New York Mayor Signs Green Building Bills
Together, three newly signed bills are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 250,000 metric tons and spur retrofits in 16,000 buildings.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed 10 pieces of legislation into law on Oct. 31, including three green buildings bills – Intros. 1163-A, 1160, and 1165, that involve energy and water benchmarking, lighting retrofitting, and sub-metering requirements for mid-size buildings. Together, these bills are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 250,000 metric tons and spur retrofits in 16,000 buildings, according to city officials, who said the measures offer additional support for the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050, its OneNYC goal.
"This administration has dedicated itself to building a foundation and a future for the next generation of New Yorkers," said de Blasio. "In order to do that, we must work together as a city to fight one of our biggest threats, climate change. With these three bills, we are taking another step towards reaching our OneNYC goals and protecting the greatest city in the world. I would like to thank the Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, for her continued support of these initiatives and goals. I would also like to thank Council Member Costa Constantinides, sponsor of Intro. 1160; Council Member Daniel Garodnick, sponsor of Intro. 1163-A; and Council Member Donovan Richards, sponsor of Intro. 1165."
"The legislation being signed into law today reflects our shared commitment to a New York that strives to best serve New Yorkers," said Mark-Viverito. "From enhancing green building standards to protecting the cafeteria workers who make so many of our food service spaces run, we have worked to build a New York that will be there for its residents both today and in the future. Importantly – increasing the demographic information collected through our city agencies will help target services more effectively going forward, as publishing the NYPD patrol guide will act as a major step in improving transparency and police-community relations in the neighborhoods being aided by those services."
1163-A requires mid-size building owners to report benchmarking data on their whole building energy and water usage to the city -- information already gathered from large buildings. Intro. 1160 requires mid-size building owners to install sub-meters in non-residential tenant spaces and report energy usage to the tenant, something also already required in large buildings. And Intro. 1165 requires owners of mid-size buildings to retrofit the lighting systems in non-residential spaces to comply with the New York City Energy Code by 2025, as is already required for larger buildings.
"Buildings account for more than two-thirds of the city's greenhouse gas emissions, which we have pledged to reduce 80 percent by 2050," said Daniel Zarrilli, senior director of Climate Policy and Programs and Chief Resilience Officer for the Office of the Mayor. "Today's local law updates to expand benchmarking, install sub-meters, and upgrade lighting systems help to provide the key information that is required for building managers to understand and reduce their energy use. This is part of a continuing effort to upgrade buildings across the city, consistent with the recent enactment by the Department of Buildings of the 2016 Energy Code, as we work to build a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable city."