The Long Island Green Homes program is encouraging Long Island homeowners to apply for a free or reduced-cost home energy audit.

The energy audits identifies Improvements to your home that will pay for themselves through lower energy bills.Through the program, homeowners can get an audit conducted by a trained and approved professional,  funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The audit includes safety tests of boilers, water heaters, gas stoves, as well as recommendations on cost-effective upgrades.

In addition, all Long Island homeowners now can participate in "on-bill recovery financing," which lowers the financial barriers to installing energy efficiency upgrades.

Homeowners in Nassau and Suffolk counties can borrow up to $25,000 at 2.99 percent interest. Besides the low interest rates, these loans are structured so that monthly repayment costs less than the average monthly savings on energy bills. Consequently, there's no upfront sticker shock, while the savings build up over time. The loans also are transferable in the event the home is sold before they are repaid in full.

Long Island Green Homes is administered by the Community Development Corp., the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College and seven townships.