Community Campaigns

During Earth Month 2021, the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson launched four CEC Community Campaigns: GridRewards™, Community Solar, Electric Vehicles, and Clean Heating and Cooling. The campaigns were part of NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program and we have continued the campaigns in 2022, 2023 and 2024. See below for more information about the key concept behind each program, their benefits, how you can participate and our results to date. The newest program, launched in the fall of 2023, is our very own community solar project.

 

Concept: Community Solar makes renewable energy savings available for everyone. It enables you to support a community solar farm through your utility bill and save money at the same time. All the solar energy goes into the local grid system and is sold at a discount to subscribers of the project, saving them money on their energy costs. As a result of signing up, you will get about 10% off your electricity bill. The sign up process takes less than 10 minutes, and there is no cost to join or to cancel. Almost everyone is eligible to participate (homeowners, renters, business owners and not-for-profits), you just need a Con Edison account. In fact, the only real caveat is that you can't participate if you've installed solar on your roof already! In September 2023, during Climate Week, we launched our first ever Hastings-on-Hudson community solar site available to residents only. To learn more see HERE and to sign up see HERE. The 625kW solar site will be located on our local schools, installation of the solar panels has begun and should be completed by April 2024, but you can sign-up in advance to save your family a spot even though the solar farm is not operational yet. Sign-up is available on a first come first served basis. Once the site is fully subscribed we will let everyone know and provide those who are still interested with options outside of our Village. Special thanks to G&S Solar and our School Administrators and Board for the infrastructure and location, and to Barney Smith and Erik Ghalib for getting the word out!

 

Results: During Earth Month 2021, the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson in partnership with Sustainable Westchester, launched a Community Campaign focused on Community Solar (see HERE). Promotional zoom events were held, flyers were distributed at a Mini Eco Fair held at the Farmer’s Market and information was shared with interested residents on the Village website, through e-blasts and via our many Boards and Commissions (including the Senior Council, the Conservation Commission, the Climate Smart Communities Task Force and others). Information about the campaign was also shared via an article titled “Two villages sign up for Community Solar” in The Rivertowns Enteprise our local newspaper. Initial results as of April 29, 2021 were that 13 people had signed up for Community Solar. The campaign continued, and as of January 1, 2023, a total of 77 households had signed up. For the new 2023 HoH community solar project (which is now almost fully subscribed) as of January 1, 2024, a total of 131 households have signed up. In 2022, the Village signed up four municipal accounts to community solar, and as of September 2023 we can report $4,909.48 in savings.

 

Concept: Electric vehicles are the wave of the future, and to ramp up ownership in Hastings-on-Hudson, the Village launched an Electric Vehicle Community Campaign called Charge Up Hastings! The goal is to inform everyone about the ins and outs of owning an electric vehicle, provide opportunities where you can hear directly from experts on why EVs make sense, glean tips from those who’ve gone electric, and learn about the variety of makes and models of available EVs. You can learn the jargon (what “charging”, “range” and “empg” mean) and get geared up for your EV purchase. Many new affordable EVs are on the market, and with recent rebates and discounts, it's more possible than ever to find the right EV in your price range.

 

Results: During Earth Month 2021, the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson initiated Charge Up Hastings! The launch event was held on April 17, 2021, as part of National Drive Electric Earth Day, at the Hastings Farmer's Market (Zinsser Commuter Lot) from 9:30 to 11:30 am. The event was followed by a webinar titled “All the Miles without the Cost: The Dos and Don'ts of Buying an Electric Car,” on April 20, 2021, with representatives of the Electrification Coalition and Sustainable Westchester. During the webinar the panelists explained the benefits of EVs and why it makes sense to purchase them now. The campaign ran till January 31, 2022, and during that time 51 EVs were purchased in our zip code (an additional 22 were leased); a total of 206 Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) were registered as being on the road. Since then, the campaign has continued, and as of January 1, 2024, the NYSERDA Electric Vehicle Registration Map indicates that a total of 413 BEVs & PHEVs were registered as being on the road in the 10706 zip code. Of these, a staggering 131 were registered in 2023! The Village celebrated National Drive Electric Week on October 14, 2023 (see HERE) to encourage interested residents to learn more about EVs. The Village has adopted a Green Fleet Policy and we have purchased five all-electric vehicles for the Village fleet.

