NEW YORK — As discussion of the Ocasio-Cortez/Markey Green New Deal escalates, the same criticisms get—ha—recycled. Renewable energy is expensive and wouldn’t exist if the government weren’t paying for it. It’s not user-friendly. It’s only available to coastal elites, and it’s confusing regardless.

Sean Welsh, a community energy advisor and energy resource educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Liberty, is busy planning upcoming workshops that will counter some of those complaints. At 6 p.m. on February 20 at the E.B. Crawford Library in Monticello and at 6 p.m. on March 7 at Cornell Cooperative, he will outline what is  available to residents who want to integrate renewables into their homes or businesses. And—importantly—how to pay for it.

Welsh’s advisory work comes through Mid-Hudson Energy Choices, an entrance point to New York State’s clean energy programs. Formed by a 2018 partnership between Cornell Cooperative Extension in several counties (including Sullivan) and Smart Energy Choices in the Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson is funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

For the TRR editorial on the New Green Deal, click here.

In Sullivan County, Welsh works with residences and small businesses, showing them that clean energy is not an impossible dream, even if you don’t own your home.

He explains the myriad ways to pay for it—for low-income families included. Program experts will walk you through the process, no matter where you are in your environmental awareness. And there are answers for you even if your home is as green as can be, but your business is still stuck in the Dark Ages of dirty fuel .

Welsh starts with residences. “There are choices across the board,” he said. “Empower New York has income-based programs. You might also qualify for HEAP”—the program for low-income residents who have trouble with heating bills that employs a variety of heating methods, including corn and pellets as well as fossil fuels. “If you’re eligible for Empower, you’ll eligible for Solar For All. And there are no upfront costs. There’s even no need for panels on your roof,” Welsh said. Solar farms, for instance, install panels on the farm.  Residents or businesses become subscribers, and the energy the farm generates is put into the grid, giving the members credits on their bills.

“You can save $180 to $200 a year,” said Welsh.

Home Performance and Assisted Home Performance with ENERGY STAR are targeted toward a different income level, and offer energy assessments and financing solutions as well as help with a plan to lower bills, according to NYSERDA’s website.

For both residential and business, the process begins with the energy assessment. “How is the building performing? Where is energy loss going on?” Welsh says. “You need that audit.  People aren’t aware of a house as a total system.” It gives a “clear view of how the building is performing and working. We tell people, ‘We want you to live comfortably and safely.’”

Problems are found. Gas issues can be spotted. “Maybe there’s a repair before you can put in insulation. We’re able to help folks find programs” to resolve the issue.

Just one example: A Monticello resident had a modern home, drafty and with uneven temperatures. Air sealing and insulation were recommended, cutting the energy bill in half, Welsh said. Home Performance with Energy Star offered funding.

That leads to one of the biggest challenges in Sullivan County. “We have an eclectic building stock here—seasonal, hundred year old homes, vacation homes that are now year-round housing. Stone farmhouses,” Welsh said.  “It’s a different landscape from house to house.”

If you live in an old, historic home, for example, making it energy efficient is more challenging. There’s in-depth information at http://bit.ly/EnergyTRR.

Check out Annemarie's Reporter's Notebook on this story, with more information about subsidies, here.

Of course, as seen in the Monticello home, even modern houses have problems.

But no matter what kind of home you live in, Welsh encourages county residents to reach out to him. He’s there as a gateway to information and a guide through a system that can be confusing.

“Our program helps people make better energy choices,” he said. “It goes down to the microlevel of individual homeowners.”