Saratoga Springs, NY – Kenneth Evans, Partner and lead for ReWire’s energy division, has been announced as one of the panelists for the upcoming “New York Plugs In” event. Hosted by GCAR and CIREB, this significant discussion aims to shed light on the effects of New York State’s recent ban on natural gas and other fossil fuels on the real estate industry.

Event Highlights 

The “New York Plugs In” event comes at a pivotal time, following New York State’s groundbreaking decision to ban natural gas in new constructions. This move, set to be phased in by 2025, is a first-of-its-kind initiative, emphasizing the state’s commitment to a greener future. The event will delve into the intricacies of this ban, its implications for the real estate sector, and the exemptions provided.

Scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, at the Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel, attendees can look forward to a morning of insightful discussions. Starting with breakfast and networking at 8:30 am, the panel discussion commences at 9:30 am.

Meet the Panelists 

Kenneth Evans of The ReWire Group LLC brings a wealth of knowledge from his extensive background in Corporate and Municipal Finance and Investment Banking. With his expertise in renewable energy trends and technologies, Evans has been instrumental in developing energy strategies that align with ReWire clients’ economic goals.

Joining Evans on the panel are Mike Kelly, Director of Government Affairs at the New York State Association of REALTORS®; Michael Mager, Esq, Partner at Couch White LLP; Jeffrey Mirel, Principal at The Rosenblum Companies; and Patrick Stella, Communications Manager at National Grid. The discussion will be moderated by Michael DeMasi, a reporter from the Albany Business Review.

A Step Towards a Greener Future 

The event is set against the backdrop of New York State’s ambitious Climate Plan. Passed in July 2019, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act mandates the state to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 2050. With the Climate Action Council’s final plan approved in December 2022, the “New York Plugs In” event serves as a timely platform to discuss the path forward.

For those interested in understanding the future of energy and real estate in New York, this event promises to be an enlightening experience.

About ReWire Energy 

Located in the heart of Saratoga Springs, NY, ReWire Energy stands as a beacon of sustainability and innovation. As a New York State Certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and a NYSERDA designated Clean Energy Training firm, ReWire is dedicated to providing energy and sustainability solutions for both public and private sector clients across the region. Their strategic teaming approach combines analytical and financial modeling capabilities to simplify the energy decision-making process. By partnering with seasoned energy efficiency experts and project execution specialists, ReWire ensures high-quality energy upgrades that pave the way for high-performance buildings, reduced costs, and a sustainable future.

The changing climate, intensified by the recent wildfires in Canada, has brought the issue of declining air quality to the forefront, especially in New York State. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to alter our climate and precipitation patterns, the frequency and intensity of such wildfires are predicted to rise, further deteriorating our air quality – both outside and indoors, as commercial building are required by code to bring in a proportion of outdoor air.  Therefore, the repercussions of this are not just environmental but also health-related, ranging from eye and respiratory irritations to severe conditions like reduced lung function, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and strokes.

While the complete prevention of wildfires might be beyond our immediate control, we can certainly adopt measures to mitigate the harmful particles affecting our indoor air quality, especially during such outbreaks. This becomes crucial for employers and residential property owners/managers as compromised air quality can directly impact workforce productivity and, by extension, revenue.

One of the most effective ways to address this challenge is by embracing the vision set forth by NYSERDA’s NextGen Buildings program. This initiative is geared towards accelerating the development and commercialization of innovative solutions that not only electrify and decarbonize the building stock in NYS, but also enhance indoor air quality. By championing such building innovations, the program aims to make our buildings cleaner, more energy-efficient, load-flexible, and resilient. A significant advantage of these innovations is the dual benefit they offer – improved indoor air quality and enhanced occupant comfort, thereby adding economic value.

