New York State has set its most ambitious and comprehensive goals for clean energy in the state’s history.
By 2030, New York’s government wants 70 percent of consumers’ electricity to come from renewable energy sources, which includes solar, wind, and hydropower. In addition, the state passed legislation setting the goal that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in New York State be zero-emissions by 2035. These goals affect not only individuals, but businesses as well.
To help businesses save money and make it easy for them to meet these goals, the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth (FCCRG) developed a partnership with Clifton Park-based AMP Energy Services. This full-service energy consulting company takes the work out of going green and makes it easy for businesses to use clean energy and save money at the same time.
Andrea McMaster, owner and CEO of AMP Energy Services, points out that many businesses are looking for ways to go green. With her expertise in the clean energy field, paired with grant-writing skills, she is in a prime position to help organizations meet their goals.
Some have opted to take advantage of the community solar available in Fulton County. Developers build solar farms throughout the state, and businesses or residents can subscribe. When power goes to the grid from this farm, subscribers receive credits on their electric bills. “Normally, any business customer can save 10 percent by enrolling in community solar,” McMaster said. “When someone takes part in community solar, they’re not only helping New York State meet its green energy goals, they’re getting compensated for it through a discount on their energy bills.”
While this is an easy way to use more clean energy, AMP Energy Services provides a wide range of other energy-related services at no cost to customers. They perform energy audits and then come up with a plan that best meets a customer’s needs. This could include a variety of solutions such as the installation of co-generation plants, solar panels, and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
For example, if a business is interested in installing rooftop solar, a popular way for a company to lower energy costs, AMP Energy Services would work with solar developers to assess the building’s structure and location to determine if this is a viable option.
EV charging stations provide another example of the services offered by the company. AMP Energy Services conducts a study to determine the best place to locate EV charging stations, partners with installers, applies for available grant money to reduce the customer’s cost, and manages the project to completion. “We are working with the customer from start to finish,” McMaster said.
For a customer who is purchasing a vacant building, AMP would assess and suggest utility upgrades that needed to be done and then oversee that process, working with local utility companies.
“We don’t charge our customers for any upfront cost from those services,” McMaster said.
McMaster helps to mesh the concerns of facility directors who are seeking to meet the state’s clean energy standards and comptrollers who are looking to save their companies money. AMP finds ways to reduce energy costs and helps a customer obtain any available funding for clean energy projects.
Parkhurst Field in Gloversville, is a case in point. Parkhurst Field was once a state-of-the-art playing field for early 20th-century baseball. It is now being restored and transformed into a destination field for Little League. Initially, McMaster helped the foundation obtain a $500,000 New York State Consolidated Funding Grant in 2016.
The board continues to work with McMaster as construction plans are being made. “She’s very creative in not just providing solution ideas, but helping to obtain the funding to achieve them,” said David Karpinski, Parkhurst Field Foundation’s executive director. Proposed clean energy features include EV charging stations, electric vehicles and LED lighting, among others. “A lot of times, businesses or foundations like mine don’t know what they don’t know,” Karpinski said.
McMaster listens to what an organization is trying to achieve and then makes suggestions about how that can be accomplished, all with clean energy options in mind. For example, McMaster suggested a porous pavement option, rather than asphalt, for parking lots so that the project would not negatively affect the watershed. That suggestion became part of Parkhurst’s plan that was approved by the City of Gloversville. The city deemed the design appropriate because it would be more like the current state of the park now, which has no pavement.
“There’s funding available to do those kinds of projects, and I would not have known about that had I not been working with her,” Karpinski said. McMaster’s expertise allows AMP Energy Services to bring previously unknown, sustainable options to its customers.
“The main thing is that when you choose Fulton County as your company home base or your location, your energy needs are handled,” McMaster said. “You don’t have to do the work. We do the work for customers and bring them the energy solutions that best fit their businesses. My main goal is that every customer has an energy plan that makes sense to them and saves them money. On average, we do save our customers through these programs about 20 percent on their energy costs.”
For more information, visit ampenergyservices.com.
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