Last week, Hidden Springs hosted a clean energy meeting to educate municipal leaders and residents in the Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Programs and representatives from the Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NEST) explained the benefits of installing clean heating and cooling measures. Cornell Cooperative Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Coordinator Chris Skawski presented the CEC Program offered by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). (Submitted Photo)

NORWICH — Last week, the Chenango County Planning Department hosted their first Clean Energy Communities (CEC) event of 2024, at Hidden Springs Brewhouse. 

Cornell Cooperative CEC Coordinator of the Southern Tier Chris Skawski and representatives from Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NEST) presented information to educate and encourage municipal leaders and residents to participate in the programs offered by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Skawski said Clean Energy Communities is a statewide program that helps city, town, and village governments set the scope of projects to move along energy transition, which New York State (NYS) has committed to participate in.

He said Chenango County has been very active in the program so far, and has been great to work with. They completed a number of High Impact Actions, including several County-Hosted Trainings to prepare municipal staff for clean energy projects in their communities.

“One that we are actively working on is the Community Campaign for Clean Heating and Cooling,” said Skawski. “In this action, municipalities can play an active role in connecting residents to information about clean energy home heating and cooling solutions.”

“Heat Pumps are still a pretty new technology around here,” said Skawski. “Most folks are still using natural gas or delivered fuel in their boilers to heat their homes.”

“But recently, more and more heat pumps are built to handle cold climates like ours,” he added. “Which makes them really strong options for this area.”