Did you know that the average person spends 70-90 percent of their time indoors? This means that making sure our homes are healthy is crucial to keeping ourselves healthy. Our homes are designed as a safe place to keep us sheltered from the outside hazards, but if we open our homes unknowingly to these hazards, we can turn our safe place into an unhealthy and potentially hazardous environment.
Eamonn Ladue, Energy Advisor
Image Courtesy of Katie Zehr-Peer - Sackets Harbor Photographic Imaging LLC
Did you know that of the 34 million acres of land across New York State, farms account for 7 million acres, or about 20 percent of total land in the state? In Upstate New York, we see the fruits of this labor all around us. The abundancy produces about $2 billion in dairy and milk revenue annually. New York State is also known for producing apples, corn, cattle, and poultry, generating around $300 million, $250 million, $330 million, and $150 million, respectively. The grand operations require expensive equipment and round-the-clock attention, which often leads to large utility bills.
By improving the energy efficiency on farms, reliability can be increased while cutting down operational costs. Efficiency upgrades can be costly, but thankfully, there are local programs available to help! Ag Energy NY is a program that was created to support farmers to better understand energy usage, evaluate efficient technologies and alternate modes of operation to maximize efficiency, and help make smart investments based on results that are farm specific. These include fact sheets with potential energy savings and simple payback time on specific topics, such as ventilation, refrigeration, livestock waterers and more!
One way Ag Energy NY implements support is by connecting farm owners with service providers who can provide advice and identify the appropriate energy efficiency grants, loans, and rebates the owners may qualify for. The easiest way to start the process is to contact your local Energy Advisor, who can connect you with the proper resources based on individual needs. They are not farm experts but can connect you
with the right experts for your farm. They can also help connect to residential programs to make your home more energy efficient.
No-cost energy assessments are available to any customer paying a Systems Benefit Charge (SBC) on their electrical bill. This can be found in your energy bill, broken down with the delivery services. Residents who use National Grid or NYSEG most likely pay this charge, but if you are not sure, you can either contact your service provider or your Energy Advisor. Energy assessments are conducted based on individual needs to help farmers understand their energy usage and provide options to make the most out of the equipment they use.
Ag Energy NY was also designed to fill the gaps of farm energy efficiency that utility companies do not cover. The information is farm type specific and covers a wide range of farm products. They have information available specifically for, but not limited to, crops and vegetables, livestock (beef and swine), orchards and vineyards, poultry and eggs, and maple.
EnSave is another program that supports farms in the dairy and greenhouse sectors as well as other producers. They can help with funding and implementation of energy efficiency projects.
Contact the Energy Advisor in your county to get started with Ag Energy NY!
Jefferson & Lewis Counties
Eamonn LaDue
315-788-8450 ext. 280
el692@cornell.edu
St. Lawrence & Franklin Counties
Nolan Rishe
315-379-9192 ext. 426
nar79@cornell.edu
Clinton, Essex, & Hamilton Counties
Carson Schweinsberg
315-816-8677
cns68@cornell.edu
