Senator Kemp Hannon announced today that he has secured

a grant for $25,000 to help finance a $1.1 million energy efficiency project in the Village of Garden City.

"As energy costs continue to skyrocket, it is admirable that local

governments like the Village of Garden City look to lower their energy bills through energy saving measures," said Senator Hannon. "This $25,000 grant will help the Village of Garden City conduct an energy services project at the village hall. Once the project is completed, annual savings are expected to be around $13,000."

Senator Hannon secured the $25,000 grant from the Petroleum Overcharge Restitution Fund (POCR). POCR is a fund established to provide restitution to consumers for overcharges by major petroleum companies in the past. In New York State, the fund is administered by the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

Working with NYPA, village officials have agreed to install energy-efficient equipment such as new boilers and windows, resulting in savings that will benefit village taxpayers. The scope of the work at the village hall will include installation of new energy-efficient windows and replacement of existing boilers with new units that will reduce the cost of maintenance and operate at current energy-efficient standards.

Statewide, NYPA's energy-efficiency programs have saved more the 860,000 megawatt-hours of electricity resulting in an annual savings of $92 million.

"The New York State Senate is aggressively addressing energy costs. We've passed legislation to help control energy costs for all New Yorkers. We approved energy-related tax reductions. We've approved power plant siting legislation that will improve the supply of electricity, which is essential to bringing down costs. We've passed new incentives for clean energy and energy efficiency technologies to encourage others to engage in energy-saving projects such as the effort being undertaken by the Village of Garden City," Hannon said.