Building owners increasingly understand the need to reduce carbon emissions and use natural resources responsibly. We assist clients in understanding what will have to be done to their buildings to comply with New York City legislation, known as the Greener Greater Buildings Plan, under PlaNYC.

The four bills passed by New York City Council on December 9, 2009 put forth a strategy to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas footprint, while also accommodating a population growth of nearly one million, and improving our infrastructure and environment. The legislation will ultimately save New Yorkers hundreds of millions in annual energy costs, create thousands of construction-related jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 5%, the largest single component of the citywide goal of 30% by 2030. The bills are summarized as follows:

• The legislation requires all renovations, repairs, and alterations to an existing building, system or portion thereof to comply with the ECC
• Went into effect July 1, 2010

• The City will now require all large, non-residential buildings to upgrade lighting systems to meet ECC standards. Electrical sub-meters must also be installed in commercial tenant spaces that are over 10,000 SF.
• Must be completed by January 1, 2025

• The building owner or manager must benchmark energy and water use. Benchmarking reveals the relative efficiency of underlying systems, enabling owners, managers, and prospective buyers and tenants to evaluate operational performance in comparison to similar buildings.
• For City buildings, benchmarking reporting begins no later than May 1, 2010 and is due every May 1 thereafter. For privately-owned buildings, benchmarking reporting begins no later than May 1, 2011, and is due every May 1 thereafter.

• The energy audits and retro-commissioning studies only apply to buildings’ central systems, including the building envelope, HVAC systems, conveying systems, domestic hot water systems, and electrical and lighting systems.
• Energy efficiency reports must be filed once every ten years on a staggered schedule; deadlines for the first set of reports range from 2013 – 2022

Intro 194A Legislation – Requires limiting sulfur levels in No.4 oil at 2,000 PPM starting in October 2012 and also states that all grades of oil used in the City contain 2% biodiesel. For more details go to: http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml

Return to full services listing

Energy Efficiency Auditing

Hands-on ASHRAE Level II, or III audits that profile the entire building and identify areas that are inefficient by current energy standards. Read more.

Renewable Energy Consulting

Tools that help clients develop profitable, robust, and scalable green buildings. Read more.