Data from 3,000 Homes Will Help Clean Energy Companies
Target Opportunities that Grow Their Businesses and Reduce Energy Use in Homes

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced that data from a first-of-its-kind study that compiled energy-related information from more than 3,000 homes in New York are now available to the public on open.ny.gov for use in identifying opportunities for energy efficiency improvements.

The Residential Statewide Baseline Study was developed by NYSERDA to understand the residential building stock and associated energy use, and the penetration of energy-efficient equipment, building characteristics and energy management practices. The five volume study also includes a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) market assessment to identify the baseline conditions for residential non-electric heating and water heating equipment and central air conditioning in the State. 

The availability of these data greatly increases the amount of information publicly available about the residential building stock. The data include more than 300 categories of energy-related information for each of more than 3,000 new and existing single-family and multifamily residential buildings, such as property characteristics, heating and cooling equipment, water heating equipment, lighting, clothes washing and drying equipment, and energy behaviors of respondents. The data on each building include zip codes, enabling users to examine specific geographic regions of the state.  

This data will help municipalities, builders, architects, HVAC and other energy service contractors, distributors, manufacturers and others identify opportunities for energy efficiency projects, further driving clean energy business development in the State. Utilities will also benefit from this baseline information to customize programs and estimate energy savings impacts going forward.

The study provides information to support the State in advancing Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), Governor Cuomo’s strategy to build a clean, resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers. As part of REV, NYSERDA aims to make a range of energy-related data sets available in its ongoing role as credible information provider. Prior to adding the residential energy data to open.ny.gov, NYSERDA added data on 32,000 solar projects. 

Key findings from the Residential Statewide Baseline Study include:

·         Almost one-quarter of single-family homes are 75 years old or older, representing opportunities for weatherization (air sealing and insulation) to reduce energy waste. Further, about 42 percent of all homes have no foundation insulation and almost 7 percent have no wall insulation.

·         About 20 percent of natural gas heating systems and 29 percent of fuel oil heating systems are more than 20 years old, representing opportunities for more efficient heating systems that reduce energy use.

·         More than 80 percent of the central air conditioning systems statewide were not high efficiency.

·         There is opportunity for service providers to promote annual tune-ups as a way to provide additional energy savings to their customer base. About 58 percent of homes with furnaces and boilers indicated their heating equipment had been serviced in 2013 and 2014. Only about 40 percent of homes with central air conditioners (AC) indicated that their AC equipment had been serviced in 2013 or 2014.

·         About one-quarter of the natural gas central heating systems in multifamily buildings are more than 20 years old and could be replaced with newer more efficient systems.

"Public accessibility to the Residential Statewide Baseline Study data will be valuable for contractors, builders, or anyone working in the construction trades to better understand the current residential landscape and help identify potential energy efficiency opportunities,” said John B. Rhodes, President and CEO, NYSERDA. “By making available these residential energy data on open.ny.gov, we are providing an information resource that has never been available before.”  

The study was a collaboration among NYSERDA, the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS), Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp., Consolidated Edison, National Grid, New York State Electric & Gas, Orange & Rockland Utilities, Rochester Gas and Electric, and PSEG Long Island, among other stakeholders. It was conducted using phone and Internet surveys between 2011 and 2014.

Energy efficiency plays an important role in NYSERDA’s proposed Clean Energy Fund (CEF), which identifies comfort (temperature consistency), water heating, space heating and lighting as economic energy efficiency opportunities with the largest potential in the residential sector and presents new initiatives to address this market more effectively. The CEF is one of the three strategic pillars of REV to drive the State’s shift to a more market-driven clean energy future.

The complete Residential Statewide Baseline Study Report can be found at nyserda.ny.gov/Residential-Statewide-Baseline-Study or see the data atResidential Statewide Baseline Study Data.

OpenNY was launched in 2013, advancing a data-driven strategy providing public access to publishable state data for collaboration and analysis.  A recognized leader, OpenNY puts tools for transparency, accountability, citizen engagement and innovation directly into the hands of New Yorkers and people all around the world by providing user friendly, centralized access to machine readable data to explore, search, download, analyze and share.

About Reforming the Energy Vision

Under Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), New York State is spurring clean energy innovation and attracting new investment to build a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers. REV encompasses groundbreaking regulatory reform to integrate clean energy into the core of our power grid, redesigned programs and strategies to unlock private capital, and active leadership in deploying innovative energy solutions across the State’s own public facilities and operations. REV will enable a dynamic, clean energy economy operating at a scale that will stimulate opportunities for communities across the state to create jobs and drive local economic growth, while protecting our environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.

Successful initiatives already launched as part of REV include NY Sun, NY Green Bank, NY Prize, K-Solar, and a commitment to improve energy affordability for low-income communities.

To learn more about REV, please visit http://www.ny.gov/REV4NY .

About NYSERDA

NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation, offers objective information and analysis, innovative programs, technical expertise, and support to help New Yorkers increase energy efficiency, save money, use renewable energy, and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. NYSERDA professionals work to protect our environment and create clean-energy jobs. NYSERDA has been developing partnerships to advance innovative energy solutions in New York since 1975. To learn more about NYSERDA’s programs and funding opportunities, visit http://nyserda.ny.gov or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram.