NYC Local Law 87 of 2009

NYC Local Law 87 of 2009 mandates that buildings larger than 50,000 square feet to file an Energy Efficiency Report with the Department of Buildings. This Energy Efficiency Report includes details of the energy audit results and retro-commissioning measures.

An energy audit is a survey of energy equipment, systems, envelope and operations in a building. It identifies energy efficiency improvement opportunities and provides recommendations on energy saving strategies. Retro-commissioning focuses on fixing existing systems or equipment. Take HVAC system as an example. As the chart displayed below, more than 40% of a commercial building’s energy is consumed by HVAC system. Therefore, it’s imperative to check the HVAC system’s operating condition and identify any deficiency.

According to NYC Local Law 87, the compliance date is determined by the last digit of a building’s tax block number: If the block number ends in ‘3’, it indicates the report is due in 2023. After filing the initial report on the designated due date, Local Law 87 requires the building to file an energy efficiency report every 10 years.

What Benefits Do Energy Audits & Retro-Commissioning Create?

1. Buildings that waste energy can result in high energy costs. The earlier you fix any deficiency, the more you save on energy bills.
2. An energy efficient building increases building and occupant comfort, while maintaining indoor air quality. It improves your building’s value and helps you achieve high occupancy rate.
3. As the NYC Local Law 97 sets limits on buildings’ Greenhouse Gas emissions, it’s urgent to study your building thoroughly and identify any energy waste. Remember, a failure to stay below the limits can result in hundreds of thousands of penalties.

ENERGY AUDIT (EA) EERC1:

Building owners must ensure that an Energy Audit is performed by or under the supervision of a certified energy auditor. The auditing results will be included in an energy efficiency report. Energy audits must include all of the base building systems, including building envelope, HVAC systems, conveying systems, and electrical and lighting systems. The audits must identify all reasonable measures and capital improvements that would result in energy use or cost reductions, the associated savings, cost of implementation, and simple payback period.

RETRO-COMMISSIONING (RCX) EERC2:

Before filing an energy efficiency report, owners must also ensure that Retro-Commissioning is completed by a certified retro-commissioning agent for the required base systems. The efficiency of base building systems must include an analysis of operating protocols, calibration and sequencing, cleaning and repairs, and training and documentation issues. The retro-commissioning report must include information relating to the project team, building information, testing protocol, a master list of findings, and a catalog of deficiencies corrected. LEED-certified Existing Buildings earning a point for Existing Building Commissioning within two years of an energy efficiency report are exempt from the retro-commissioning requirement.