New York launches new state efficiency targets, appliance standards plan
Pushing forward with green efforts, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo took the opportunity of his State of the State address to announce a new plan for energy efficiency targets and appliance standards, putting state departments to work.
Both the Department of Public Service and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority have been directed to recommend new efficiency targets for 2025 by Earth Day of this year. Further, they have been directed to create new appliance efficiency standards for products that have fallen through the cracks of federal standards. Those efforts are to be coordinated with other states.
Emphasizing cost efficiency side by side with innovation, Cuomo called on utilities and the state’s Clean Energy Fund to work together. With the decision, Cuomo seems to have put to bed the debate over whether to set new targets and pivoted to the question of what those targets will be.
Recent years have seen New York stumble on energy efficiency investments and savings, according to the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy. The council’s figures saw New York drop from third place in terms of Energy Efficiency to being tied for seventh in 2017. At the heart of the fall, by their estimation, was the expiration of a 15 percent savings by 2015 target.
