03 May Local Law 87 Due 2024 – Building Owners Must Act Now!

As global temperatures are steadily rising, energy sources are being stretched thin. That’s why governments around the world are taking initiatives to monitor the carbon emissions and energy consumed in cities. Many cities aim to go carbon neutral in the next decade, for which there are laws in place. The Local Law 87, enforced by The Department of Buildings, concerns New York City. This applies to any building or establishment over 50,000 square feet. Owners of these establishments have to submit periodic energy audits as well as retro-commissioning initiatives. This is a part of a greater mission called GGBP or Greener, Greater Building Plan. 

This article covers all the important information that building owners should know about this law and the means of complying with it.

What is LL87?

There are numerous Local Laws operating in New York City that aim to enforce energy monitoring and efficient building management systems for establishments that exceed a specific area and size. NYC Local Law 87 is one of them, and it enforces energy audits and retro-commissioning as a part of its environmental action plan. This law deals with environmental pollution and overconsumption by setting up requirements for buildings exceeding 50,000 sq. feet. An EER performs this function.

This stands for an Energy efficiency report, which must be submitted by a stipulated due date. Exceeding this date will incur fines of $3000 dollars in the initial year of non-compliance, following which it will be $5000. In order to prevent these fines, building owners must get in touch with professional energy auditors to assess the energy consumption pattern of their establishments. 

This is to make sure all the management systems within the establishments are working to their optimum capacity and updated to the latest energy-efficient technologies. This not only reduces overconsumption but also makes the living and working conditions within the establishment more conducive to health.

How can you comply with LL87?

If you’re a building owner with an establishment exceeding 50,000 sq feet, follow these sped to meet the LL87 due dates:

• Conducting energy audits:

Owners must connect with their trusted professional auditors to collect relevant data on the building’s energy consumption. They must also use this data to suggest improvements to existing systems with ones that are more energy efficient. For example, owners may suggest changes in the HVAC system, updating the lighting, or replacing parts of the water system.

• Retro-Commissioning

This is the process of optimizing a building or establishment’s management systems to make sure that it’s functioning at optimal capacity. Here, professionals address systemic and infrastructural issues that buildings incur as they age. Further, if auditors and the building owner find any issues, they must implement replacement and improvements. The aim is for the building’s health to match the standards in section 28-308.3 of LL87. Some of these criteria are:

• Provide an accurate building description, including its dimensions, material, location, fittings, boilers, energy back-ups, etc.
• Make sure the HVAC systems are working well
• Examining and balancing the ventilation system
• Insulate the water pipes
• Make sure the lighting in the building is working well and not drawing more power than required.
• Energy consumption resorts like bills, estimates, etc. 
• Represent the range of thermal comfort.

• Submit an Energy Efficient Report

The final step required to comply with Local Law 87 New York City. Here, the building owner must compile the auditing and retro-commissioning report along with suggested improvements. After that, they must submit them to the NYC Department of Buildings as a part of their compliance. This report must be submitted every 10 years. The deadline for this depends on the last digits represented on your tax block number. 

What are the required contents of the energy audit and retro-commissioning report? 

It is important to remember that the data obtained for the purpose of EER must represent all-inclusive performance metrics. They must also contain a comprehensive report of the building’s management systems. That’s why it is crucial to hire skilled engineers and auditors for the job so that there are no mistakes in the report. As of 2024, Local Law in New York has made it compulsory for owners to disclose these reports and upgrade their establishments according to any loopholes or shortcomings found. These audits should also be publicly accessible so that they can promote awareness about decarbonizing the central systems of buildings. 

This EER report should contain the following information:

1. 1. 1. An accurate overall description of the building
      2. The inventory of its equipment
      3. The breakdown of its energy consumption
      4. The suggestions and recommendations made by engineers to improve the conditions within the establishments
      5. Metrics for retro-commissioning. 

What are the deadlines for submitting EER reports?

The deadline for presenting your audit and retro-commissioning reports depends on the ending digit mentioned at the end of your tax block number. For example, if this number ends with 3, then you must file the report by December 31st, 2023. 

Similarly, owners of buildings whose tax block number ends with the number 4 must prepare and submit their Energy Efficiency reports (EER) by December 31st, 2024. This is compulsory for complying with Local Law 87, due in 2024.

Conclusion

With the massive temperature rises there are red alerts blaring across the globe. As a result, it is necessary for large establishments to maintain adequate energy efficiency.  It is true that individual action can bring about meaningful changes in the carbon footprint. However, in most cases, no amount of personal effort can measure up to systemic changes. 

As a result, environmental initiatives like Local Law 87 are crucial for beginning significant and recordable changes. These acts of decarbonization figure into a much larger scheme of environmental impact. This way,  the real estate value of the buildings concerned also increases. This is because energy-efficient buildings offer better living conditions than ones that are not optimized. 

At Cotocon Group, the experts can identify the importance of upholding these laws. They help keep up the standard of living for residents and make meaningful environmental changes. Get assistance with going through the motions of compliance.