Cameron Bard - NYSERDA can help you convert from #6 oil

Recently, there's been a lot of attention among building owners paid to the upcoming phase out of N.Y.C.'s #6 heating oil, which alone is responsible for the vast majority of all soot pollution produced by the city's building stock. Whether it be the deteriorating air quality, rising asthma rates, or just the hideous sight of black smoke billowing out of our city's chimneys, it's clear that the dirtiest form of heating oil has got to go. However, converting from #6 oil to a cleaner burning alternative can be a daunting and expensive task, which is where NYSERDA can help. Launched this past April, NYSERDA's Multifamily Carbon Emissions Reduction Program has set out to help building owners comply with the ensuing legislation by providing financial incentives for reducing onsite carbon emissions through the conversion of #6 heating oil to a cleaner fuel alternative. Unique to this program is how we calculate incentives based on the actual tonnage of carbon dioxide avoided by the building over the next ten years by moving away from #6. Estimates show that a 150-unit apartment building switching from #6 heating oil to #2 oil could avoid as much as 1,000 tons of CO2 over the next ten years, and would receive incentives from NYSERDA totaling more than $30,000. Imagine the CO2 savings by converting to an even cleaner fuel alternative such as natural gas or a high-biodiesel blend. NYSERDA is currently working to convert over 100 #6 oil burning multifamily buildings to a cleaner heating system, and in the process will help the city avoid the emission of over 100,000 tons of CO2. This program's activity has been high, but we still have funding available for buildings looking to convert from #6 oil to a cleaner fuel such as #2 oil, biodiesel blend, dual-fuel system (natural gas and #2 oil), renewable energy including solar thermal and PVs. Working with NYSERDA will help to alleviate the financial burden that building owners face with the help of incentives and the possible identification of existing energy efficiency upgrades. Many of our current projects have been able to realize energy and fiscal saving opportunities in their boiler rooms after starting the process only thinking about oil conversions. If you're interested in learning more about our oil conversion program, or one of NYSERDA's other energy efficiency programs, feel free to reach out to [email protected], or visit http://getenergysmart.org/multifamily. Cameron Bard is a multifamily buildings project manager at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York, N.Y.