Key benefits of installing state-of-the-art indoor air quality monitors include:

• Enhanced Health and Safety: These devices can detect and pinpoint the source of numerous harmful pollutants.
• Optimized Energy Efficiency: They can fine-tune HVAC systems for ideal ventilation, humidity, and temperature, aligning with the goals of electrification and decarbonization.
• Achieving Sustainability Milestones: Monitors can validate increased building safety through precise measurement and reporting.
• Streamlined Building Maintenance: They can swiftly identify and rectify building ventilation issues, such as clogged air filters or malfunctioning HVAC systems, preventing health hazards and unwarranted expenses.

Given that most individuals spend a significant portion of their time either at home or work, ensuring the safety of these environments becomes paramount. For employers and property managers, the integration of indoor air quality monitors can serve as a compelling selling point, signaling a genuine commitment to the health and well-being of employees or tenants.

At ReWire, our collaborations are driven by a shared vision of a sustainable future. We’re proud to partner with Magnum First, a producer of commercial-grade indoor air quality sensors. These sensors offer continuous monitoring across various parameters, including carbon dioxide, particles, volatile organic compounds, temperature, and humidity. While traditional Demand Controlled Ventilation (DVC) systems primarily measure CO2, Magnum’s IAQ sensor encompasses both human and non-human pollutants, pioneering the concept of “Healthy DVC.” This not only ensures improved health and wellness but also aligns with the objectives of energy-efficient buildings, ultimately leading to cost savings.

We are focused on collaboratively navigating the challenges posed by a changing climate, integrating innovations focused on electrification and decarbonization, as highlighted in NYSERDA PON 3519, can be our beacon, guiding us towards healthier indoor environments and a sustainable future.

ReWire and PowerMarket team up to provide cost savings through renewable energy across BBL’s Managed Real Estate Portfolio.

ReWire Group is excited to announce a new community solar project which is a testament to our commitment to sustainable energy solutions and our expertise in navigating the complexities of renewable energy markets.

The beneficiary for this project is BBL Management Group (“BBL”), an Albany-based company that has subscribed a portion of their portfolio to community solar as a commercial (Anchor Tenant) and Mass Market subscriber for their managed residential properties. This strategic move will result in 10% savings on their entire electric bill for these properties. BBL’s decision to subscribe to community solar reflects their desire for a straightforward process to access renewable energy while simultaneously reducing operational expenses.

Located in the North Country in the town of Oswegatchie, NY, this 6.7-megawatt community solar project will significantly reduce energy costs for both the company and residents in the Capital and Central NY regions. The community solar project, completed in the spring of 2023, consists of more than 16,000 panels, and generates approximately 8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of clean power annually. This is enough to power over 1,500 homes and reduces carbon emissions by nearly 5,600 metric tons annually, equivalent to taking over 1,100 cars off the road.

PowerMarket, ReWire’s solar utility provider partner, worked closely with our team to broker this project. PowerMarket is a provider of community solar services, dedicated to making renewable energy accessible to all. The solar developer for this project is CleanCapital, a leading clean energy investment platform that owns and operates renewable energy projects across the U.S.

This project is made possible by the progressive renewable energy legislation in New York State, which encourages anchor tenants to subscribe to community solar. The benefits of this legislation include consolidated billing and looser credit requirements, making renewable energy more accessible to a wider range of businesses and individuals. It will support New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) goal to install six gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025 and accelerate progress toward ten gigawatts by 2030.

BBL’s owned and managed commercial properties will utilize 40 percent of the clean energy generated by the solar project, leaving 60 percent available for residential subscribers in the company’s properties. These subscribers can expect to see credits on their electricity bill, resulting in an estimated 10 percent annual savings.

We are proud to be part of this significant step towards a sustainable future and look forward to continuing our work in the renewable energy sector.

About ReWire

ReWire Group, LLC, is a family-led and NYS Certified Minority-Owned Business Enterprise (MBE) focused on delivering a variety of products and service solutions for public and private sector clients across the region. ReWire provides energy advisory services and environmentally sustainable products serving municipal, commercial, and institutional customers, while providing strategic value to clients through a combination of energy and financial modeling, software development, and project management expertise. In addition to its new ETEC location, ReWire is a Member of the Saratoga CoWorks in Saratoga Springs, NY. Learn more at ReWireEnergy.com.

