by Bea Peterson
Small business entrepreneur and Congressional candidate Scott Murphy was in Hoosick Falls on Friday, February 20, to visit small business owner Jim Devine. Ten years ago Devine started an insulating window covering business in the basement of his home. For the last several years the business, Advanced Energy Panels, formerly Windo-Therm, has been located on Church Street.
Murphy is familiar with what it takes to operate a successful small business. He was especially pleased that Devine’s business promotes energy efficiency. He knows that green jobs will help cut energy costs, create more jobs and protect the environment.
Besides it being an inexpensive window covering for older homes, Devine told Murphy his product is ideally suited for historic buildings. He has covered the windows at the Cheney Library, Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes City Hall and university buildings in New York City. Just this past week his company covered the windows at St. Mary’s Academy. With today’s energy costs, he estimates the windows will pay for themselves in energy savings in less than four years.
“This is a perfect product for the northeast,” said Murphy.
Murphy is running against James Tedisco for the Congressional seat formerly held by recently appointed US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The special election will be March 31.
Hoosick Town Supervisor Marilyn Douglas thanked Murphy for coming to Hoosick Falls. Murphy said that the needs of communities like this are important to him. Earlier in the day he had been to a gathering of dairy farmers who are struggling thorough difficult times with high costs and low milk prices.
Murphy told the many reporters gathered at Advanced Energy Panels that had he been in Congress at the time the President’s stimulus package was being voted on, he would have voted for it. “We as a government need to do something,” he said. “We need to take action. Providing support to our states and schools is critical.”
In addition, according to Murphy’s handout, the economic recovery package provides $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects over the next 10 years. It includes grants of up to 30 percent of the cost of building a new renewable energy facility. It invests $5 billion to help families weatherize their homes. It also extends and expands other tax credits to cover the cost of investing in energy efficient windows, doors and insulation. It includes a new manufacturing tax credit for facilities that manufacture components for producing renewable energy, advanced battery technology and other next generation green technologies. It provides renewable energy bonds for state and local governments that are so critical in these tough times.