New York City - Greener, Greater Buildings Plan
New York City has often been at the forefront of green building initiatives for large cities. The new Greener, Greater Buildings Plan continues this leadership position.
Despite its nickname, the Big Apple would probably seem to be just about the last place one would expect a green building revolution to occur. That is, however, exactly what has occurred. The city is still a concrete jungle to one extent or another, but green building practices are not only encouraged, they are required by law. The programs have been so successful that the City has moved to continue them and increase the movement towards more sustainable building and living.
On December 9, the city council passed the “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan.” Okay, not the best name. It comes from the fact the plan is really four different sets of laws that are being bundled together. While the name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, the plan itself is a real winner that has a stated goal of reducing the carbon footprint in New York City by 5 percent. That might not sound like a lot, but it would be the equivalent of eliminating the entire carbon footprint of Oakland, California.
So, what are the particulars? Well, the Plan is focused on retrofitting existing structures in the city. The biggest part of the law is unique not in the energy efficiency standards it requires, but in a loophole it closes. New York City already has a host of energy efficiency requirements for retrofitting buildings with energy efficient lighting, heating, insulation and so on. The problem, however, has been a giant loophole known as the 50 percent rule.
The 50 percent rule says that so long as less than 50 percent of a building is renovated, the renovation need not meet the host of new energy efficiency requirements in the city code. Well, guess what has happened. The number of structures in the city that have had renovations of more than 50 percent can be counted on one hand. As a result, New York has some of the most stringent green building code requirements, but they are rarely applied in the real world. The Greener, Greater Buildings Plan closes this huge loophole.
A second section of the Plan that is interesting is the audit provision. Buildings are required to get an energy audit every 10 years. The original plan called on building owners to make any recommended improvements, but now makes it a voluntary provision. To avoid the cost of an audit, however, the owners can get LEED certified voluntarily.
New York City should be applauded for its forward looking approach to creating a better living and working environment for its constituents. With the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, the Big Apple is becoming less of a concrete jungle by the day.