NYC Passes Landmark Green Building Legislation

On December 9, 2009, the New York City Council passed a package of legislation, known as the “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan,” that it says will reduce the city’s carbon footprint by 5%—a figure that has been compared to the entire carbon footprint of Oakland, California.

The legislation is a component of PlaNYC, a broad strategy introduced in 2007 with the goal of reducing New York City’s carbon footprint 30% by 2030. The four major building-related elements of the legislation are: the creation of a citywide energy code; a benchmarking requirement; lighting system upgrades and tenant submetering; and required energy audits and retrocommissioning.

The New York City Energy Conservation Construction Code closes a loophole in the New York State Energy Code—which is based on the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)—that previously allowed renovations comprising less than 50% of the building area to remain noncompliant. Now all renovation projects must comply with IECC in the portions of the building that are renovated.