its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented ramp-up of clean energy including over $4 billion invested in 91 large-scale renewable projects across the state, supporting more than 150,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2019, a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035, and 1,800 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. Under Governor Cuomo's leadership, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments benefit disadvantaged communities and advancing progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

About NYPA

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.