BILL NUMBER: S1614            REVISED MEMO 02/14/2019

SPONSOR: PARKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend chapter 631 of the laws of 2008 amend-
ing the public authorities law relating to establishing a green residen-
tial building grant program, in relation to extending the application
period for such grant program

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would extend the "green residential building" grant program to
encourage the construction of new homes, and the renovation of existing
homes, consistent with green residential building standards established
by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSER-
DA).

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of this bill would extend the NYSERDA green residential build-
ing grant program to October 31, 2020.

              

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2008, the state enacted the green residential building grant program
to help encourage the construction of green residential buildings. This
bill would Extend the program to October 31, 2022.

The design, construction and maintenance of residential buildings can
have a significant impact on our environmental and natural resources.
It has been estimated that buildings are responsible for approximately
401% of greenhouse gas emissions produced in the United States. Residen-
tial buildings account for approximately 20% of total U.S. greenhouse
gas emissions, as well as 74% of water use and of energy consumption
nationwide.

Green building practices can reduce the production of greenhouse oases,
lower Energy costs, and reduce the use of natural resources.  They can
also lower material costs, reduce waste, improve indoor air quality, and
reduce indoor and outdoor pollution.

This bill, extends the green residential building grant program to
continue to provide incentive payments to owners that will encourage the
use of green building practices both in new home construction and also
in the renovation of existing residences. The financial incentives will
help offset the added costs of integrating "green" or "sustainable"
features, which typically increase construction costs by approximately
five percent. A greater reliance on green products %.111 also strengthen
the demand for these products and benefit our economy.

NYSERDA administers this grant program and develops the standards for
it. The amount of the grants are based on a number of considerations,
including the size and the type of the residential structure, but may
not exceed $7,500 for one-family and two-family homes, $11,250 for resi-
dential buildings with three to six dwelling units, and $15,000 for
residential buildings with more than six dwelling units. In addition to
these limitations, no single owner, such as a developer of multiple

qualified residential buildings who is a qualified owner, may receive
more than $120,000 in incentive payments during any calendar year.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF BILL:

2017/18: S.3404 - Energy & Telecom
2015-16: S.6521 - Passed Senate

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

The bill will not have an impact on the State budget because the costs
of the program will be covered by NYSERDA. The total cost to NYSERDA
will depend upon the number of applications received and the size of the
financial incentives awarded.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.