EnergySmart HOMES

Inquire

EnergySmart HOMES helps residents learn about cleaner ways to heat and cool their homes, access vetted energy efficiency experts and simplified financing. Scroll down this page to learn more about the technologies and resources available and then sign up for your home energy assessment.

Is your oil burner or furnace ready to be replaced?
Do you want to gain summertime air-conditioning?
Have you been considering a switch to gas but are unable to?
Interested in converting your home from expensive fossil fuel heating to clean equipment powered by renewable energy?

EnergySmart HOMES can help you achieve energy bliss. Get started by signing up with EnergySmart HOMES to experience the many benefits of an energy efficient home.

Understanding the Technology Options

Air Source
Heat Pump

Geothermal
Heat Pump

Energy
Efficiency

Heat Pump Hot Water Heater

Solutions

Community Campaigns

All Westchester Residents are eligible for assistance from EnergySmart Homes. If you live in an area with a custom community campaign, click on the box below to preview your local campaign happenings. For all other Westchester residents, please use this homepage to find out more about clean heating and cooling.
Clean Energy Communities for EnergySmart Homes Campaigns are live in Ardsley, Greenburgh, North Salem, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Rye City, White Plains

RiverTowns

Ossining +
Briarcliff

Pelham

How Does the Process Work?

1

Sign up for EnergySmart HOMES

Get guidance and find out which technologies suit your home. The process is quick and easy.

2

Assess

A EnergySmart HOMES-approved local installer completes an energy assessment of your home, and gives you a detailed report outlining the results and recommendations.

3

Review

Choose the improvements and financing that fit your needs. In many cases, a homeowner’s annual savings meet or exceed the annual loan costs.

4

Upgrade

Your EnergySmart HOMES-approved contractor installs the technologies in your home; you enjoy comfort and cost savings, and we all benefit from your home’s reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

ENERGYSMART HOMES WEBINAR RECORDINGS

Take a look at Sustainable Westchester’s recorded webinars to discover customized clean heating and cooling solutions for your home, understand how energy efficiency can save you money and energy, plus, learn about financial incentives and rebates offered by NYSERDA and the local utility companies. See presentations from community groups and our partner contractors. The webinars have been recorded over the past year. Find out how heat pumps and insulation can work in your home!

In the News

We are happy to help you navigate your options!

Review your options and frequently asked questions:

Air Source Heat Pumps
Ground Source Heat Pumps
Energy Efficiency
Heat Pump Hot Water Heater
Incentives & Financing
AND, you can then join the other satisfied customers whose homes are more comfortable year round, realize energy efficiency and savings and have made a positive impact on the environment.
Success Stories and Testimonials

EnergySmart Homes Ambassadors

EnergySmart Homes is brought to you by a committed group of residents, with support from municipal staff and Sustainable Westchester.

Sleepy Hollow Climate Smart Communities Task Force, coordinator

Sarah Smiley

Sarah is a resident of Sleepy Hollow and volunteers as the Village’s Climate Smart Communities Task Force Coordinator. She is also co-leader of the Westchester Rivertowns chapter of Mothers Out Front, a grassroots organization working to preserve a livable climate. As recent homeowners, she and her husband had a home energy assessment and improved their house’s insulation to achieve greater comfort and energy efficiency, and when their gas boiler stopped working, switched to air source heat pumps for efficient and quiet heating and cooling. Sarah looks forward to also switching from gas cooking to an induction stove (she currently enjoys using a portable version).

