By George Crawford As part of New York City’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, the city has passed a number of local laws that target energy efficiency in large and mid-sized buildings. Some of these requirements have been around for a few years; others have fast-approaching deadlines. This article offers an overview… View more
By George Crawford An under-the-radar benchmarking requirement may soon surprise many buildings—namely, those properties with low benchmarking scores that have been buried and unnoticed in databases for years. These scores will soon be prominently posted at the front entrance of each and every building, for all to see. Local Law 33… View more
By George Crawford As previously reported, Local Law 84 of 2009 (LL 84)—the NYC Benchmarking Law—has expanded with the addition of Local Law 133 of 2016 (LL 133). Until now, energy and water benchmarking requirements were limited to buildings 50,000 square feet and larger. LL 133 has extended these requirements to buildings… View more
By George Crawford Hotels considering an LED retrofit would logically focus on the potential savings from reductions in their electric utility bills. These savings are substantial, to say the least, and generally cover the retrofit expenses within two years. But LED retrofits offer another compelling benefit often excluded in the cost-savings… View more
By George Crawford One way or another, every building in New York City will need to upgrade to LED. Well, every building larger than 25,000 s.f. And the extent of the upgrades depends on whether the building is classified as residential or commercial. Residential buildings are only required to upgrade common… View more
By George Crawford Ever wonder about the cost for a LED retrofit? The question isn’t rhetorical. Virtually every building in New York City greater than 25,000 s.f. will need to upgrade to LED lighting to comply with Local Laws 88 and 134. While compliance requirements are described below, keep in mind… View more
By Renee Sosnowski The Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability (OLTPS) notified the Department of Buildings (DOB) by letter that it has temporarily suspended compliance with Administrative Code §28-309.4, Benchmarking Energy and Water Use. Unresolved technical issues prompted the temporary suspension of 2018 benchmarking compliance for the 2017 calendar year…. View more