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Tompkins County announced last Friday that it will take part in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) Home Energy Ratings Pilot – a pilot initiative designed to help owners of one- to four-family homes who are ready to invest in their homes and are looking for independent trustworthy energy performance information. Tompkins County is leading local efforts to encourage interested homeowners to attend the homeowner information event and learn about the benefits of a home energy rating.

"Many Tompkins County residents would like to invest in making their homes more energy efficient, but they don't know where to start," according to Martha Robertson, Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature. "We're excited to be able to offer this opportunity, which will help folks make smart investments with confidence they're getting independent, expert advice."

Home Energy ratings are similar to a "Miles Per Gallon" rating on a car, providing easy-to-understand visual reports that give the homeowner insight into how their home performs in areas like insulation, air leakage, heating and cooling efficiency, and hot water heating.

Administered by NYSERDA, the first phase of the pilot includes participating contractors in NYSERDA's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. The selected provider(s) – Halco, Snug Planet, and the Insulation Man - will deliver no cost Pearl Home Certification home energy performance ratings to interested homeowners including opportunities for improving their home's energy performance. Each rating comes with a list of recommendations that help the homeowner plan upgrades to increase the efficiency and comfort of their home.

Hal Smith, CEO, Halco said, "Halco is very excited to be a part of this Pilot with NYSERDA in Tompkins County. We have been offering PEARL certifications for a while now, and in fact we certified the first Platinum Pearl Certified home in New York. We believe third-party verification of the energy related components of our homes is very important for homeowners to be able to understand the true value of upgrades to their home or prospective home and compare this with other homes in the area."

Jon Harrod, Founder and Owner, Snug Planet LLC said, "We know home energy upgrades can reduce bills while improving comfort and helping the environment and we are proud to be participating in NYSERDA's Home Energy Ratings Pilot. Rigorous third-party ratings like Pearl Certification provide a tool for homeowners who have invested in efficiency to realize additional value when they sell their homes and also allow homebuyers to better gauge a home's efficiency and total cost of ownership before they buy."

David Currie, Vice President, The Insulation Man, LLC said, "Thanks to NYSERDA bringing its Home Energy Ratings Pilot to Tompkins County. As a Pearl Home Certification participating contractor for over a year now, we are excited to be a part of this super opportunity for Tompkins County residents to learn more about their homes, how they might make them even more efficient and comfortable, and reap the benefits of increased home and planetary values!"

Tompkins County is one of two communities – along with Queens – where homeowners will be eligible to receive a home energy rating at no cost during the initial phase of the pilot. Planning is underway for future phases of the pilot in 2019 with Broome County, Irondequoit, Staten Island, and Tonawanda as additional pilot locations.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, "NYSERDA's home energy rating pilot will help homeowners improve the energy performance and comfort of their home while reducing carbon emissions and building a cleaner, greener community for generations to come. I thank Tompkins County for leading the local effort to encourage homeowners to learn about the benefits of getting a home energy rating and how to work with participating contractors in our Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program."

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