Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. and the City of Kingston are teaming up to help businesses save on their electric bills. On May 18, 19 and 20, Central Hudson’s lighting partner, Alliance Energy Solutions, will visit individual businesses in Kingston’s Uptown, Broadway and Albany Avenue commercial districts to perform fast, free energy audits that show how replacing specific fixtures and lamps will reduce energy use and improve the quality of lighting.

For businesses electing to participate, Central Hudson will cover 70 percent of the lighting upgrade, including installation of new lights and removal of old fixtures. Businesses pay only 30 percent of the total cost, and will realize energy savings immediately. Financing is available through Central Hudson interest-free for 12 months, and there is no up-front cost. Central Hudson and Alliance Energy Solutions have completed more than 600 commercial lighting projects upgrades in the Hudson Valley, and most have a payback of less than 12 months.

The energy auditors will carry identification as Central Hudson’s official lighting partner. The schedule for the Kingston outreach is as follows:

May 18: Uptown, including business on Fair and Front Streets, Schwenk Drive and Washington Ave.
May 19: Broadway, including the Midtown and Rondout business districts
May 20: Albany Ave., from the corner of Foxhall Ave. and to the corner of Ulster Ave. and Morton Blvd.

“Small and mid-size businesses are crucial to our local economy, and I realize how important it is to monitor expenses, including energy costs,” said Kingston Mayor James Sottile. “The City of Kingston is participating in Central Hudson’s program with a lighting retrofit at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, which is expected to save 19,300 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and $2,700 in annual electricity costs,” he said. “The program makes it easy for us to obtain brighter, better quality lighting and also save energy. I would encourage businesses to take advantage of Central Hudson’s commercial lighting program, as it is proven to be effective at lowering energy use.”

“We commend the City of Kingston for taking steps to reduce energy use by participating in our lighting program, and encourage business owners to learn more about how they, too, can benefit,” said James P. Laurito, President of Central Hudson.

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