Legislation

§ 1885. Mechanical insulation energy savings program. 1. Definitions.
For purposes of this section:

(a) "Applicant" shall mean any school district and may at the
discretion of the authority include any public housing or public
hospital, with a building or buildings that have a potential need for
mechanical insulation upgrades. The minimum size for any single building
to be considered shall be twenty thousand square feet.

(b) "Mechanical insulation" shall mean insulation materials, facings
and accessory products used for thermal requirements for mechanical
piping and equipment, hot and cold applications, heating, ventilation,
and air-conditioning applications.

(c) "Qualified audit" shall mean a mechanical insulation audit of a
building by a qualified contractor, which identifies missing, damaged or
improperly installed mechanical insulation. Such audit shall include an
estimate of installation costs along with estimated energy and cost
savings. Such audit shall be provided by the qualified contractor at no
cost to the authority or applicant.

(d) "Qualified mechanical insulation expenditures" shall mean the
purchase of insulation materials, facings and accessory products used
for thermal requirements for mechanical piping and equipment, hot and
cold applications, and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning
applications and all associated labor costs properly allocable to
on-site preparation, assembly and original installation, so long as
performed by a qualified contractor and in accordance with sections two
hundred twenty, two hundred twenty-b and two hundred twenty-i of the
labor law.

(e) "Qualified contractor" shall mean an insulation contractor that is
party to an apprenticeship agreement, as defined in section eight
hundred sixteen of the labor law, which is in good standing, appropriate
for the type and scope of work to be performed, including the minimum
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning
Engineers Standard 90.1-2007, providing the energy standard for
buildings except low-rise residential buildings.

2. Subject to monies made available to the authority for the proper
administration of the program created pursuant to this section, the
authority is hereby authorized and directed to establish and administer
within one year of the effective date of this section, a mechanical
insulation energy savings program to issue competitive grants on a first
come first served basis for applicants that have completed a qualified
audit, which will cover at least fifty, but no more than seventy-five,
percent of the qualified mechanical insulation expenditures.

The authority may coordinate with another state agency or authority,
or an office thereof, to establish and administer this program.

3. The authority shall develop and publish guidelines establishing the
evaluation criteria and competitive application process for the
mechanical insulation energy savings program pursuant to this section.