Midsize Co-ops and Condos Are About to Get Greener

About 10,000 additional properties, including mid-size cooperatives and condominiums, will be required to produce annual water- and energy-use benchmarks under revisions to Local Law 84 recently approved by the New York City Council. Local Law 88 has also been amended, requiring commercial buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to upgrade lighting and install electric submetering.

These energy-efficiency laws, originally passed in 2009, affected buildings larger than 50,000 square feet. The new rules effectively cut the size requirement in half, and mandate that the upgrades must be in place by 2015. The new rules also affect the size of commercial spaces within residential buildings that must comply, reducing it from 10,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet.

“This is all part of “80x50” plan, which means that by 2050 emissions from buildings will be reduced by 80% compared to the emission readings of 2005,” says Laurie Kerr, director of policy at the nonprofit Urban Green Council, which is the New York affiliate of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The new rules will add about 10,000 properties to the benchmarking pool, covering nearly 350 million square feet. That will bring the total citywide floor area benchmarked under Local Law 84 to an impressive 57%. Local Laws 84 and 88 are already paying dividends. From 2010 to 2013, buildings over 50,000 square feet slashed energy use by 6 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent, according to a recent report co-authored by the Urban Green Council

Kerr insists that the common fears about the high costs of benchmarking and energy upgrades are unfounded. “Benchmarking has not resulted in more expenses for buildings,” she says. “Rather, these energy-efficient measures pay for themselves every year, three or four times over. They are cost-effective for the buildings. Just think of the new revolutionary technology of LED lights. Not only are they more energy-efficient, but the savings in maintenance alone justify the cost. Now you don’t have to drag out a ladder and change light bulbs every two to three months. LED lights last a minimum of three to five years, even when they’re on 24/7.”

The benchmarking expansion comes with a helping hand for mid-size building owners, who often don’t have the resources available to large buildings. The city is required by the new law to provide benchmarking assistance in the form of training, guides, and a helpline. It also exempts owners of mid-size buildings from violations if they make a good-faith effort to comply and seek assistance at least 60 days before a benchmarking report is due.

The benchmarking requirements for mid-sized buildings (those between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet) will be delayed until utilities start automatically uploading benchmarking data to an online tool, Portfolio Manager which means an easier and cheaper process for co-op and condo boards. Both Con Edison and National Grid recently proposed automatic upload systems for 2017 and 2018, respectively, so mid-size building owners could be benchmarking by 2018.

Kerr says Urban Green Council will continue to advocate for automatic upload until it becomes a reality for all building owners in the city. Meanwhile, it’s possible to look up the data on any building that’s currently benchmarked by visiting this Urban Green Council website.