NYC Energy Code Coming Soon
Last month, the NYC Council enacted four new laws to establish a New York Energy Conservation Code. This will require certain building owners to conduct energy audits and retro-commissioning, benchmark energy and water efficiency, upgrade the lighting systems and install sub-meters to measure the flow of electricity with certain tenant spaces. This new City Energy…
Last month, the NYC Council enacted four new laws to establish a New York Energy Conservation Code. This will require certain building owners to conduct energy audits and retro-commissioning, benchmark energy and water efficiency, upgrade the lighting systems and install sub-meters to measure the flow of electricity with certain tenant spaces. This new City Energy Code will go into effect on July 1, 2010. Other laws take effect immediately.
Local Law 564-A creates the City Energy Code. This is more stringent version of the 2007 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State.
Local Law 967-A requires owners of covered buildings to submit an energy efficiency report every 10 years to DOB, beginning in 2013.
Local Law 476 requires owners of covered buildings to benchmark their buildings’ total energy and water use for the previous calendar year annually, beginning no later than May 1, 2011.
Local Law 973-A requires owners of covered buildings to upgrade their building’s lighting systems to comply with the City Energy Code by January 1, 2025.
Jock deBoer, AIA
deBoer Architects
As per Deborah Taylor having the glorious title chief sustainabilty officer of the great NYC DOB she gave a presentation at the Urban Greem Council event they said that the city is working with con edison for these submetering stuf
It all depends upon what occupancy group you are in. One or some of them were exempt for 1, 2 and 3 families.
Great Other city funded plans which will give the homeowners more excuses to pass the costs on to renters!
AS a fellow layman I offer the following:
476, 967, 973 apply to a building that exceeds 50,000 gross square feet, or two or more buildings on the same tax lot that together exceed 100,000 gross square feet.
564 is a City law passed to close a loophole in the Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State (2007?), and applies to “additions, alterations, renovations and repairs of an existing building, building system or portion thereof”. Also new construction. The State law “loophole” allowed anything under 50% to be exempt. There are some exceptions involving historical buildings, historical districts and the installation of storm windows wall and ceiling cavities etc.
476, 967, and 564 apply to residential and commercial. 973 is only for commercial.
What’s interesting is the inclusion of clauses about the potential Constitutionality of some of these laws.
For the laymen here: will these apply only to multiple dwellings or also to owner occupied two families?
LL 476 the benchmarking information must be loaded onto an internet based database system that will track and access energy and water use relative to similar buildings.
LL 564-A applies to all work that requires building owners to submit applications for approval from DOB. It will also modify portions of the new building, plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas codes.
LL 967-A the energy efficiency report is submitted after the building owner conducts energy audits and retro-commissioning of building systems, including the building envelope and building systems.
LL 973-A certain historic buidlings, dwelling units in group R-2/3 and spaces in group A-3 that are within a house of worship are exempt. Sub-meters for tenant spaces that are greater than 10,000 g.s.f. on one or more floors or sublet to the same person or for floors of covered buildings that are larger than 10,000 g.s.f. that are let or sublet to two or more different persons. Dwelling units in group R-2/3 are exempt.
Well…, there is a provision for installing submeters in 973a taking effect in 2025, if there are subtenants within a metered space and subtenant space is less than 10,000 ft. I apologize.
A submeter would be unnecessary if the subtenant space is already metered by ConEd. I’m not sure how this would be enforceable without some evidence that there are subtenants. As of yet LLs are not required to supply any info regarding subtenant agreements.
Who knows maybe 2025 will be the new 1984?
Jock: Would appreciate it if you’re willing to say more re: the immediate and longterm impact of these amendments. Link to the texts of Local Laws referenced above: http://bit.ly/6O7I8G
I don’t think there is a provision requiring LLs to install submeters. 476 requires the LL to ask (politely) for Tenant’s energy use during the previous year and report that to the City. ConEd normally does not allow the installation of submeters unless the electricity is distributed under EL4 or EL8. Covered buildings under that law are all city owned buildings and buildings over 100,000 gross sq.ft.