By Jonathan Comstock, Director, HeatSmart Tompkins

You already loved Purity Ice Cream, but now you can love them even more. When the owners of the iconic Ithaca institution renovated their shop, they decided to scoop out a little happiness for the planet, too. Today, Purity heats and cools its entire operation with high-efficiency ground source heat pumps, and it powers those pumps – not to mention its lights, machinery, and appliances – entirely with solar energy.

When we at Solar Tompkins considered nominees for our first HeatSmart Award for Outstanding Earth Stewardship, Purity was a natural choice.
For co-owner Bruce Lane, ground source (also known as geothermal) heat pumps were the perfect answer for a year-round business that consumes a considerable amount of energy. Not only have the heat pumps drastically reduced the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, but they have also made life more comfortable for customers and employees alike.

“Geothermal is almost like magic,” Lane marveled. “Most of the energy for heating comes from the earth and is available for free. And cooling with geothermal is so inexpensive that we could even afford to air-condition the kitchens, something that restaurants rarely do because of the cost.”

Solar Tompkins created the earth stewardship award to help spread the news about the magic of heat pumps and related technologies.

“People are taking action in both the private and commercial arenas all over our county, and we all need to know about it, and celebrate it, and think about how we can each be part of this progress,” said Brian Eden, chair of the Solar Tompkins Board.

Solar Tompkins is a local nonprofit led by volunteers and funded by donations and grants. The award, and indeed all our work, is intended to accelerate the global process of “beneficial electrification,” which combines renewable electricity generation with high-efficiency electric alternatives for heating and cooling buildings, fueling vehicles, and powering industry.

Beneficial electrification is the path we urgently need to take if we are to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is that it is a broad one with room enough for all of us.

Solar Tompkins has been traveling this path since our founding five years ago. We began by facilitating the adoption of solar panels by local homeowners and businesses. In just two years, the program more than tripled the number of photovoltaic installations in Tompkins County. Our success can plainly be seen today on rooftops and in yards throughout our region, and in the number of companies now offering solar services.

As awareness of solar technology grew, and as community and commercial solar farms began to flourish, we decided to shift our focus to heating and cooling. After all, most of us heat our homes by burning fossil fuels in our basements, and those of us who use air conditioning tend to power it with electricity from fossil fuel-burning plants. In fact, heating and cooling together account for roughly 70 percent of all residential greenhouse gas emissions in Tompkins County.

HeatSmart Tompkins organizes publicity campaigns, community meetings, and public tours of homes and businesses with heat pump systems. We vet installers who work one-on-one with property owners to assess and improve the efficiency of their buildings, and then, where appropriate, install air or ground source heat pumps for heating, cooling, and even hot water. We make no money on the installations we help to arrange.

Heat pumps aren’t as visible as solar panels, but more and more area homeowners, developers, and business owners are making the switch, just as Purity Ice Cream did.

And with good reason. Heat pumps are clean, healthy, safe, and highly efficient. They provide cooling and dehumidification as well as heating. While sizing, cost, and other specifications will vary from building to building, business owners and homeowners with oil, propane, or electric baseboard systems can often save money by switching over. When powered by renewable electricity, heat pumps are virtually emissions-free.

Our innovative HeatSmart program has not just begun to move the home heating and cooling market in Tompkins County and surrounding areas; it has also become a model for organizations in other communities across the Northeast.

We hope the HeatSmart Award for Outstanding Earth Stewardship will help raise awareness even further. If you own or know of a business or facility that might qualify, send me your story at jonathan@solartompkins.org. And keep your eyes out for our next HeatSmart campaign, which will launch after May 1. For more information, visit us at solartompkins.org.

Remember, there’s no sense in waiting for solutions to climate change. The solutions are waiting for us!

Here is the monthly update on 100% renewable electricity ESCOs (Energy Supply Companies). There are no major changes this month...just the usual price updates for new customers. 
​
Note...With fixed price ESCOs, mark your calendar. When the 12 month contract period expires, your fixed rate becomes variable. To avoid surprises, re-evaluate your choices at the end of the contract period. 
​
View our FAQ page for more information about ESCOs.

See our resource and FAQ page for more info. ​

New Yorkers have had the opportunity to shop for their electricity supplier since the late 1990s. The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) started by ‘unbundling’ your energy bill, separating charges for delivering energy to your home from charges for the energy itself.

Although you are able to shop for your electricity and select your favorite ESCO, about 80% of residential customers allow NYSEG to supply their electricity. No matter from whom who you choose to buy energy, your local utility will continue to deliver your electricity and respond to service interruptions and outages. You will still pay your utility for these services.

​See our resource and FAQ page for more info. 

Yes!  Time is still on your side, but don’t let it slip away!  Enrollment for the 2018 HeatSmart program continues until midnight tomorrow, Saturday, December 15th.  And doing the enrollment form only takes a couple minutes! 