 

3. EnergySmart Homes Community Campaign
Concept: Energy smart homes use technology that reduces emissions and saves you money. You can request an energy efficiency audit, learn how to better insulate your home and install clean heating and cooling technologies (e.g., ground- and air-source heat pump systems). If you’re really adventurous, you can discover economic ways to retrofit your home and/or business. Right now, there are many rebates and discounts available that make the transition more economical than ever before. Our EnergySmart Homes campaign will help you uncover cleaner ways to heat and cool your home, and access vetted energy efficiency experts and simplified financing.

 

Results: The Village of Hastings-on-Hudson, and our partner Sustainable Westchester, launched an EnergySmart Homes Campaign in April 2021. We held an Earth Month zoom webinar Green Building Strategies: Passive House Design & Energy Smart Solutions for Your Home, which took place on April 15, 2021, from 7 to 8 pm featuring Christina Griffin AIA LEED AP CPHC, Principal of CGA Studio Architects and Ajey Pandey, Distributed Energy Resources (DER) expert, The Cadmus Group. Residents learned how net-zero energy homes are designed by following the principles and guidelines of Passive House and Energy Star standards. Christina presented strategies and energy sources used to achieve these standards in the deep energy retrofit of her 1910 home in Hastings. They discussed energy-efficient technologies, such as heat pumps for heating and cooling, heat pump water heaters, and energy efficiency audits and retrofits, as well as rebates, to make these upgrades more cost-efficient. The EnergySmart Homes Campaign ran till December 31, 2021, and our Building Inspector reported that 23 residents were approved for a building permit to purchase and install clean heating and cooling devices as of year-end 2022. The campaign continued and by year-end 2023, 70 additional residents were approved. During 2023, an additional 36 residents were approved, and 7 more have been approved in 2024, for a total of 136 permits to date. In 2023, the Village commissioned a feasibility study to evaluate the viability of geothermal energy for Village Hall and the Library (see HERE) and we are beginning installation efforts in 2024.

 

Concept: GridRewards™ is an easy energy action that lowers your carbon footprint, saves you money and actually EARNS you cash!  GridRewards is an app that sends you a text message on peak energy usage days alerting you to reduce usage (see HERE). You will probably get between 5 and 10 texts during summer on the hottest days when the grid is most under strain. All you need to do is lower your usage on those days - if you do, you’ll get a check from Con Edison for helping to reduce the load on the grid. There is no cost to participate (the app is free), there is no contract agreement (you just need to be a Con Edison customer), and there is no penalty for not taking action (you simply won't get rewarded at the end of the year). Everyone can participate – homeowners, renters, businesses, not-for-profits, even municipalities. If you need assistance please contact our GridRewards partner, Logical Buildings, for dedicated support at GridRewards@LogicalBuildings.com or by calling 908-517-3730 during business hours.

 

Results: The initial 2021 campaign was run by the Mayors of Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson and Irvington, in partnership with Sustainable Westchester, Logical Buildings, and Con Edison.  In Hastings, there were promotional zoom events, flyers, were distributed at a Mini Eco Fair held at the Hastings Farmer’s Market and information was shared with interested residents on the Village website, through e-blasts, on lawn signs and via our many Boards and Commissions (including the Senior Council, the Conservation Commission, the Climate Smart Communities Task Force and others). Information about the campaign was also shared via an article titled “Competition punctuates GridRewards program” in The Rivertowns Enterprise our local newspaper. Initial results as of April 21, 2021 were that 58 households had signed up for GridRewards. The campaign has been ongoing since then, and in 2023 the Mayors upped the ante, by including three new municipalities Tarrytown, Elmsford and Sleepy Hollow (see “Seven villages sign on for GridRewards challenge” in The Rivertowns Enterprise. As of April 28, 2023, a total of 418 households in Hastings-on-Hudson had signed up for GridRewards, helping us to win the inter-municipal challenge! We also signed up our municipal meters for GridRewards in 2022 and received $1,035 in rewards by year-end. During 2023, the Village made $1,994 in rewards on its municipal meters (plus an additional $1,000 for winning the 2023 inter-municipal competition). We plan to sign up more meters in 2024.