NEW ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE

Here are the basics: Four new laws were adopted, the texts of which we've linked below. Together, they create the city's new Energy Conservation Code, which as of July 1, 2010, will be added as the new Chapter 10 of the New York City Administrative Code's nine-chapter "Title 28: New York City Construction Codes."

The four news laws comprising the new Energy Conservation Code are:

• Local Law 84 of 2009 (Intro. No. 476-A): "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to benchmarking the energy and water efficiency of buildings"

• Local Law 85 pf 2009 (Intro. No. 564-A): "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a New York city energy code"

• Local Law: 87 of 2009 (Intro. No. 967-A): "A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring energy audits and retro-commissioning of base building systems of certain buildings and retro-fitting of certain city-owned buildings"

• Local Law 88 of 2009 (Intro. No. 973-A): "A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to upgrading lighting systems and the installation of sub-meters in certain buildings"

The first notable thing about new code is that, unlike most past laws, it applies not just going forward, but to existing buildings, which are usually grandfathered or exempt in almost every other case of New York City codes being amended.

The second important thing to know is that in terms of privately owned (as opposed to city-owned) buildings, the three local laws that require action on your part (84, 87 and 88 — Local Law 85 simply establishes that there will be this new code) apply only to buildings of over 50,000 square feet (or two or more on the same tax lot together exceeding 100,000 square feet, or two or more condo buildings governed by the same board and together exceeding 100,000 square feet).

If your co-op or condo building is smaller than that, you're fine, we're done, you're good. And as long as you've got some time, why not go check out our Weekly New Products and find some cool new item or idea to present to your board.

The rest of you, follow me….

Now, if you're a building of over 50,000 square feet (or yadda yadda; see above), you're covered by the new code and so you're what the code imaginatively calls a "covered building." If you come across that term, relax — it doesn't mean that the code applies to all buildings with a roof.

Local Law 84

Local Law 84 — which, like the other two action-taking laws here, went into effect immediately upon passage in December — involves conducting a "benchmarking" of energy and water use no later than May 1, 2011, and then by every May 1st afterward. The code defines "benchmarking" as "input[ing] and submit[ing] to the benchmarking tool the total use of energy and water for a building for the previous calendar year and other descriptive information for such building as required by the benchmarking tool."

So what's a benchmarking tool? In this case, Local Law 84 — which evidently wasn't copy edited, since it misspells "Internet" and "Environmental Protection Agency" both in lowercase – mandates it be the U.S. EPA Benchmarking Tool, an energy performance rating system administered by the EPA's Energy Star program. (In true government-efficiency fashion, the EPA's own searches for it take you to a defunct page. Go instead to the Energy Star Portfolio Manager introductory page and its "Benchmarking" main page.) Unfortunately, the current tools are designed for commercial buildings. Are they applicable to residential? Who knows! Given the potential for confusion, at least Energy Star provides a list of companies that offer energy performance ratings through what they call "automated benchmarking."

What do co-op and condo boards specifically have to do? The law is confusing since it refers repeatedly to obtaining information for each "tenant's" energy use, and specifically says the city "may require that such owner provide such tenant with a form … to report such information." But tucked away elsewhere is the single phrase "other than a dwelling unit" — so "tenant" in this case means only commercial tenant, such as a ground-floor retail store.

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