Energy Benchmarking Gets Real

Local Law 84 has been around since 2009, but now, according to the energy consultancy Bright Power, the city is beginning to require hard, useful data about how much energy and water buildings use.

“This year,” says Bright Power, “benchmarking submissions are being held to a higher data quality standard than in previous years, and violations are being issued to those who do not meet the standard.”

Local Law 84 requires buildings of more than 50,000 square feet, including co-ops and condos, to report their annual energy and water use to the Environmental Protections Agency’s online Energy Star Portfolio Manager, which then relays the data to the city. Local Law 84 requires buildings to report annual energy and water use. Violations carry a $500 fine, with a maximum of $2,000 a year.

“The (compliance) bar was set low to ease buildings into this reporting requirement,” Bright Power says, “but now that the law has been around for a few years, the city is shifting from requiring mere participation to requiring real, useful data.”