Old Westbury, NY – NYIT has joined a grassroots effort to encourage Long Islanders to make their homes more energy efficient.

Through its participation in the Long Island Green Homes Consortium, NYIT is raising awareness about energy- and money-saving initiatives for homeowners. NYIT's role is to help publicize the consortium's website, www.longislandgreenhomes.org, which offers information about free or reduced-fee energy audits, rebates, and financing to make energy-efficient improvements to Long Island homes.

"We're very excited to be able to assist Long Island homeowners by spreading the word to more than 2,600 members of our community about simple measures to help ‘green' their homes and reduce their energy bills at the same time," said Nada Anid, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences. "NYIT has a long history of initiating and promoting sustainable education and training programs both on and beyond our campuses."

The Long Island Green Homes Consortium members include seven towns, Molloy College's Sustainability Institute, and the Community Development Corporation. Consortium members say that homeowners who make energy upgrades improve the value of their homes, save money, boost the local economy, and create green jobs. NYIT is one of 13 community supporters who have agreed to promote the consortium's outreach efforts. Together, the partners will notify more than 80,000 people about the program through email.

The free or reduced-cost home energy audits the consortium recommends can help homeowners assess their insulation, evaluate their heating, cooling, and hot water systems and check appliance and lighting efficiency. According to the Sustainability Institute, every United States president over the past four decades has called for energy independence. Reducing demand is a step in that direction.

"Things that are good for the economy and environment at the same time are things we need to get behind supporting," said Neal Lewis, executive director of the Sustainability Institute.

He noted that universities, like other large employers, often hear that housing costs are a big concern for employees. By spreading the word about the LI Green Homes program, Lewis says NYIT is helping faculty and staff learn about investing in their homes and reducing their energy bills. At the same time, he added, efforts to "green" a home can lead to new, local jobs.

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 15,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 89,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Elaine Iandoli
Office of Communications and Marketing
516.686.4013