Perhaps you have already opened this message and made your own decision to act.  But have you shared it with your friends?  They deserve HeatSmart too!  So please please be our ambassador and forward this message to your friends and acquaintances. 

Remember, enrollment carries no obligations and provides a free assessment of the benefits of heating and cooling smart in your home. ​

Oct 23  (Tues) — Dryden
Varna Community Center
943 Dryden Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
6:30pm-8:30pm
Join and share our Facebook event.

Nov 1  (Thur) — City of Ithaca
Tompkins County Public Library, Borg Warner Room
101 E Green St, Ithaca, NY 14850
6:30pm-8:30pm
Join and share our Facebook event.

Nov 8 (Thur) Van-Etten  (Chemung County)
Van Etten Community Center
6 Gee St./NY34, Van Etten, NY
6:30-8:30pm
Join and share our Facebook event.

Nov 20 (Tues) - Groton
Groton Public Library
112 E. Cortland St., Groton, NY 13073
Join and share our Facebook event.

Saturday, Oct. 27th, 10am-noon
David Weinstein and Christina Stark
Heat Pump(s): 5-ton GSHP for space heating & cooling and hot water.  Solar tracking solar panel array.
51 Freese Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
(Please park across the street from the house)
Join and share our Facebook event.

Saturday, Nov. 10th, 10am-noon
Charlie and Kathy Woodcock
Heat Pump(s): 3-ton Air source heat pump whole-home system; includes both multi-zone and single-zone units
167 Crescent Place, Ithaca, NY 14850
Join and share our Facebook event. ​

This year is perhaps the Best Year Ever for installing geothermal.  Last year, people who bought geothermal systems got a wonderful surprise just before tax time.  The federal 30% tax credit was restored and they got an unexpected $10 thousand dollars or more to subtract from their tax bills.

If you didn’t buy your system last year, it’s not too late to get a great deal, but act this year.  Only for this next year do we have the combination of the NYSERDA incentive AND the federal tax credit, because the NYSERDA incentive will expire in 2019.  So don’t miss out.  There are some great deals to be had by acting now!

Go to link: NYSERDA incentive
Go to link: Federal Tax Credit

Jay Egg of Egg Geothermal discusses the basics of geothermal and examines how far geothermal can go towards a renewable energy future.
​
Presented by the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council and HeatSmart Tompkins.
Co-sponsored by Campaign for Renewable Energy, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Sustainable Tompkins, Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative (TCCPI).

Commercial Energy Workshop
Wednesday, October 24, from 3 – 5 PM
BorgWarner East Room, Tompkins County Public Library (101 E. Green St., Ithaca)

Join us at the Commercial Energy Workshop, a FREE two-hour workshop intended to introduce various programs that can help businesses save energy and money.

​For more information, please see the attached workshop flyer, and RSVP to Andrea Aguirre (gaguirre@tompkins-co.org) by Monday, October 15. Light refreshments will be provided.

Clean Heating and Cooling Workshop
Wednesday, October 10, from 5 – 7 PM
REV Ithaca Startup Works (314 E. State St., Ithaca)

Do you own or manage a business or rental units? Come learn how heat pumps can heat and cool your building at this FREE event. These super-efficient systems can save you money and keep your building occupants more comfortable all year long!

​Presenters include representatives from Energize NY, NYSERDA, Mitsubishi, Empower Equity, and the Tompkins County Department of Planning and Sustainability. Brought to you by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, the Landlords Association of Tompkins County, and HeatSmart Tompkins.

By Jonathan Comstock

Beneficial electrification* needs to become a familiar household concept just like the value of renewable energy. Renewable energy comes from sources that are self-renewing, like solar, wind and hydropower. But merely converting our current electric use to renewably sourced electricity is not enough. We also need to eliminate the current reliance on fossil fuels in our transportation and home heating systems because they account for the vast majority of our energy use.

The point is that we have excellent opportunities to adopt superior electric technologies for transportation and to heat and cool our homes. When we do this, our total electric use will go up. But our total energy use will drop substantially because of the elimination of fossil fuel use and the tremendous increases in energy efficiency as we shift to these modern electric technologies.

Bryan Roy’s “Signs of Sustainability” article went into considerable depth on electric vehicles and the growing infrastructure to support them in Tompkins County. If you missed it, check it out online.

Now, let’s focus on the most substantial use of energy directly within the home, which is — home heating and cooling.

A great place to start is in upgrading the insulation and air-sealing of a home.
A much more significant percentage than necessary of the energy used in heating and cooling is simply wasted due to the inefficiency of the building itself to retain heat. Although modern building codes are much improved, many older homes in Tompkins County were often built with minimal thought for building efficiency. This inefficiency results in a tremendous waste of money in unnecessary heating and cooling and also poor comfort due to cold spots and drafts.

Once you are satisfied with the insulation of your home, the next step is to change the heating system itself. Wood and pellet stoves are potentially economical and renewable since the biomass can regrow. For many, this may be a good option. Nonetheless, they are less scalable than heat pumps and still have all the issues of air quality associated with burning stuff inside your home. Heat pumps, with no combustion at all in your basement, bedrooms or living room, are simply the cleanest and healthiest option available.

