New York saves $3.1 million in efficiency program
The energy efficiency program for state offices was aimed at promoting the idea publicly. But the payoff halfway through the fiscal year is also a boost for the cash-strapped state.
State General Services Commissioner John Egan says the savings include a new natural gas contract and retrofitting more state buildings to be more energy efficient.
Halfway through the fiscal year, Egan says the state's energy bill is down 5.15 percent compared to the first half of last year and down more than 13 percent from 2007.
The strategies used in more than 50 state buildings include:
• Setting building temperatures to 70 degrees during the winter and 76 degrees in the summer.
• Reducing the light levels in offices.
• Replacing older fixtures and bulbs with more efficient equipment.
The Henderson Smith State Office Building in Hornell in Steuben County cut energy consumption by 25 percent between April and September, Egan said.
Related News

Residential electricity use -- and bills -- on the rise thanks to more working from home
NEW YORK - Don't be surprised if your electric bills are looking higher than usual, with a sizable increase in the amount of power that you have used.
Summer traditionally is a peak period for electricity usage because of folks' need to run fans and air-conditioners to cool their homes or run that pool pump. But the arrival of the coronavirus and people working from home is adding to amount of power people are using.
Under normal conditions, those who work in their employer's offices might not be cooling their homes as much during the middle of the day or using as…