Image Credit: NYC DOB.
The new tools help show which buildings are subject to new energy efficiency regulations. On May 12, 2021, the Department of Buildings released new digital resources to assist building owners in complying with building sustainability requirements.
Local Law 97 of 2019 requires that buildings greater than 25,000 gross square feet must begin to meet new greenhouse gas emissions limits by 2024 or face violations. The goal is to reduce the emissions from these buildings by 40 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050. Local Law 33 of 2018 creates a letter grading system based off energy and water benchmarking data submitted to the Department of Buildings and requires that grade to be posted on building entrances.
DOB’s new website, “NYC Sustainable Buildings,” helps building owners and property managers with how to comply with Local Law 97. The website offers resources for building retrofits, compliance metrics, financial assistance and adjustment programs and recommendations. A newsletter will also help with outreach to building owners to share new recommendations and tools.
New maps allow anyone to find the location of approximately 40,000 buildings citywide that need to comply with Local Law 97. Another map shows the energy efficiency letter grades required by Local Law 33.
Buildings Commissioner Melanie E. La Rocca stated, “We must meet our aggressive climate change goals, and these new digital tools put information in the hands of the public and building owners to make that a reality. We’re pleased to bring greater transparency to how our Green New Deal tackles the city’s largest source of emissions, our buildings.”
Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin stated, “Making our buildings more energy efficient is a critical tool to fight climate change and ensure a sustainable future for New York City. Property owners deserve easy, accessible resources to comply with City regulations, and I’m excited to see the Department of Buildings making climate action easier than ever.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)