One of the obstacles people run into, however, is their lack of familiarity with heat pump technologies.
You may be surprised to know you already have a heat pump in your home. You grew up with it, rely on it, and trust it without any doubts. It’s called a refrigerator. Heat pumps, whether air source or ground source varieties, all use that same basic process with which you already feel comfortable.

But obstacles may still exist because you do not have a cherished brand or feel confident that you know what features are essential and what is the best equipment for your budget. One solution to this problem is the HeatSmart Tompkins program. HeatSmart is a local, non-profit, and volunteer-led program in which residents help other residents by pulling together and sharing some simple what-you-need-to-know information. HeatSmart will walk you through the options and point the way towards vetted equipment and installers.

The best way to take advantage of this resource is to come to one of the HeatSmart public meetings.
You can find the full schedule and all the time and location details on the website.

If you haven’t any experience with heat pumps for heating and cooling, you may want to attend some HeatSmart tours where you can meet and talk to people, just like you, only they recently made the leap. Find out how they feel about the process and the final result. The full tour schedule is also on the website.

Finally, on the website you can also find a heating news blog, various fact sheets and a place to enroll in the HeatSmart program, which costs nothing and carries no obligation. Especially if your home is heated with a fuel like heating oil or propane, you will find that you not only come out ahead with greater comfort and healthier home, but you can also save quite a bit of money.

Jonathan Comstock is the HeatSmart Tompkins Program Director. 

A version of this article was originally published in the Tompkins Weekly. 

*Beneficial electrification: is a term for replacing direct fossil fuel use (e.g., propane, heating oil, gasoline) with electricity in a way that reduces overall emissions and energy costs. There are many opportunities across the residential and commercial sectors. This can include switching to an electric vehicle or an electric heating system – as long as the end-user and the environment both benefit. Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute

​Are you interested in being one of our 2018 installer partners? 

Download our 2018 RFP. 

 ​Home energy program serves as model for communities across state
 
The HeatSmart home energy program, which helps Tompkins County homeowners connect with local heating and cooling contractors, closes its 2017 season with a public information session at The Space @ Greenstar on Tuesday, May 30, at 6 p.m.
 
“If you’ve been meaning to get to a meeting, this is your chance,” said program director Jonathan Comstock. “It’s a great way to fight global warming while making your household more comfortable year-round.”
 
A program of the local nonprofit Solar Tompkins, HeatSmart works to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in Tompkins County by promoting home sealing, insulation, and super-efficient heat pump systems. In this area, roughly 75 percent of home energy use goes to heating and cooling. Most of that energy is provided by fossil fuels.
 
Heat pumps use electricity to move heat from one place to another, providing warmth in the winter and cooling in the summer. By switching from traditional furnaces and air conditioners, homeowners with access to solar or wind power can drastically reduce their carbon footprints.
 
HeatSmart has held 20 community meetings so far this year in all ten of the county’s municipalities. The meetings allow homeowners to learn about heat pumps and meet three vetted installers – Halco, NP Environmental, and Snug Planet – with no obligation. The program is being used as a model for similar efforts across the state.
 
The May 30 event will begin at 6 p.m. with free wine tasting organized by Six Mile Creek Vineyard. The information session will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Space @ Greenstar is located at 700 W. Buffalo St. in Ithaca.

In order to help us plan for the event registration is helpful, but not required. 

With funding from the Park Foundation and CCETC, Taitem engineering just released a very exciting report comparing energy use, carbon emissions, and cost for furnaces versus heat pumps.  In new construction, the ASHP were even more cost effective than a gas furnace.  Both air source and ground source heat pumps produce huge reductions in energy use and emissions. 

HeatSmart program offers low-cost efficiency
​by Elizabeth Thomas
​
​Most people have noticed or believe climate change to be an issue of concern, and in this era, it is doubtful the federal government will be working to find renewable energies to help stem greenhouse gas production.
We are fortunate in Tompkins County to have assistance through the HeatSmart program to find more efficient ways to heat homes. Read more

HeatSmart volunteers gather at Stewart Park to pick up yard signs and celebrate the start of the program's second season. Photo by Kathleen Gifford. (For high resolution version of image click here)

​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Jonathan Comstock, program director
jonathan@solartompkins.org, tel 607-351-1752 
http://www.solartompkins.org/

Now in its second year, HeatSmart program to serve as model for communities across state

ITHACA – A group of Tompkins County residents is launching a series of community meetings to help homeowners sort through their options for curbing their homes’ energy appetites through sealing, insulation, and high-efficiency heat pumps. 

The HeatSmart program begins its second season on February 21 with an information session at the Brooktondale Community Center in Caroline. It is the first of 19 open community meetings around the county offered by the nonprofit group Solar Tompkins. For a complete schedule, visit SolarTompkins.org.