On October 11th, Philipstown's Town Council unanimously voted to pass a resolution enabling the municipality to endorse Hudson Valley Community Power's fully-vetted community solar program for residents. Offered in conjunction with the recently implemented Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, community solar provides residents and local businesses further opportunity to save on electricity while supporting clean, community-based generation and decreasing New York State's carbon footprint.

By subscribing to a solar farm in Accord, NY, Philipstown residents can spend approximately 10% less on electricity each year for up to 25 years. The guaranteed savings are derived from New York State's clean energy generation incentives.  

The shift to locally sourced renewable energy also unlocks a municipal sustainability fund. Established by Hudson Valley Community Power and funded through the community solar program, the fund receives $50 for each solar enrollment completed before November 30th. In line with their Climate Smart Communities initiative, Philipstown has decided to allocate the money to a Refrigerant Management Program that will reduce leakage of powerful greenhouse gases from air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, heat pumps, and cars by providing free or low-cost pick-up and proper disposal of old appliances and presenting community education on proper disposal of appliances and the availability of climate-friendly refrigerants.  

Philipstown Supervisor Richard Shea encouraged community action, "As a community, we're proud to be taking steps to combat climate change. Philipstown is fortunate to have a great partner in Joule Community Power, the organization that brought us CCA and community solar through Hudson Valley Community Power. As a complement to our recently-adopted CCA program, this fully-vetted solar program saves those who enroll an additional 10% on their utility bills. Please consider going to the website and opting in to save money, help the environment, and also raise funds towards Philipstown's Climate Smart Community Refrigerant Management Program."

The community will host an Energy Forum to discuss the program and answer questions:

Philipstown Community Energy Forum
October 29th, 6-8pm
Dolly's: 7 Garrisons Landing, Garrison, NY 10524.  
For event details, please visit https://tinyurl.com/philipstowncommunitysolar. 

Hudson Valley Community Power | hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com

Joule Community Power | joulecommunitypower.com