Irvington Green Policy Task Force

Leola Specht

Irvington Green Policy Task Force Steering Committee and Member 5+ years. Recipient of NYSERDA/Empower/SEALED insulation, LED lights and other home energy improvements -- has introduced the program to several other low income people who have benefited from it. GridRewards Peak Demand participant. Spreads the word about Community Choice Aggregation, Community Solar, heat pumps and other home energy efficiency improvements. Works part time in Sustainability for a small B Corp. Advocate for native tree planting for cooling, shade, soil stability and increasing biodiversity. A fan of the annual Sustainable Hudson Valley/Chronogram Clean Power Guide

Eco Irvington Steering Committee

Gwen Merkin

Nature mentor passionate about waking up our connections with the earth. Advocates for and practices sustainability at home, works with commercial real estate to address climate change, and leads community-based nature connection programs. Working to resurrect the tradition of being outside to rediscover that we are all connected. I live in Irvington with my husband and two daughters and we are dreaming up plans to regenerate our land and create a suburban homestead.

TEAC Co-Chair

Dean Gallea

Electronics Engineer (retired), homeowner in Tarrytown, TEAC member since 2015, Co-Chair since 2017, Solarize Tarrytown campaign organizer. High interest in renewable energy systems and energy efficiency. Solar PV (2012) and EV owner.
Getting off the carbon-fuel train is an important step towards reducing the impact of the climate crisis.
I plan to add more PV and convert to geothermal HVAC, even though I installed a high-efficiency gas furnace six years ago.

Chair of Sleepy Hollow Planning Board

Marjorie Hsu

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.EnergyNR program provides benefits to current and future homeowners, renters, and especially low-income communities, and helps to preserve the planet for future generations.

volunteer

Dave Arons

A recent homeowner that installed heat pumps and solar panels to provide energy efficiency and cost effectiveness. Currently working on a Green Career Pathway initiative at Westchester Community College while building a network of environmental organizations for Westchester county.

TEAC Co-Chair

Rachel Tieger

Tarrytown homeowner since 2008, one of the founding Board Members of the TaSH Farmers Market, active TEAC volunteer since 2010, TEAC co-chair since 2014 and assisted in the Solarize Tarrytown campaign in 2015. I am committed to help make Tarrytown a more sustainable community!

Sleepy Hollow Planning Board Member

Kersten Harries

Kersten, a licensed architect (with Masters in Sustainable Architecture and LEED AP BD+C), volunteers for the Village of Sleepy Hollow in various capacities. As a homeowner/rental property owner she has completed renovations that include various energy efficiency upgrades. She is looking forward to learning and sharing knowledge to help inform fellow community members about currently most impactful and sustainable options.

Irvington Village Administrator

Lawrence Schopfer

Fourteen years as Village Administrator after 15 years as Clerk/Treasurer for the Village of Irvington, I have coordinated the Village’s efforts to achieve Bronze certification in the Climate Smart Communities program, designation as a Clean Energy Community, and now the EnergySmart Homes campaign.

Assistant Village Administrator, Tarrytown

Josh Ringel

Six+ years experience as a professional local government manager. In the area of the environment, I have worked in the past on issues of invasive species management and park revitalization, electric vehicle charger expansion and tree management/planting programs.

Tarrytown Village Administrator

Richard Slingerland

I have twenty two years as a Village Administrator or Village Manager, with an additional 13 years experience working in local government at the County, City and Village level. I have helped Tarrytown with environmental and sustainability issues, and have worked with the Village to improve energy efficiency, purchase our first electric and hybrid automobiles and help Sustainable Westchester coordinate a multi-village recycle-smart app with cities, towns and villages funded by a DEC recycling grant. Personally I have installed solar panels on my home through the Solarize Westchester program.

Scenic Hudson, Director of Land Use Advocacy

Jeffrey Anzevino, AICP

Works with communities to ensure that riverfront development is resilient, stimulates the economy, connects people with the river, and conserves views and natural resources. Responsible for Scenic Hudson’s active transportation initiatives, including coordinating its Bicycle Friendly Business designation.
Co-author of Revitalizing Hudson Riverfronts (2010), which won a US Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Environmental Quality Award in 2013. Earned accreditation from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) in 2003.
Adjunct instructor at Marist College’s Department of Environmental Science and Policy where he has taught a senior-level course in Environmental Planning since 2011.

