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CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. Town officials have linked up with Energize New York to officially launch a New Castle program that will attempt to reduce energy waste within the community.
The Energize New Castle program will offer free home energy assessments to help homeowners identify waste areas that contribute to unnecessarily large bills and comfort problems.
Were excited Energize New Castle will help our residents prepare for our uncertain energy future, said Town Supervisor Susan Carpenter. I hope everyone will pledge, as I have, to get an assessment and look at their own homes energy use.
Carpenter and other officials will kick-off the new phase of sustainability with an event Saturday at 10 a.m. on the front lawn of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.
Sustainability Advisory Board chair Beth Sauerhaft said the average homeowner unknowingly loses about 30 percent of the energy they use through hidden holes in the house. She said assessments help homeowners find leaks that let out cool air in the summer and heat in the winter.
Insulation made all the difference for my house in the winter, Sauerhaft said. No drafts, no cold walls. Im also looking forward to having a cool and comfortable home this summer without sky-high energy bills.
According to Sauerhaft, home energy assessments also helps to identify why some rooms in homes have varying temperatures and how it can be fixed. She said the assessments also help fix health and safety issues, such as finding mold and moisture-related issues.
Sauerhaft said the New Castle community will benefit as well. She said residential energy use contributes to approximately 50 percent of the carbon footprint or climate changing greenhouse gas emissions of communities.
The process of the Energize New Castle initiative began in November, when the SAB worked with Bedford 2020 to brainstorm ideas for a climate action plan. One goal of Bedford 2020 is to reduce Bedfords greenhouse gas emission by 20 percent by 2020.
In efforts to decrease its environmental footprint, the town also previously installed a solar wall at the water treatment plant and offers preferential parking at the train station to "clean" vehicles.
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