HeatSmart CNY is a recently launched group sharing environment-friendly possibilities for heating and cooling (photo courtesy of HeatSmart CNY Facebook page)

JASON KLAIBER
STAFF WRITER

Intent on combating climate change, the members of HeatSmart CNY champion energy-efficient options for heating and cooling.

The community-based initiative, which launched in November, presently centers their outreach around heat pumps of both the air source and ground source varieties as well as heat pump water heaters.

According to campaign manager Lindsay Speer, of Alliance for a Green Economy, nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the state come from heated and cooled buildings and households.

“We absolutely need to be thinking about getting off of natural gas,” Speer said. “It is one of the driving factors in climate change now. We’re seeing a huge methane spike in the atmosphere.”

Speer outlines three reasons why people should consider these technologies: cost-effectiveness, comfort and climate.

“The upfront cost is the biggest hurdle for people,” she said. “It is an investment, but it’s a good investment. You can’t get this sort of return on your investment on the stock market these days, that’s for sure.”

Speer intends for the campaign to reach those who use oil, propane or resistance electric heat.

Different from other thermal technology, the heat pumps capture and efficiently store energy from the environment. Ground source heat pumps, for example, pull more units of electricity out of the ground than the amount they use by way of a compression cycle.

“Our program is not just directed at the well-off,” Speer said. “We’re very committed to a just energy transition and making sure that people who are less well-off can actually afford the energy to heat and cool their homes.”

Less the case for the element-tested air source heat pumps, the HeatSmart CNY website attests to ground source systems lasting up to 25 years, about a decade longer than the average lifespans of furnaces and conventional air conditioners.

The transition to these alternatives can also qualify the consumer for financial incentives, such as $5,000 state grants supplying geothermal installation to households earning below 80 percent of the area median income.

As for the comfort side, Speer said these options don’t saddle the buyer with wide temperature swings like traditional furnaces.

She added that the heat pumps, which work below freezing temperatures, filter the air to improve its quality. The abandoning of fossil fuels further eliminates the risk of explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning within one’s household, according to Speer.

“When you think about the individual, single-family home, they like to make it comfortable,” she said.

Speer, who studied natural resources at Cornell University and holds a master’s degree in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, said she spent the greater part of this decade opposing the water contamination and drilling involved with fracking.

“It was going to threaten a lot of our communities, even as far north as here,” she said.

Campaign volunteer Peter Wirth of Manlius said he’s invested in steering local communities away from fossil fuels in an effort to protect future generations.

“I’m an example of where the numbers might not exactly make a lot of sense in terms of the payback, but I’m concerned about climate change,” Wirth said. “I’m old enough that I remember the first Earth Day, and that message stuck with me.”

Anyone working at a business or living within the Onondaga, Oswego, Cortland, Cayuga and Madison counties can enroll in the program at any time.

Funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the campaign partners with three installers—Ground Up, Halco and Snug Planet. These installers will visit any potential client’s house to provide a no-cost consultation.

The members of HeatSmart CNY plan to expand their focus to Southern Onondaga County and Cortland County in the coming months.

“It’s about living with some integrity and seeing what we can do to get ourselves off fossil fuels,” Speer said.

HeatSmart CNY will be holding a series of events, workshops, open houses and presentations. Visit their website heatsmartcny.org and their Facebook page for more information.