Seven Steps to Clean, Efficient Energy
Take these 7 steps to complete your clean energy journey and reap the rewards:
Eliminate your home carbon footprint
Improve your indoor air quality & health
Save money
Increase your property value
Get started below.
Click each step to learn more!
Use the Toolkit!
Here are the tools you need throughout your clean energy transition.
Carbon Calculator
Solar Decision Tree
Planning Worksheets
Financial Incentives Guide
Schedule an Energy Coach
The Seven Steps to Clean Energy
The Toolkit
Each tool below will help you along your path to clean energy!
Calculate your Carbon Footprint
Sometimes our use of fossil fuels isn’t very obvious. Your carbon footprint is a measure — usually expressed in tons of CO2/year — of all of the greenhouse gas emissions released as a result of your lifestyle. We can take individual responsibility for a signifiant portion of our carbon footprint, and establishing a measured baseline is a great way to start. Think of it as the start of your journey to 100% clean energy!
Once you’ve measured your footprint, you can begin to eliminate these carbon emissions by using the Tools below as you follow the 7 Steps. As you proceed, re-calculate your footprint and note your progress. You’ll be able to take pride in doing the right thing for our children and grandchildren.
Calculate your Carbon Footprint!
This self-audit is a calculator to help you discover — and quantify — the total greenhouse gas emissions (including carbon dioxide and methane) from your home or business. This interactive tool will provide you with a baseline for your carbon footprint. As you make changes, you can revisit this tool and track your progress away in eliminating your footprint and toward 100% renewable energy!
Select a Solar Option
Today, everyone can go solar — with or without installing solar panels on your roof. Thanks to New York State’s forward-thinking solar policies, our electric utilities are required to buy the electricity produced by solar farms built within their service territory. But only if we subscribe to purchase that solar electricity. That’s the essence of something called community solar.
There are two options for going solar:
- installing solar panels on your home or business
- subscribing to a community solar program
Installing panels on your property can be a great choice. Although it requires a significant investment, owning your own photovoltaic system will save money and produce significant amounts of electricity in the long run. Sustainable Putnam can help you find a local solar installer to complete the job and put you on the path to energy independence.
Community Solar is the other major option is to subscribe to a solar farm: also known as Community Solar, you install nothing. Instead, you purchase power from a solar farm at a rate that by law is less than what your utility charges. Thanks to New York State’s forward-thinking solar regulations, there are no upfront costs, cancellation fees, or other charges! You receive up to a 10% discount on your electricity bill, while you reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants, create good jobs and a clean, green electrical grid in New York State!
Click the white “Go Solar” button to find your best option. If you already know that installing panels isn’t right for you at this time, click the green button below for details.
Should I install panels or join Community Solar?
Not sure which form of solar is right for you? Complete our questionnaire to help you decide. Take ten minutes to answer these questions and choose the best solar option for you and your household or business. Do it today and go solar!
Planning Worksheets
One hurdle in making the transition to clean energy is planning. It makes financial sense to wait until your HVAC system, vehicle, or appliance need replacement. But when you need heat or transportation, you need it now! There’s no time to learn about new technologies, much less shop around for the best model and price.
That’s where our Planning Worksheets come in!
This printable PDF document currently includes:
- Major appliances, hot water heaters, HVAC systems, electric vehicles, and solar installations
- Guidance and tips to help you select the brands and models you prefer
- Note-taking space to record your research, list potential models, sources, and contractors.
Download and print your own copy today!
Clean Energy Planning Worksheets
Download and print our free PDF, and start your own clean energy plan. With your help, we're working to improve these. Suggestions? Send them via the Contact Us link below. Updated March 2023.
Funding your Transition
The good news: there are more financial incentives available today than ever before. Most homeowners are eligible for thousands of dollars in rebates and tax credits toward clean energy and efficiency improvements. The federal incentives will be around until 2032, making it easier to spread out your clean energy investments over a period of years.
The bad news: locating and reading the fine print of every tax credit and rebate can be difficult and dizzying! So we’ve put together a one page table that includes every federal, state, and utility incentive we could find. It’s necessarily brief — no fine print here — but it provides a concise overview you can download and print for your reference. We’ll update it as new programs roll out too. As you plan specific projects, you can determine the amount of each incentive for which you’re eligible.
The One-Stop Guide to Funding your Transition
Download our free guide to identify the financial incentives available from Federal, New York State , and utility sources. Updated: April 2023
We're here to help.
Our trained Energy Coach, Joe Montuori, is available for free consultations by phone or Zoom call. Have a question about financial incentives? home insulation? heat pumps? electric vehicles? solar? Schedule a free phone or Zoom consultation. We'll send you a 10 minute questionnaire to complete so that we have all the details before we meet. After your consultation, we'll send a written report with recommended next steps.