500-1,000 points | Applicable to All Municipalities
A thermal energy network uses a network of pipes to connect multiple buildings together, often including a large anchor off-taker (e.g., college/university, hospital), and to thermal sources and sinks, such as geothermal, surface water, waste heat, and the air, to provide space heating cooling and domestic hot water. This technology is an effective way for municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Municipalities can earn credit for commissioning a feasibility study, or for issuing an RFP.
Thermal Energy Network: Study
500 Points
Points will be awarded to municipalities for Thermal Energy Network feasibility studies funded through NYSERDA’s FlexTech Program for which the municipality provided significant resources or facilitation of the study. Applications to FlexTech must be submitted after December 13, 2023 to be eligible for points. Date of completion is when the Thermal Energy Network Study was completed through NYSERDA’s FlexTech program.
Submission requirements:
Submit the Thermal Energy Network study completed through NYSERDA’s FlexTech program.
AND
Submit documentation that indicates the municipality contributed at least $5,000 of funding to the study.
OR
Submit a Thermal Energy Network Certification Form, (accessed in the Thermal Energy Network toolkit at www.nyserda.ny.gov/cec), showing a list of facilities/buildings included in the study along with their square footage and documenting at least 40 hours of staff time spent by activity to provide proof that the municipality supports the study.
Thermal Energy Network: RFP
500 Points
Issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) is one of the first critical steps to developing a Thermal Energy Network. Date of completion is when the RFP is released. The RFP must be released after December 13, 2023 to earn credit for this action.
Submission requirements:
Submit a publicly posted RFP that includes detailed information on the specific scope of the project. The project must be within the municipality applying for CEC credit. The RFP must include the following components:
A list of buildings to include in the Thermal Energy Network.
The RFP should be issued in a way that doesn’t lock the municipality or its partners into a specific design, business model, or ownership structure.
The RFP must include design and/or construction. It may also include a study, but an RFP for a study alone is not eligible for this action. If a study is part of the RFP scope, the study must meet NYSERDA’s FlexTech program requirements.