For Release: Immediately
CONTACT: Peter Sigurdson 716-842-1522 ext 3006
NYSERDA Provides $165,355 to Erie County Library
To Implement Energy-Saving Measures
Main Branch expected to save more than $108,000 annually
Buffalo, NY -- The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (B&ECPL)
has entered into a partnership with the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Siemens Building Technologies,
Inc. to implement a series of energy saving measures at its main branch
at 1 Lafayette Square. As a result of the improvements, the B&ECPL
is expected to save approximately $108,451 annually.
"Erie County has been an aggressive partner with NYSERDA in
utilizing a wide array of programs and services to improve energy
efficiency, reduce consumption and cut costs. These improvements will
mean library patrons will be able to enjoy a more comfortable reading
environment and taxpayers will benefit from the reduced cost of operating
the Library's Main Branch," said NYSERDA President William Flynn.
The total project cost is $1.24 million with NYSERDA providing $165,355
in financial incentives. The B&ECPL will not incur any capital
cost for the project because the work is being performed under a performance
contract. The remainder of the project cost will be financed through
energy savings guaranteed by Siemens.
Erie County government and the Library System were able to identify
the needed energy efficiency measures through a previously undertaken
study financed through NYSERDA's Flexible Technology (FlexTech) Program,
which provides for a 50-50 cost share (with a maximum of $50,000)
for selected energy efficiency studies. The county utilized C.J. Brown
Energy of Cheektowaga to determine where energy efficiency could be
improved in a variety of county facilities. C.J. Brown serves as the
consultant on the project.
The Library System and Siemens utilized financial incentives available
through NYSERDA's Commercial and Industrial Performance Program (CIPP),
to reduce the cost of the energy efficiency upgrades. Under the CIPP,
financial incentives provided by NYSERDA go directly to energy service
companies, such as Siemens. It has been Siemens practice to pass the
financial incentive to the customer, less a small administrative charge
and guarantees project outcomes in terms of performance and finances.
"NYSERDA's Performance Contracting Program has allowed Erie
County and our Library System to undertake this energy efficiency
effort through existing budget appropriations and has helped encourage
other local governments across Erie County and New York State to pursue
energy saving initiatives," County Executive Joel Giambra said.
"Our ongoing partnership with NYSERDA has produced tremendous
energy savings and lower cost to our taxpayers."
"The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library is committed to
continuously adopting new and innovative means to maximize our resources,"
said B&ECPL Director Diane J. Chrisman. "Our partnership
with NYSERDA and Siemens has provided us with an opportunity to enhance
our internal operations, allowing us to further concentrate our efforts
on providing excellent customer service,"
Energy efficiency upgrades that will be installed include new lighting,
variable speed drives for hot water pumps and cooling tower fans,
high efficiency motors for the HVAC system, and the conversion from
a constant air volume ventilation system to a variable air volume
system. Work is scheduled to be completed in summer 2003.
It is anticipated that the B&ECPL will save 1.3 milllion kW of
electric energy annually ($104,266) and 6,049 thermal units of natural
gas annually ($4,185) for a combined total annual energy savings of
$108,870.
Since 1998, NYSERDA has provided more than $26 million to support
more than 500 projects in Erie and Niagara Counties. Combined with
co-funding from NYSERDA's partners, the value of these projects is
more than $65 million. Among some of the other customers NYSERDA is
working with in Erie and Niagara Counties, are: State University of
New York at Buffalo, eBidenergy.com Inc., Kreher's Poultry Farm, HSBC
Bank USA and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.
Funding for the Erie County Library project and others comes from
NYSERDA's New York Energy $martSM program, which
is designed to lower electricity costs by encouraging energy efficiency
as the State's electric utilities move to competition. New York
Energy $martSM encompasses many energy efficiency programs
and is available to all electric distribution customers.
For more information about NYSERDA, visit www.nyserda.org or call
toll-free (866)-NYSERDA.
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