Credit: Environmental Protection
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 bench-marking 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 bench-marking, 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."
Comments
Post a Comment