As 2009 drew to a close, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed into law four bills designed to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. Collectively known as the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, the bills provide for the creation of a New York City Energy Conservation Code, benchmarking of water and energy use performance, upgrading of lighting during major renovations, and energy auditing/retro-commissioning (adjustments to mechanical systems to enhance energy efficiency).1 Two of the bills—benchmarking and energy auditing/retro-commissioning—will compel an examination of the energy usage of large buildings throughout New York City and may, in turn, result in efforts by owners to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings under a process known as “retrofitting.” In this article, we will address the benchmarking and energy audit laws, the process of retrofitting under LEED (i.e., Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, and incentives and financing available for retrofitting.
Benchmarking
The benchmarking component of the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan requires owners of all buildings exceeding 50,000 gross square feet to input and submit information to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star benchmarking tool and any complimentary interface designed by New York City’s Office of Long Term Sustainability. The information concerns the total use of energy and water for buildings for the previous calendar year. The benchmarking tool tracks and assesses the energy and water use in certain buildings relative to similar buildings.
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