Chairperson, Green Ossining

Suzie Ross

We know that ultimately eliminating our own personal fossil fuel usage is key to reducing global warming. So much of our personal carbon footprint comes from controllable fossil fuel usage in our home. By participating in Sustainable Westchester's EnergySmart Homes program, we are bringing options for our residents to consider that will help them move toward using less energy with proper insulation, and using carbon-free forms of electricity with geothermal and air source heat pumps. As there is urgency in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we rely on programs like this as they provide the opportunity for widescale high impact carbon reduction options.

Village of Briarcliff Manor Junior Building Engineer

Vincent Salanitro

I am very excited to help educate residents on the importance of renewable energy systems while also implementing these renewable energy/energy efficient solutions throughout the Village!

Village of Ossining Water Superintendent

Andy Tietz

EnergySmart Homes can help you make your home more comfortable while saving energy on your utilities.

Briarcliff Resident and Climate Justice Activist

Alexander Jacobs

I have been a nature lover my whole life. It is my keen appreciation for our planet, and all of its inhabitants, that makes me sensitive to the crisis Earth presently faces. Humankind has created a global problem that poses danger to all living species including ourselves – but we also have the potential to create global solutions. To achieve these, we first look to implementing local community-level solutions. My passion and understanding of the need for this approach has brought me to the EnergySmart campaign, and I’m excited to get to work.

Briarcliff Sustainability Committee Member

Padma Sridhar

The Briarcliff Sustainability Committee uses community outreach to encourage Briarcliff Manor residents to bring about positive environmental change by evaluating their personal sustainability goals. We believe in working closely with neighboring communities on initiatives like reducing our dependence on single-use plastics, and collection of food scraps for composting. We are excited now to work with Green Ossining and Sustainable Westchester on the EnergySmart Homes Program to educate Briarcliff residents on clean energy options for their homes.

Briarcliff Sustainability Committee Member

Jenny Sendek

Sustainable Westchester provides great education as well as home improvement programs. I am so happy and proud to have solar panels on my home. We had the panels installed through a Sustainable Westchester initiative which made the process quite simple. I am thrilled we have an organization like Sustainable Westchester working to provide education on climate action and sustainability goals to our community. The Briarcliff Sustainability Committee is happy to be working with Sustainable Westchester on the Energy Smart Homes program to promote clean heating and cooling solutions.

EnergySmart Homes Campaign Lead
Environmental Coalition of the Pelhams (EcoPel) Board Member

Anna Riehl

A Pelham resident for more than 23 years, Anna has served the community through various not-for-profits in the arts and athletics. Most recently she had turned her attention and passion toward environmental advocacy and activism. Anna has become an active member of the Village of Pelham, Climate Smart Communities Task Force which works under the auspices of the Sustainability Advisory Board. She serves on the Waste committee and is currently pursuing implementation of the Food Scrap Recycling initiative.

Eco-Pel Board Member

Melissa Eustace

Melissa is a 16-year resident of Pelham and long-time environmental activist. She and a small group of concerned environmentalists founded EcoPel in 2013 in an effort to spur green action in
the community. Always an animal lover, Melissa grew more concerned with the state of the environment after the birth of her first son in 1999, when it became more apparent to her that overwhelming burden of chemicals and plastic in our environment would be harmful to life.
Melissa recently purchased a new home in Pelham with an oil-fired boiler. Together with her plumber, she has researched electric heat pump
technologies for cooling and heating this new home and has plans to install such a system in the near future. She would like to encourage more home- and business-owners in Pelham to adopt this emissions-free technology. In addition to being a board member of EcoPel, Melissa is on the Village of Pelham’s Climate-Smart Communities task force, and the boards of the Progressive Women of Pelham and the Pelham Education Foundation. She is the Communications and Operations Director at the New York City-based International Senior Lawyers Project.

