§ 119-ff. Definitions. For purposes of this article:

1. "Authority" means the New York state energy research and
development authority, as defined by subdivision two of section eighteen
hundred fifty-one of the public authorities law, or its successor.

2. "Credit support" means and includes direct loans, letters of
credit, loan guarantees, and insurance products; and the purchase of or
commitment to purchase, or the sale of or commitment to sell, debt
instruments, including subordinated securities.

3. "Energy audit" means a formal evaluation of the energy consumption
of a permanent building or structural improvement to real property,
conducted by a contractor certified by the authority, or certified by a
certifying entity approved by the authority for purposes of this
article, for the purpose of identifying appropriate energy efficiency
improvements that could be made to or incorporated into the construction
of the property. A municipal corporation may, by local law, provide for
the certification of such contractors based upon criteria at least as
stringent as the state-wide criteria for certification adopted by the
authority for purposes of this article.

4. "Energy efficiency improvement" means any improvement to real
property, whether as a component of the new construction of a building
or as the renovation or retrofitting of an existing building to reduce
energy consumption, such as window and door replacement, lighting,
caulking, weatherstripping, air sealing, insulation, and heating and
cooling system upgrades, and similar improvements, determined to be
cost-effective pursuant to criteria established by the authority.
However, "energy efficiency improvement" shall not include lighting
measures or household appliances that are not permanently fixed to real
property.

5. "Municipal corporation" means a county, town, city or village.

6. "Real property" means any property, an interest in which is or is
eligible to be recorded or registered on municipal land ownership
records by the possessor of such interest.

7. "Renewable energy system" means an energy generating system for the
generation of electric or thermal energy, to be used primarily at such
property, except when the owner of real property is a commercial entity,
by means of solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, wind, geothermal,
anaerobic digester gas-to-electricity systems, fuel cell technologies,
or other renewable energy technology approved by the authority not
including the combustion or pyrolysis of solid waste.

8. "Renewable energy system feasibility study" means a written study,
conducted by a contractor certified by the authority, or certified by a
certifying entity approved by the authority for purposes of this
article, for the purpose of determining the feasibility of installing a
renewable energy system. A municipal corporation may, by local law,
provide for the certification of such contractors based upon criteria at
least as stringent as the state-wide criteria for certification adopted
by the authority for purposes of this article.