Advancing Clean and Efficient Energy Solutions for Westchester Buildings
Buildings are the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State, making up almost a third of emissions statewide. As such, decarbonization and energy efficiency solutions are recognized as key priorities for meeting New York’s climate goals. Our county is made up of a diverse array of building types, including some of the biggest energy users on a per square foot basis – which also means that we can have an outsized impact on reducing statewide emissions.
Sustainable Westchester’s Building Decarbonization team aims to support property owners and other stakeholders by:
- Providing tailored guidance on clean energy programs, technologies, and opportunities
- Establishing connections to solution and technology providers
- Maximizing climate impact by providing guidance on large-scale decarbonization solutions (such as thermal energy networks)
- Highlighting case studies and success stories

Program Offerings
Program | Who is this for? |
---|---|
Renew America’s Nonprofits: grants for energy efficiency improvements | Nonprofit building owners |
Thermal Energy Networks: community-focused solutions for clean heating and cooling | Municipalities, commercial property owners, single-owner and campus-style properties (medical facilities, schools, multifamily building complexes) |
Smart Usage Rewards: Demand Response for Commercial Buildings | ConEd account holders: Schools, Government, and other Commercial Buildings |
Energy Advising for Commercial Buildings | All non-single family building types (multifamily, schools, nonprofits, small businesses, large commercial and industrial) |
Renew America’s Nonprofits (RAN) Project
Sustainable Westchester, through a grant awarded from the US Department of Energy, is helping up to 32 NYS nonprofits implement high-impact energy efficiency upgrades such as heat pumps, insulation/weatherization and lighting upgrades.
Please check out our Renew America’s Nonprofits Grant Program page for more details on the grant and application. To be notified about updates or news regarding this grant please fill out this interest form.


Thermal Energy Networks
New York State has been actively supporting the exploration of thermal energy networks (TENs) to accelerate progress on the state’s building decarbonization goals. Policies like the Utility Thermal Energy Network and Jobs Act and NYSERDA-funded programs have enabled opportunities for municipalities, developers, and property owners to consider TENs in their project planning.
Sustainable Westchester is leading efforts to advise and support municipalities, developers, and property owners of campus-style facilities (such as universities and hospitals) as they evaluate opportunities to implement TENs in their region by:
- Providing information on key funding and technical assistance resources
- Identifying qualified solution providers
- Establishing connections to subject matter experts
Project Spotlight: Municipal Thermal Energy Network Accelerator
Sustainable Westchester is working with municipalities to advance and evaluate TEN potential in their communities. Sustainable Westchester hosts monthly sessions on TEN-related topics for a subset of our municipal members, and provides tailored recommendations to navigate the planning and implementation stages.
Interested municipalities can contact our team to learn more or attend an upcoming session.

What are thermal energy networks?
Thermal energy networks are shared heating and cooling systems that connect multiple buildings – often utilizing clean technologies like geothermal — and maximize efficiency by capturing and reusing heat that would’ve otherwise been wasted.
Energy Advising for Commercial Buildings
As members of the Regional Clean Energy Hubs, Sustainable Westchester can provide technical assistance to identify and implement clean, energy-efficient upgrades for Westchester buildings. We support an array of property types – including multifamily, commercial, industrial, small business, nonprofit, school, and historic buildings – and provide recommendations tailored to each project’s characteristics and needs
Get started with an energy study:
-
Small businesses and nonprofits (with building square footage under 50,000) can leverage NYSERDA’s Green Jobs Green New York program for subsidized energy study of their facility.
-
Larger property owners can utilize NYSERDA’s Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) program to conduct a more comprehensive audit with a solution provider of their choosing.
-
If you have questions or need assistance with navigating these programs, please contact our team.
Once you’ve completed your energy study, contact our team to review the report’s findings, get connections to qualified solution providers, and identify what incentives may be available to lower your project’s upfront costs.
Smart Usage Rewards: Demand Response for Commercial Buildings
Building owners within ConEd utility service territory (Westchester & NYC) can unlock additional revenue by participating in programs that pay you to reduce energy usage during periods of high demand. No matter how much energy your building consumes, Sustainable Westchester offers solutions tailored to your sustainability goals and financial objectives.
- For buildings consuming 10kW or more: SmartKit AI is a user-friendly tool that provides valuable insights into energy consumption and requires no upfront cost – generate extra revenue and gain energy insights. Learn more about SmartKit AI and explore case studies of successful implementations here.
- Buildings with energy consumption below 10kW can participate in our residentially focused demand response program, GridRewards.
Questions? Contact our team at [email protected].

Benefits of Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are a winning strategy for a broad cross section of projects such as retrofits for landmark buildings, mixed-use properties, apartment buildings, or school buildings, that provides benefits including but not limited to financial savings, improved indoor air quality, and environmental leadership.
Innovative Technologies
The evolution of heat pump technology has opened the opportunity for buildings to fully electrify their heating and cooling systems with the assurance of efficiency, reliability, and room-by-room temperature control.
Often, there is misinformation about geothermal technology everywhere! Our team is happy to share more information about Air Source Heat Pump and Ground Source Heat Pump technology for your property or business
For More Information
Please contact the Building Decarbonization Team.
[email protected]