About BBL

Offering a complete scope of services to clients across a wide variety of markets since 1973, BBL Management Group is proud to be a top ranked national property management firm, deeply involved and engaged in the communities where they live and work. Based in New York’s Capital Region, the company offers full-service property management to hundreds of clients in the corporate, retail, hospitality, manufacturing, financial and medical industries.  BBL Management Group’s dedicated team of professionals are experienced in all levels of property management, accounting and lease administration and are fully dedicated to enhancing the landlord/tenant relationship.  Learn more about the BBL organization at bblinc.com.

About PowerMarket

PowerMarket has been a trusted leader in community solar since 2014. They have made it their goal to make renewable energy cheaper and more accessible, while benefitting local communities and reducing customers’ energy costs through community solar. The company was founded in Brooklyn, New York in 2014, and currently manages over 650MW of community solar projects around the country. Through their acquisition and management of over 70,000 subscribers, PowerMarket provides monthly savings to over 70,000 subscribers. In their home state of New York, they have saved their subscribers over $5.7 million. Efforts like these are playing a huge role in the commitment to renewable energy going forward and are crucial to our transition to a clean energy economy.

John Wismont, Controller of BBL Management Group, invited ReWire to present to the Capital Region Building Owners and Management Association (CRBOMA) at their March meeting. As Program Committee Chair for CRBOMA, John asked that we discuss the impact of the NYS Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (CLCPA), specifically the implications it has for commercial property managers and owners. 

The CLCPA requires NYS to reach net zero emissions by 2050, an ambitious goal. In addition, the Act also requires that investments in disadvantaged communities be prioritized and that there is support for workers to transition to clean energy jobs. While the Act does not detail a GHG reduction plan, the Scoping Plan, which was approved by the Climate Action Council on December 19, 2022, serves as the roadmap to meet the State’s goals. The Scoping Plan was created by various stakeholders that include: 

• Climate Action Council – 22 member appointees that include State agency representatives, environmentalists, and power producers 
• Advisory Panel – 7 sector panel which among other input, provided recommendations focused on promoting a fair and equitable transition to a clean energy economy for workers and communities, in addition to providing input on strategies to address environmental injustice 
• NY State Government Agencies – These include NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), NYS Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Public Service Commission (PSC), Department of Transportation, Department of Health, the Department of Labor and others 

Buildings represent the largest source of GHG emissions (about 32%) in the State from the use of fossil fuels for space and water heating. As a result, that puts a lot of pressure on buildings owners and managers to determine how to meet the Act’s requirements. Building owners will not only need to adopt higher energy efficiency standards, but they will also need to consider the use of renewable energy sources as the CLCPA also requires the State to increase to 70% in renewable energy sources by 2030. 

The CLCPA offers building owners and managers benefits such as reduced energy costs and access to financial incentives, but they may also face the challenges of upfront costs for upgrades and integrating renewable energy with building infrastructure. 

So, what’s next? 

The DEC, led by Basil Seggos, has until January 1, 2024, to draft and circulate enforceable regulations to ensure the State meets the CLCPA’s GHG emissions goals. Once those regulations are set, the DEC will review GHG reduction measures every 4 years.  

If you are a building owner/manager, start to assess your property’s current energy use and costs and explore opportunities for efficiency upgrades and adding renewable energy sources. There are several funding and incentive programs that have been established under CLCPA to help finance the necessary upgrades and investments. In addition, start to think about monitoring and reporting systems to help you ensure the building is meeting energy use and emissions requirements. If you need help, ReWire is here for you. We can review your current energy use and create a custom plan to meet the CLCPA’s requirements while ensuring you are maximizing all available incentives.  

Contact us today to get started!