An Introduction to Decarbonization Series – NYC Sustainability Law Compliance

NYC building owners have been dealing with the green building laws for over a decade. But did you know that they were developed to help you lower energy consumption and reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions? As the 2024 and 2029 deadlines to comply with the NYC Local Law 97 are getting closer, it’s essential to equip your energy conservation improvement with the local laws.

Local Law 84 of 2009 and Local Law 133 of 2016, which require building owners to submit annual benchmarking data, bring transparency for energy and water usage. Building owners can use the data to pinpoint inefficiency in the building. Meanwhile, Local Law 95 of 2019 and Local Law 33 of 2018 aim to raise public awareness of energy efficiency for the building where they occupy and encourage building owners to add values to the building.

Local Law 87 of 2009 requires large building owners to file an Energy Efficiency Report. With the report, building owners are able to break down energy issues at a granular level. Also the Local law 88 of 2009 allows building owners to manage electric usage for large non-residential tenant space and initiate energy efficiency upgrade by retrofitting lighting.

This continuous improvement process enables building owners to plan, do, check and act on their building-specific energy conservation issues. In the following weeks, we will discuss how the compliance with each Local Law helps you stay in line and avoid multimillion-dollar penalties. We will also provide tips on energy efficiency upgrades and other strategies for GHG emission reduction.