Introduction to Local Law 87

Efforts are increasing every day to protect the environment and reduce the carbon footprint and for this, the City of New York (New York Government) took the responsibility in their own hands by introducing the local legislation.

To prevent such a negative impact of buildings on the environment, The Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP) was enacted in 2009 for improving the energy efficiency of large buildings in NYC. This resulted in the introduction of new regulations, and among these regulations is NYC Local Law 87 (LL87), an energy audit and retro-commissioning law to help building owners and operators understand the basics and identify ways to resolve issues.

About Local Law 87 & How To Comply

The purpose of NYC Local Law 87 (LL87) is to achieve a more detailed breakdown of energy data requiring all buildings in New York City that are larger than 50,000 square feet. The purpose includes performing an energy audit and retro-commissioning to validate the operating conditions of the building systems, along with making adjustments and minor modifications wherever required to ensure that the equipment is operating as intended most efficiently.

The process is carried out in every 10 years and is performed by an energy professional who gives building owners an evaluation of their building’s energy performance while delivering energy efficiency reports (EER) to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) by December 31st of the respective reporting year.
The objective is to inform the building owners of their energy consumption and how effectively their equipment is functioning, what improvements can be made to increase building comfort in order to achieve the ultimate sustainability goals and enhance the building’s overall efficiency.

The process is carried out in every 10 years and is performed by an energy professional who gives building owners an evaluation of their building’s energy performance while delivering energy efficiency reports (EER) to the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) by December 31st of the respective reporting year.

The objective is to inform the building owners of their energy consumption and how effectively their equipment is functioning, what improvements can be made to increase building comfort in order to achieve the ultimate sustainability goals and enhance the building’s overall efficiency.

EER Submission Guidance – How to File an Energy Efficiency Report?

The Energy Efficiency Reports (EER) are required to be submitted once in every 10-year period. However, these reports are not submitted at once by all buildings. Instead, buildings are individually assigned a different year to deliver the 1st report based on the last digit of their tax account (0 – 9).

The reports (energy audit and retro-commissioning) must be kept on file at the building and can be demanded by the Department of Buildings (DOB) at any time for the comprehensive review. Also, an on-site inspection can be conducted as a part of a comprehensive review to verify the veracity of the reports.

If questions/enquiries develop during the completion of any of the tasks then they can be directed to the NYC Sustainability Help Center (SHC) by sending an email to LL87@NYCsustainability.org

In order to fully comply with NYC Local Law 87 (LL87), a filing fee must be paid in addition to the Energy Efficiency Report (EER).
There are penalties for noncompliance with LL87. Failure to submit the Energy Efficiency Report (EER) before the due date comes with hefty financial repercussions.

Upon missing the due date, a fine of $3000 for the first year and $5000 for the following years until the EER is submitted will be levied.

Buildings That Must Comply With Local Law 87

The building with the following characteristics must comply with NYC Local Law 87 (LL87):

Buildings in NYC that are larger than 50,000 gross sq. ft.

Two or more buildings in NYC that come under the same tax lot together exceeding 100,000 gross sq. ft.
Groups of buildings in NYC together exceed 100,000 gross sq. ft. that are associated with a condominium form of ownership.

Recommendations

Compliance with NYC Local Law 87 (LL87) can be a complex strategy so proper understanding and professional guidance are strongly recommended in this area. Since there are exemptions under LL87 for ENERGY STAR and LEED Certified buildings, buildings managers who are planning to get these certifications can easily benefit from doing so before the next Energy Efficiency Report (EER) is due. Also, working with a specialized engineering consulting firm such as The Cotocon Group can simplify NYC Local Law 87 (LL87) compliance for NYC companies, along with permitting them to focus on their business.