Category Archives: Home / Energy

By Susan E. Campbell

The quest for healthier, cozier homes is driving residential interior design trends, say two Saratoga-based professionals.

“The move to more natural, organic materials is driven largely by health concerns, just like food trends,“ said Shelly Walker, owner of Finishing Touches Home Decor in Wilton. “We are using more stone, copper, concrete, bamboo and wood in residences now, along with non-toxic organic fabrics. Parents don’t want their children exposed to toxins and gasses.”

Beverly Tracy, founder of Beverly Tracy Home Design in Saratoga Springs, agrees that color selections and textures are influenced by the trend back to nature.

By Warren Evans

Zero energy (ZE) commercial buildings are grid-integrated buildings capable of generating as much energy as they consume through advanced efficiency technologies and onsite generation systems such as solar power and geothermal energy. 

Beyond the environmental benefits, ZE projects provide owners with significant business value through resilience, employee and tenant retention and the ability to enjoy higher rents. Through intelligent design, clean construction and well-planned financing, developers can substantially increase the value of a commercial building with ZE.

The 2018 Saratoga Showcase of Homes will take place over three weekends this month and tickets are now on sale.

The event benefits Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties.

Now celebrating its 23rd year, this annual community event has contributed over $1 million local charities. 

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has issued a tool that provides guidance and resources for communities seeking to develop solar projects on underutilized properties such as landfills and brownfields.

What is called the Municipal Solar Procurement Toolkit supports recent revisions to the NY-Sun Megawatt Block Program which provides financial incentives for developing solar projects in those areas.

The NY-Sun initiative supports the mandate for 50 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable resources by 2030 to combat climate change.

Veterans & Community Housing Coalition will hold its third annual Veterans Ball from 5-9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Hall of Springs in Spa State Park.  

Attendees will support VCHC’s mission to serve local Veterans and their families with affordable housing and support services while they transition to independent living. 

The evening’s highlights will include Honorary Chairman Ray O’Conor, LaSalle Institute’s JROTC Cadets, live music by the Joey Thomas Big Band, Saratoga Photobooth, champagne, a chocolate fountain, food stations, a cash bar and a silent auction. 

National Grid recently received regulatory approval to move ahead with two additional demonstration projects, bringing the total to four diverse initiatives that will test various business models in support of New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision, also known as REV.

Company officials said the demonstration projects include integration of distributed energy resources and automated demand management capabilities at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and introducing solar options in a nearby neighborhood in western New York; business model innovation in developing a community resiliency microgrid within the Village of Potsdam; and more energy cost control for customers in Clifton Park.

“Through these initiatives we are creating the utility of the future,” said Ken Daly, National Grid’s New York president. “What we hear and learn about these demonstrations from our stakeholders–our customers, regulators, policy makers, market participants and local communities–will help inform the way ahead and create an exciting future energy marketplace.”

Carlos Nouel, National Grid’s vice president of New Energy Solutions, said, “Each of our projects will help us build new business models, better serve our customers and create new opportunities for market participants.” Nouel and the New Energy Solutions team are dedicated to delivering the innovations and technologies in the demonstration projects.

The “smart grid” demonstration in Clifton Park will explore various ways to control and reduce electricity demand through customer education. Participating customers will be provided with new metering equipment that will give detailed information on usage, the company said.

With “smart metering” and a customer portal, customers will have direct access to their energy usage information, allowing them to make energy savings changes and earn points for rewards based on reductions in usage. The company will work with the town of Clifton Park and various energy services companies on the project.