Senator Flanagan Announces Grant For Huntington Town Hall Energy Project

HUNTINGTON--- Senator John J. Flanagan (2nd Senate District) today announced that the Town of Huntington will receive a $14,482 grant award to help finance a boiler replacement project at Huntington Town Hall.

Town officials are moving ahead with a nearly $725,000 energy-efficiency project to replace two 40 year old boilers and the associated burner units. The project is based on a free energy audit completed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) as part of its energy services program. When completed the project is expected to result in annual savings to the town of $21,406. The current boilers were installed more than 40 years ago and were designed for use with coal. The associated burners were upgraded ten years ago to use either oil or gas; however the previous work has resulted in the inefficient use of fuel and faulty heating.

"All local governments are struggling to keep pace with escalating energy costs. This project will help keep a lid on fuel costs. It will also improve working conditions for town employees and residents conducting business at Town Hall," said Senator Flanagan.

The grant was secured from New York State’s portion of the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution (POCR) fund, monies recovered in federal cases to compensate consumers for oil industry overcharges in the 1980’s. In New York State, the funds are administered by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and used to defray the cost of energy-efficiency improvements at schools and publicly run facilities.

"The Town of Huntington project is an outgrowth of Governor Pataki’s Executive Order No. 111, which directs the Power Authority to assist local governments seeking to improve their energy efficiency," Senator Flanagan said.

Governor Pataki’s "Green and Clean State Buildings and Vehicles" Executive Order requires state-owned building to meet ambition energy conservation goals by the end of the decade. The order also encourages local governments to set similar goals and directs NYPA and other state agencies to assist those efforts.