Currently, some plans will see New York become greener with great buildings. This development is in respect to a bill that was signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg barely two years ago. The first step is the implementation of the Lighting upgrade law, which requires tenants to upgrade their lighting systems. It applies only to landlords with premises covering more than 50, 000 square ft. The lighting upgrade, according to the new law should be compliant with the New York City Energy conservation code by the year 2025.
As part of the bill, there will be a yearly based assessment on the use of water and energy. The performance of this assessment will be gauged by the EPA Portfolio Manager tool. This is planned in such a way that buildings will compare their annual performance with those of other buildings within the city of New York. This law also acknowledges landlords to obtain data from the Mayor’s office rather than from the tenants.
The bill dictates that there be audits and retro-commissioning on the use of energy every decade. Retro-commissioning dictates that the management of New York city gives reports on measures that ensure good use of building systems.