Home energy grants awarded to Newfield family

James Dannic has lived in the town of Newfield his entire life.

Dannic has lived in a mobile home with his son for the past three years. The home, however, gets too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer for the Dannics.

Dannic uses propane to help heat his home, but it doesn’t do much to keep him and his son warm.

“While our fuel bills are predictable, it’s pretty high,” Dannic said. “You could smell it [the propane] all winter.”

Dannic decided to take action for a more comfortable living situation. It led to him receiving $1,925 from the Sustainable Finger Lakes (SFLX) Climate Fund to offset carbon emissions, and $5,500 from SFLX’s Tompkins Community Recovery Fund to install an air source heat pump in the Dannics’ home.

SFLX gave Dannic the organization’s 100th grant award. The other funding source also included Halco Energy, which has been tasked with installing Dannic’s new heat pump.

“We’re highlighting James and his family and also wanted to celebrate [the 100th grant] because it’s quite a milestone for local carbon offset funding,” said SFLX President Gay Nicholson. “We might be the oldest local carbon offset funding source now in the country.”

Since 2010, SFLX has offered climate grant funding to low-income families to help undertake critical energy efficiency upgrades, including insulation, air sealing and installing energy-efficient heating systems.

“The Finger Lakes Climate Fund has made a truly positive impact on our region,” said Katie Borgella, Tompkins County commissioner of planning and sustainability. “Utilizing carbon offsets to fund clean energy grants for residents and support local contractors and installers contributes to not only our greenhouse gas emission goals, but [contributes] to energy affordability and a robust local economy, as well. Both urban and rural communities in the Finger Lakes have access to this program. As a Newfield resident, I’m proud to see that the 100th grant went to support people living in my community. I’m glad to contribute to this program and see all the ways that Tompkins County and the Finger Lakes region are leaders in sustainability.”

SFLX noted in a release that the upgrades “not only help families save on energy costs but also contribute to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”

Once Halco Energy completes the repairs, Dannic is looking forward to lower costs.

“I’m also looking forward to my son breathing easier,” Dannic said.

SFLX’s climate fund program has awarded grants in 14 different counties in the Finger Lakes region. It has resulted in almost 10,000 tons of carbon emissions offset  and more than $175,000 invested back into communities.

“I designed our climate fund to be transparent and hyper local and to share the stories of people being helped so people know when others take responsibility for their carbon emissions,” Nicholson said. “They know where it’s going and that it helps out local families. It helps out our green collar energy workers and our local installers.”

The community recovery fund, which is attached to the Tompkins County Mobile Home Energy Upgrades project, helps to install heat pumps to significantly improve “the health, safety, comfort and affordability” of the specific residences, the release said.

Nicholson said that when mobile homes across the country switch to heat pumps, the lifetime cost savings reach over $20,000.

“[The program] is really critical, especially for senior citizens or babies that are out there in the mobile homes,” Nicholson said. “They’re very poorly insulated. We insisted they be brought up to the best insulation standard you can achieve before you put the heap pump in.”

The Dannic family is now part of a long list of Newfield-based families and organizations that have received climate funding from SFLX. That list includes Second Wind Cottages, Adam Miner, the late Becca Harber, Daniel Fenner, Megan Cosgrove and more.

A total of $17,693 in climate fund grants has been awarded in Newfield. SFLX noted that 24 town residents have donated money to the program, with Newfield resident Kitty Gifford providing 18 donations.

“Kitty used to be on our board of directors before she went back to school to get her master’s degree,” Nicholson said. “It’s been a wonderful gift for Kitty to give back to her community. It’s her way of helping low-income families right in Newfield.”

Nicholson is encouraging people from communities in the Finger Lakes region to either sign up for climate funding or consider donating, while also addressing social and environmental needs.

“It’s all about participating in helping others to make our community better and the need to reduce carbon emissions as a result,” Nicholson said.

Newfield Notes appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Holiday craft fair at Newfield Elementary School on Nov. 17

The Newfield Lions Club will host a holiday craft fair at Newfield Elementary School on Nov. 17.

The elementary school, located at 247 Main St., will hold the event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will include 50 craft vendors and a bake sale. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

For more information, contact Kaye Harrington at newfieldlions@gmail.com.