Green Homes Go Solar in Brookhaven

Brookhaven Town Hall hosted an information session Friday evening to explain how Federal Stimulus Funds would pay for roughly 70-percent of the cost to make homes energy efficient or to install solar panels, either of which would sharply reduce the homeowner's utility costs and protecting the environment at the same time.

An overflow crowd listened to a variety of speakers who discussed the program with a variety of slide presentations. 

Basically, this is a stimulus/homeowner funded residential retrofit program for upgrading the energy efficiency of existing homes in Brookhaven Town.  The program will alleviate the upfront costs for Town residents who wish to "go green" in their homes while providing immediate utility cost savings and ultimately reducing the Town's carbon footprint.  The Town will work with the Long Island Power Authority to maximize the benefits of their rebate program.

As part of the program, a Town of Brookhaven licensed Green Homes contractor will conduct a comprehensive energy audit of participating homes to determine which energy-efficient improvements would be most effective. The contractor will prepare a detailed report that will demonstrate the savings that will result from making improvements.  In general, the savings will generally cover the cost of the upgrades.

There are no significant up-front costs to the homeowner for these improvements.  There is a nominal fee of $200 for the home performance evaluation that will improve the overall efficiency of the home. Once the contractor has finished the work, the Town will pay the contractor directly.  The homeowner then repays approximately 30-percent of the Town funded project cost.

In order to participate in this program, certain qualitifcations must be met:

1) You must be a resident of the Town of Brookhaven and must NOT be an employee of the Town.

2) The designated home must be a single-family residence.

3) An application must be submitted with a $25 processing fee in the form of a check or money order. (The applicants' name and address must be legibly written on the check or money order)

4) The applicant must be willing to undertake and pay for the energy assessment audit as part of the program.  (This will be a maximum cost of $200 if the applicant doesn't qualify for LIPA's assessment program).

The energy-efficient home improvements include, but are not limited to:  HVAC controls (outdoor reset, programmable thermostat; boiler and furnace replacement; hot water improvements; basement insulation and air sealing; wall insulation (if empty cavity); lighting; and high efficiency window replacement.

For further information, call 451-TOWN or visit the Town's website:  www.brookhaven.org, where you can download an application.  The residences being considered for solar panels must have southern exposure which is unobstructed by trees or other buildings. Applications will be accepted beginning May 3 and will be chosen by lottery that will be held on Friday June 11.

Completed applications should be sent to:  Town of Brookhaven Go Solar; c/0 Albrecht, Viggiano, Zureck & Co., PO Box 14175; Hauppauge, NY 11788