By Tommy Hallissey

For any company, an audit is enough to make an executive director's blood boil. But the Riverdale YM-YWHA's Simon Jaffe is the rare leader who not only welcomed an audit; he invited it. This wasn't the kind of audit that pinpoints overpayments or tax deficiencies. Instead, the Y asked the Daylight Savings Company to spend the day on June 29 going over every inch of the community center on Arlington Avenue to determine how they could use energy more efficiently and cost-effectively.

"We are honored to be able to lead Riverdale's institutions and private homes in implementing the Jewish value of 'tikkun olam' - repairing the world," said Mr. Jaffe. "Changing our light bulbs may seem like a small first step, but every great journey does indeed begin with one small step."

Though recent publicity about global warming has everyone thinking about energy use, Rachel Rosenfield, the Y's director of program and resource development, insists "It's not out of trendiness, it's out of responsibility," that the agency undertook the audit.

An energy audit, like its financial cousin, is not the most exciting thing to watch (an engineer hovers about the boiler room with a clipboard) but representatives from the Sierra Club and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) were in attendance. "When I heard the Riverdale Y was going to take the lead on this we wanted to jump right on it," said Bob Muldoon, of the Sierra Club.

Jim Hart had a full gallery following him around the boiler room for his $10,000 audit, half-funded by NYSERDA, with help from UJAFederation of NY and Councilman Oliver Koppell.

"What we do in general is take all the information today to get a really accurate picture then look at a year or two and see if it makes sense," said Mr. Hart.

He noticed a few things right off the bat, like temperature control. "Air conditioning should be off at night if no one is in the building," he said.