Eileen Madden Osmolskis

My husband Paul Osmolskis and I have lived in Pelham for 31 years. We were motivated to install solar panels on our house by the Solarize Pelham campaign. I view EnergySmart Westchester as the logical next step for our community to contribute to the effort to manage climate change. I retired as Director of Scientific Affairs from Nestlé USA where I was involved in issues concerning food safety, agricultural sustainability and environmental pollution and I look forward to helping advance the application of practical technology.

Village of Pelham Climate Smart Communities Task Force Member, President of Pelham Eliminates Plastics.

Nadine LeeSang

Growing up, I became very upset at our current climate crisis that my generation inherited. This effort is important to me because I believe we need more people putting in their best effort towards making their lives more sustainable and HeatSmart is a step in that direction.

Village of Pelham Administrator’s Office

Cara Farrell, VoP

After graduating from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with her BS in Environmental Studies, Cara knew she wanted to be involved in sustainability efforts in her community. Cara then earned her MPA (Masters in Public Administration) from SUNY The College at Brockport and started her career by working in the Village of Pittsford, along the Erie Canal. In 2019, Cara moved to Pelham and began her work in the Administrator’s Office working hand-in-hand with the Village Administrator, Board of Trustees and Sustainability Advisory Board. Since beginning her tenure with the Village of Pelham, Cara has worked on several environmental projects including the certification process of becoming a Bronze-Certified Climate Smart
Community, a successful application for Sustainable Westchester’s Heatsmart Residential Campaign and the launch of food scrap recycling program.
Cara is hopeful these and future initiatives will bring some much-needed attention to the idea that local actions impact the globe as a whole.

Board Member, EcoPel

Bret Grabel

All environmental initiatives are important to me. My neighbors using less fossil fuel to heat and cool their homes is no exception. I am a proud volunteer & participant in the EnergySmart Homes initiative.

Lindsay Preftakes

Prior to moving to Pelham, Lindsay worked in market research and development of educational materials for public health and education departments throughout the country. Subjects included the green jobs industry, home air, and
clean public water supplies. Her work experience also includes finance, accounting, and growing up in a large family-owned auto services company.
Lindsay has been an active member of EcoPel since 2016. She was the community outreach lead for Sustainable Westchester's Solarize Pelham campaign and elected President of EcoPel in 2018. She believes strongly in building
awareness about the consequences consumption has on the environment and hopes to use her business background and marketing experience to facilitate the transition of Pelham families into a more sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle.

Energy Smart Homes, Contractor Selection Committee Member and Village of Pelham Resident

Kevin Fleming

This effort is important to me because our community is heavily reliant on 100-year-old technology for home heating and it is both very inefficient and a significant contributor to pollution.

Co-chair, Village of Pelham Sustainable Advisory Board

Yenna Chan

Through my architecture practice, I’ve seen increasing homeowner interest in sustainable design strategies. Therefore, I’m pleased to take part in reducing carbon and greenhouse gas emissions through community programs such as EnergySmart. Together, we can help slow climate change while enjoying more energy-efficient living environments heated and cooled with clean energy technologies.

How can I get my
municipality involved
in EnergySmart HOMES?

Option 1: Request a presentation, flyers/materials for distribution, information for your website, a banner for your community and more.
Option 2: Establish a special EnergySmart Homes campaign, a robust 28-week community outreach campaign with the goal of dramatically increasing the number of existing clean heating and cooling installations in your municipality.
Option 3: Sustainable Westchester can help your municipality or sustainability group easily participate in a Clean Energy Communities Community (CEC) Campaign for Clean Heating & Cooling and Energy Efficiency. Learn how the EnergySmart Homes program can help bring heat pumps, geothermal, and energy efficiency to your friends and neighbors, while potentially earning a $5,000-$15,000 NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities Action Grant and 500 High Impact Action points for your municipality. Act now to receive funding before it runs out!
To get your municipality started, please contact Lauren@SustainableWestchester.org
We look forward to hearing from you!