Governor Kathy Hochul announced today that $ 23 million of funds on four understimating school districts in the entire state of New York were awarded in order to create healthier and more comfortable learning environments as part of the law on clean water, clean air and green jobs (Environmental Bond Act). With the Clean Green Schools initiative, the financing will make it more affordable for the school districts awarded to install the latest clean energy and construction technologies, reduce energy consumption and achieve reductions in carbon emissions.
“The Environmental Foundation Act has activated historical investments in securing a clean, resistant future for the state of New York.” Governor Hochul said. “These awards represent the first of several affiliating school districts to benefit from these means, and will help to create healthier learning environments for New York students who need the most urgent.”
The program Clean Green Schools, managed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda), offers incentives for justified school districts to implement construction projects that improve the energy efficiency of their buildings, such as comprehensive retrofits that are based on energy consumption and general construction loads, the electrification. Conversion of central heating and/or cooling plant specialties such as heat pumps have an effect. The school districts awarded serve a total of almost 10,000 students and at least four of the school buildings are in disadvantaged communities, as defined by the working group of the Climate Justice. Overall, the projects are expected to save 19,000 MMBTUS Energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 840 tons, which corresponds to over 200 petrol cars from the road every year.
The President and CEO of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Doreen M. Harris, said, “Today's awards will create comfortable, healthy learning environments that demonstrate the effects of energy-efficient and clean heating and cooling technologies in school buildings. The change in New York's lower resource communities will ensure that all students can exhaust their full potential if we create progress for a cleaner future for the next generation.”
The projects awarded include:
- 1.4 million US dollars for the Bradford Central School District (Schuyler County): The district will fully elect HLK systems in the K-12 building with VRF heat pumps (variable refrigerant flow) and air source heat pumps. In addition, the fans are used for energy recovery to maximize energy efficiency and improve air quality indoors. This project is expected to reduce energy consumption in the building by 15 percent.
- Over 1.4 million US dollars for Canajoharie Central School District (Montgomery County): The district installs a soil source heat pump, air source heat pump and a solar PV system via three buildings, which significantly reduces fossil fuel consumption to enable space heating and cooling. This project also uses the floor sources heat pump and sales room as a learning laboratory and serves as an educational area for students. This project is expected to reduce energy consumption in the three buildings by 40 percent.
- Over 10 million US dollars for Cuba Rushford Central School District (Allegany County): The district installs soil sources heat pumps and air source heat pumps, which together operate 90 percent of the heating, cooling and domestic hot water load on the buildings. Upgrades of the building construction system are included to control and monitor the new clean systems. In addition, the district develops teaching plans for the new Clean Energy systems and plans to coordinate furnishing trips after the construction of students. This project is expected to reduce energy consumption in the buildings by 45 percent.
- Over 10 million US dollars for the North Rockland Central School District (Rockland County): The district will completely elect HVAC systems in two buildings with VRF heat pumps, which means that heating and cooling with improved filtration to improve air quality indoors. The project also includes the installation of high -performance windows and supports the district in the development of new course work for clean energy. This project is expected to reduce energy consumption in the two buildings by 50 percent.
Today's announcement represents the first school districts to be awarded as part of the Financial Association announced by Governor Hochul in January 2024 for the environmental bond law of $ 100 million. Nyserda is currently in the process of negotiating contracts with additional school districts across the state, which will be concluded and announced later this year.
All public school buildings of the state of New York in disadvantaged municipalities or as high needs in the educational department of the state of New York were entitled to take part in the Clean Green School initiative. Of the 3,100 authorized schools in the state of New York, 1,960 schools in 146 districts and 55 counties receive technical support in order to assess the air quality indoors, reduce energy consumption and to identify potential upgrades for clean energy. In autumn 2025, Nyserda expects to announce an additional round of the financing of Clean Green Schools to support P-12 installation projects.
Nyserda also offers schools technical support through the flexible technical support program, with which schools can help to reduce energy costs and to include clean energy in their capital planning. You can find additional information here.
Betty A. Rosa, Commissioner of the New York State Education Department, said: “Every child deserves to learn in a room that promotes both his spirit and his well-being. All too often, children are confronted in under-sufficient communities who endanger their health and suppress their potential for success. This financing serves as a decisive lifeline to invest in secure, healthier school buildings on the conditions that every student needs to learn, grow and capable.”
Amanda Lefton, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said: “The Clean Green School program for those from school districts to improve air quality indoor air quality to improve the indoor air quality, to reduce energy loads, to decarbonizing buildings and the implementation of clean energy, which implement to a sustainable and healthy educational environment for new state students.”
Kevin Parker, chairman of the state's senator, said: “As a lifelong in Brooklyn resident and product of our public schools, I know first -hand the power of knowledge, community and opportunities. Today when we invest in healthier, more sustainable learning rooms, we not only improve buildings. We improve the minds and the future of our children.
State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said: “I am pleased to find out that the first four schools received critical funds from the Clean Green Schools initiative. This financing will help you buy and install technologies to reduce energy and carbon emissions with high needs and help New York to alleviate our environmental efforts and alleviate financial stress. Clean place, and I thank the voters who have approved the bond law that made this financing possible.
Carlos Gildemeister Carlos Gildemeister Cuba Rushford Central School District said: “This project will reduce our energy consumption by almost half, bring cleaner air and air conditioning to our classrooms and give our students a place in the inner rows for the future of clean energy. We are grateful for the scholarship!”
John R. Marshall, superintendent of the Bradford Central School District, said: “We are incredibly grateful for these scholarships, since this investment in the construction of operations marks a transformative step for the Bradford Central School District. By fully electrifying our HLK systems and improving the air quality indoors, we not only create a healthier, more comfortable learning environment for our students and personnel, but also the costs of energy and energy supply.”
Nick Fitzgerald, superintendent of the Canajoharie Central School District, said: “This award will help the CANAJOHARIE CSD to enable our heating and cooling systems for our 70-year middle and primary school building, which is reduced by 40 percent. In addition, the district enables the district to complete a $ 14 million project that does not impact on local control.
Headmistress of the North Rockland Central School District Kris Felicello, ed. said “By installing high-performance windows and upgrading and modernizing HLK systems from North Rockland, these improvements will not only help to improve the learning environment for our students, but also thousands of taxpayers' dollars through higher energy efficiency. These $ 10 million in Clean Green Schools will certainly help to reduce the productivity of the pupils and the energy costs To lower the district. “
Nyserda has been a trustworthy and objective resource for the New Yorkers for more than fifty years, which plays the decisive role of energy planning and political analysis and investments that lead New York to a more sustainable future. Buildings are one of the most important sources for greenhouse gas emissions in the state of New York. With NyserDA and supply programs, more than $ 5.6 billion invested in the decarbonization of buildings and supporting highly efficient all-electrical heating and cooling technologies.
The state of New York's climate pedagenda
The state of New York's climate agenda calls for an affordable and only transition to a clean energy industry that creates family -related jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments and directs at least 35 percent of the advantages for disadvantaged communities. New York promotes a number of efforts to reach an emission-free economy by 2050, including energy, building, transport and waste sectors.