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Larchmont/Mamaroneck Energy Campaign for Earth Day

Money back from ConEd?

Just in time for Earth Day (April 22), the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck, and the Town of Mamaroneck are launching an Earth Day Challenge & Community Energy Campaign to reduce energy usage, increase adoption of renewable energy and provide savings to residents and others.

Residents (both renters and homeowners) and eligible organizations and businesses can lower some key energy costs and earn cash back, reduce their carbon footprint, and reduce the community’s reliance on fossil fuel-based energy.

This Earth Day Challenge & Community Energy Campaign promotes two community energy programs through Sustainable Westchester. They are: Community Solar and GridRewards.  These are voluntary programs; they have no cost to join or cancel, and in the case of Community Solar, they include the flexibility to use your current electricity supplier; for example, ConEd or Westchester Power.

With Community Solar, subscribers get up to 10% savings on their regular monthly utility bill and pay owners of solar farms a discounted amount for that credit. To illustrate: If a subscriber’s monthly utility bill ( including both supply and delivery charges) totals $115, the subscriber would receive a credit of $100 and pay only $15 to the utility while paying the solar farm $90. So your total bill is discounted to $105 ( $15 plus $90).

According to Leo Wiegman, Director of Solar Programs at Sustainable Westchester, the Community Solar program carefully screens solar farms in the program to ensure reputable business practices. There are no fees or penalties and subscribers can leave the program whenever they choose.

With the GridRewards program, participants help grow clean electricity usage by reducing their usage over the summer when there is peak demand. When you sign up with ConEd you get notifications alerting you to reduce your electricity use. ConEd looks at your account and cuts you a check, given the amount of electricity you saved, says Michel Delafontaine, Director of Business Development at Sustainable Westchester.

Adopting these measures has become more urgent given the New York Climate Law, which requires that we achieve 70% renewable energy by 2030 and zero emissions by 2040. We are only at 28% renewable sources now.

You can learn more about Community Solar and GridRewards by joining one of the upcoming information sessions in April. Register below:

The Earth Day Challenge & Community Energy Campaign is a partnership with the Larchmont Environmental Committee, the Mamaroneck Village Committee for the Environment, and the Town of Mamaroneck Sustainability Collaborative.

Joyce Newman
Joyce Newmanhttps://joycehnewman.wordpress.com/
Joyce H. Newman is an Emmy Award-winning environmental journalist, educator, and gardener. She holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden, and is a tour guide there.
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