LONG ISLAND GREEN HOMES:
Babylon's Model Plan to Green Up At Nominal Or No Cost To Residents
STORY BY SALLY GILHOOLEY

When it comes to environmental issues, the Town of Babylon's clean energy initiatives spearheaded by Supervisor Steven Bellone rank among the most comprehensive in the country. Therefore, it's no surprise that Babylon has introduced Long Island Green Homes (LIGH), an innovative program to help residents make homes more energy-efficient, lower energy bills and reduce their community's carbon footprint.

Like most towns across the U.S., a substantial percent of Babylon's carbon footprint - 36% - comes from its homes. Long Island Green Homes, the latest of many greening of Babylon programs, enables residents to make improvements to decrease home energy use by 20 to 40% funded entirely by what they save on utility bills. It empowers the average homeowner to participate in protecting the environment with no up-front costs.
In an interview with Networking¨ magazine Supervisor Bellone said, ÒWe call our program Long Island Green Homes because, although it begins with Babylon, it is my belief that this program should be implemented across Long Island and throughout New York State.

"We believe that LIGH fits in perfectly with the ambitious energy agenda outlined by Governor David Paterson and we will be working hand in hand with LIPA President and CEO Kevin Law and his equally ambitious Efficiency Long Island program."

"We also have had great partners in (LIGH) with the US Green Building Council's Long Island chapter, Neighborhood Network, the Sierra Club, Plumbers Union Local 200, The Morey Organization, the Center for Working Families and the Long Island Builders' Institute."

Incentives for Home Owners
Through participation in LIGH, a homeowner could retrofit his home to lower energy costs. Making energy-efficient improvements also adds monetary value to the house. Every day, the average Babylon home adds 24.65 pounds of carbon to the air. An average home participating in LIGH will reduce 5 to 10 pounds of carbon emissions per day.

Homeowners can finance their energy-saving home improvements after having a benefit assessment on their home. This means no out of pocket costs for greening a home as they may pay for the improvements over time from money saved on the energy bills.

Procedures for Participation
To participate in Long Island Green Homes, residents can have a private contractor licensed by the Town and certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), a recognized global leader in the science of building, provide a home performance evaluation of the household's energy use. The assessment details where energy is being lost and recommends improvements to increase efficiency. It includes assessing insulation, performing a blower door test to determine where air is infiltrating and escaping the house, conducting infrared scanning for wall cracks and gaps, evaluating heating, cooling and hot water systems, checking appliances and lighting and performing a health and safety inspection. The report calculates the cost of improvements and the projected savings on utility bills.

Homeowners have a choice of options of improvements with an estimate of how much money and energy will be saved with each upgrade. They can then select what plan best fits their situation. The pay period and payment amounts are structured according to how much energy the homeowner is likely to save each month.
Redefining Waste to Augment LIGH Budget

Recently, Babylon expanded their definition of solid waste to include energy waste based on its carbon content. By redefining waste, the Town is able to provide energy-efficient improvements to residents' homes from its solid waste fund. LIGH will help to finance the installation of solar, but only if the house meets the Energy Star standard for new home construction.

Supervisor Bellone indicated that energy-efficiency improvements begin with plugging all the leaks by sealing the thermal envelope. He said, "The most cost-effective measures include caulking, weather-stripping, duct and air sealing and attic insulation.

"You have to walk before you can run. If you haven't thoroughly sealed the house you won't be able to properly size a new boiler, for example, or even a photovoltaic (PV) array."

Pilot Program Creates Jobs
During LIGH development, Babylon officials consulted a variety of experts in energy, building, councils, unions, think tanks and universities. The LIGH pilot program has a budget of about $2 million. Based on a green job creation number of 10 jobs per $1 million, a figure determined by Professor Joel Rogers, head of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy at the University of Wisconsin, LIGH will create 20 key jobs. Four additional support jobs will come from suppliers and manufacturers.

Supervisor Bellone added, "Local 200 of the Plumbers Union has been particularly excited about LIGH and has assigned one official to become a fulltime trainer. They plan to bring the national union's green training trailer to Babylon. We are also partnering with Western Suffolk BOCES to develop a comprehensive building science program."

Greenprint for the Nation
Bellone said, "The greening of America's homes should be a national priority. Long Island Green Homes is a model that can make this goal achievable on a mass scale, saving money for homeowners, creating new economic opportunities and making a real difference in the climate crisis."

In 2006, Babylon worked with the U.S. Green Building Council- Long Island Chapter (USGBC-LIC) to develop the most comprehensive green building code in the country attracting national attention from town leaders also interested in creating sustainable communities. They worked with the Neighborhood Network to become the first Long Island town to adopt Energy Star standards for new home construction.

The Town adopted the 12X12 Initiative to Combat Global Warming which is a Sierra Club Cool Cities program. They built the Long Island Zero Energy Home in Wyandanch (partnering with Long Island BuildersÕ Institute and USGBC-LIC.) The house showcases green building techniques to educate contractors, engineers and officials about sustainable building practices.

Babylon enhanced their Interchange of Data between Administrations (IDA) benefits to attract EcoTech businesses along Route 110, another innovation being closely observed by neighboring towns. The Town has partnered with WalMart and Breslin Realty to distribute free energy-saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) to all of Babylon's 65,000 households.

With Long Island Progressive Coalition and the Sierra Club, Babylon established The Coalition to Repower Long Island (www.repowerLI.com) in an effort to repower Long IslandÕs aging, polluting power plants.
Wind Power Research and Development.

"We have been actively examining microgenerated wind power with the objective of enabling homeowners and businesses to become truly energy independent," said Bellone. ÒWe are installing and beta testing a vertical wind turbine at the North Lindenhurst pool.

"Last year we conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the Long Island Offshore Wind Project that revealed how cost prohibitive this application is at present in this county. It has worked in Europe because federal governments there have made substantial investments up front. In effect, there all taxpayers pitched in while here all the cost was going to be borne by Long Island rate payers who already have the third highest rates in the country."

"Someday, when the U.S. develops a comprehensive national energy policy, you will see offshore wind. But in the meantime, Babylon buildings constitute 57% of our carbon footprint and weÕre going to realize infinitely more bang for the buck from energy efficiencies."

 
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