Santiago, a HUG Recipient, Shares His Experience on the Program

MHET’s Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) Program is revolutionizing the way that health and safety upgrades are made. The HUG program provides free wrap-around technical assistance to its participants so that each step of the process is as smooth as possible. 

Santiago, a recent HUG recipient, came to MHET through a friend. Like many homeowners, Santiago wanted to make changes to his house but time and financing were preventing him from starting these projects. He was having some trouble keeping his house warm in the winter and cool in the summer so when he heard that there was an opportunity to make free improvements to his house, he wanted to learn more. 

Santiago received a free home energy assessment which provided MHET and the partner contractor key insights into where Santiago’s home could benefit from energy efficiency upgrades. The contractor created a customized project plan for Santiago and from there, MHET helped Santiago apply for NYSERDA’s EmPower+ program, a state government agency that helps to provide home energy efficiency improvements. Thanks to MHET and EmPower+, Santiago was able to fully fund his project plan and complete the necessary work to make his home more energy efficient and comfortable! He recently shared his experience in a video message to MHET:

Mid-Hudson Energy Transition helped me get some work done at my house. The contractors were amazing, they were very knowledgeable and they took really good care of the house. So I’m very happy with the program and I recommend it to anyone who needs help with insulation or saving energy. 

If you or someone you know is looking to make home upgrades such as weatherization, insulation, asbestos removal, moisture and mold remediation, visit our Home Upgrade Grant Page to learn more about our program and submit your interest.

Jasmine Graham Presents Equitable Decarbonization in Practice

Over the summer, our Executive Director, Jasmine Graham, presented Equitable Decarbonization in Practice, a master class on the innovative ways Mid-Hudson Energy Transition (MHET) is financing electrification retrofits for low-income households through our Home Upgrade Grants (HUG) Program and soon-to-come Home Energy Loan Program (HELP). This video is generously provided by Redwood Energy from their 16th Zero Carbon Retreat. To learn more about the HUG Program or the HELP Fund, follow the links below!

mid-hudson.energy/hug

investinhelp.org

MHET Launches the HELP Fund

Mid-Hudson Energy Transition (MHET) is thrilled to announce the launch of the HELP Fund,  a groundbreaking green community investment fund that offers an innovative solution to the challenge of rapidly and equitably decarbonizing New York State’s housing stock.

The HELP Fund opens its doors to investors of all income and investment experience levels, empowering everyday New Yorkers to invest in the clean energy transition and contribute to positive climate, health, and housing justice outcomes in their local community. The capital raised by the Fund will be used to provide low-income households with accessible, low-interest financing – set at just 2% – to sustainably retrofit their homes, lowering their energy bills and reducing their carbon footprint. 

To celebrate the launch of the HELP Fund, MHET hosted a press conference on September 30, 2024. Those in attendance included Kingston Mayor, Steve Noble, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Ulster County Legislator Chris Hewitt, members of the press, and the MHET team. 

Ulster County Legislator, Chris Hewitt, expressed his support at the press conference stating: “The reason my wife and I decided to invest is because of how easy it is to make a good return on your money on a great fund. This is setting an example of a regenerative economy where we are using our money to keep it local. I’m actually moving money from Wall Street to invest in this fund because when you invest in Wall Street, you’re investing in extractive businesses that are removing money from our communities.”

The HELP Fund has the power to transform our neighborhoods, uplift our communities, and ensure that no one is left behind in the clean energy transition. The HELP Fund is piloting in Kingston, but the HELP Fund is scalable, replicable, and built to bring long-lasting impact across New York and beyond.

If you’d like to learn more about the HELP Fund or make an investment, visit www.investinhelp.org.

Lessons We’ve Learned from our HUG Program

Our Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) Program has already made a significant impact since launching in March of 2024. We received interest forms from 80 individuals. From those, 13 received a free home assessment, 3 projects were fully funded by NYSERDA’s EmPower+ program, and 4 received Home Upgrade Grants. Together, over $90,000 in grant funding has been distributed to Kingston families!

We are a one-stop-shop that guides our program participants through every step of the process. From reviewing energy bills, applying for government incentives, coordinating with the contractors, and answering all questions in between, we ensure our participants are supported, feel heard and are advocated for.

Some of the common health and safety upgrades that we are seeing while at the home assessments are insulation installation, bath fan replacements, air sealing, and domestic hot water pipe installation. These improvements can make drastic changes to a household and some participants have already noticed a difference in their home!

One Home Upgrade Grant recipient recently shared their thoughts on the HUG process:

He used two AC units at full blast to cool the home before.  He is now using one AC unit at half capacity and this keeps the whole home cool.  It is true today was not one of the hottest days, but this is a very notable change in energy use for the home.

If you are looking to make upgrades to your home, lower your energy bill, or just get started with a free home assessment, submit your interest using the link below and we will reach out to you as soon as possible.