A-Home Takes $1,000 Energy Prize, $9K Still Available to Win

A-HOME, a nonprofit affordable housing provider, was awarded a $1,000 check for its participation in a contest challenging community groups to work together to help reduce the town's greenhouse gas emissions. 

For hosting a community information workshop on energy assessments and upgrades, then completing energy upgrades at eight of the properties it owns, A-Home was the first to win cash through the "Quick Start" phase of the , sponsored by , the town’s home energy assessment and upgrade program. 

More cash prizes await community groups who want to get involved, said Tom Bregman, Bedford's energy director. Prizes will be awarded via a point system that assigns values to various projects that get the word out and results in participation in the energy pilot program.

“This is very exciting for us,” said A-Home executive director Joan Arnold, when the check was presented to her earlier this week. “Energy is one of our biggest line items and the only way we can continue to offer quality services to our residents is by getting it under control. The Energize Bedford program helped us along the way,and made our efforts easy and affordable.”

Bedford Supervisor Lee Roberts also attended the ceremony, along with Ellen Conrad and Mary Beth Kass, co-presidents of Bedford 2020, the volunteer drive to reduce Bedford’s greenhouse gas emissions 20 by 2020. A-HOME was one of eight community organizations vying for the prize; the Katonah Village Library and Katonah Village Improvement Society were a close second.

The community energy challenge is just one tenet of a growing energy pilot program that is schedule to roll out to two other towns in the Northern Westchester Energy Coalition by the end of the year. Bregman didn't reveal those communities but did say that Lewisboro and Mt. Kisco were under consideration.

"But it's important to know that any resident in any of the NWEAC town can use our services now for assessments and updgrades," said Bregman. As NWEAC towns roll out their own energy programs, Energize Bedford will provide core customer support, Bregman added.

The team, , is planning on opening a second operations office on Lexington Avenue in Mt. Kisco in space donated by Jim Diamond of Diamond Properties in Mt. Kisco. Bregman said the new space would accommodate the new staff but they planned to maintain an office at 425 Cherry Street in Bedford.

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