Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, sponsored by the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), is transforming the New York housing market. More than $100 million worth of comprehensive energy efficiency work has been completed in customers’ homes since the program began in 2001.

With Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, homes of any style or size can be improved to reduce energy use and costs by up to 40 percent and improve household comfort, health and safety.

“We embraced the idea of a whole-house approach to improving a home,” said Richard Gerardi, director of residential energy affordability at NYSERDA. “New Yorkers wanted a service that would provide a single entry point to assess and treat various aspects of the home.”

More than 13,600 homes have been improved in New York, with each family saving an average of $735 per year on their energy bill. New Yorkers have reduced their energy use by more than 13.4 million kWh in electricity and 616 billion BTUs of oil and gas, which has helped remove more than 40,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. That’s like taking almost 8,000 cars off the road for a year.

NYSERDA partners with the Building Performance Institute (BPI) to create a resource for independent, third-party verification of contractors. BPI sets the standards for a systematic approach to improving the indoor environment as it relates to energy efficiency, comfort, durability, and health and safety. Those standards are what set contractors in the program apart from traditional contractors who specialize in one field.

New York contractors realize the benefits Home Performance with ENERGY STAR brings to their business. Currently, 131 contracting firms throughout the state are accredited by BPI and participate in the program. While NYSERDA actively recruits contractors, contractors often seek out the program on their own.

“The commitment to training and accreditation says that these contractors are hungry to learn more about how they can help their customers. Our goal is to show them this program is a viable business model,” Gerardi said.   Improvements in technology are driving Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to higher standards and more impressive results. Contractors and builders have begun to integrate ENERGY STAR standards with geothermal and photovoltaic (PV) solar electric systems to create a powerful synergy and increased value for customers. New concepts such as on-site solar power generation and zero energy homes will become more common within the next four to five years.

“We want our workforce to know how to include new technologies into an energy efficiency work scope,” Gerardi said.  “Our vision for the next several years involves integrating more technology into our program so we can reach higher levels of home performance and further drive down energy costs.”