FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                            OCT. 6, 2009 

SPANO TO ANNOUNCE ENERGY SURVEY PROGRAM TO HELP RESIDENTS

Conference speech will address officials and building contractors

County Executive Andy Spano will announce tomorrow the latest effort to encourage residents to make their homes more energy efficient when he speaks to local officials and building contractors about Westchester’s new Energy Survey Program.

His keynote address will come at noon Wed., Oct. 7, at the “Green Workforce: Contractors and Communities in Action” conference at the Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion. Sponsored by the Building Performance Contractors Association (BPCA), the conference is geared toward education and networking and will bring together local officials and contractors that have had success with home-efficiency programs.

Spano will speak on the county government’s role in promoting green building and the need to create a strong green workforce. To encourage residents to focus more on what they can do, the county is preparing to launch a new call center where people can receive a preliminary home energy evaluation. They will then hopefully hire a home performance contractor to do a more in-depth analysis as well as any needed improvements. Callers will also be able to find out how they can take advantage of government incentives.

The call center, which will be run in partnership with Community Housing Innovations, will create jobs, save residents money on their utility bills and protect the environment, Spano said.

BPCA President Dick Kornbluth, who will also speak at the event, cited the county’s effort as “an incredible opportunity to grow an industry that has been highly successful in other parts of the state, and is achieving national recognition as the best home energy-efficiency approach.” Successful programs will be highlighted in Babylon, Bedford, and Cambridge, MA.

Registration for the conference begins at 8:30 a.m. Limited $100 tickets are still available. For more information, contact Ed Voytovich at (315) 382-1114 or email info@home-performance.org.