BUFFALO, N.Y. — In early August, geothermal heat pump (GHP) stakeholders put the finishing touches on the New York Geothermal Energy Organization (NY-GEO) —  a new not-for-profit trade association founded by 67 members that promises to increase market penetration and sales across New York state.

“Our intent is to play an active role in quality assurance for the industry while raising the profile of GHPs among consumers through fresh new marketing efforts,” said John Franceschina, NY-GEO president and PSEG Long Island manager of residential efficiency programs. According to Franceschina, the association’s goals are to:

• Provide its members with marketing tools to better convey the benefits of GHPs to potential customers, policy makers, and the public;

• Develop standards and quality control that will advance the reputation of this technology; and

• Advocate for enlightened policy and legislation that support the widespread adoption of GHPs in New York state as an integral part of the state’s transition to clean energy.

Helping stakeholders kick off the new organization is its executive director Bill Nowak, who proved his effectiveness as director of policy research on the New York Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.

“I can’t think of a better place to be than my new role as NY-GEO executive director,” said Nowak, who said he looks forward to working with association members on a number of legislative and regulatory issues to broaden the GHP market in New York state and promote more sales. “High on the list is knocking down barriers to widespread adoption of GHPs as a renewable and efficient technology across New York state,” he added.

For more information and to join NY-GEO, visit their interim website, http://ny-geo.org.

Publication date: 9/8/2014

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