Fume hoods and -80 freezers can consume as much as 3.5 and 1 homes' worth of energy, respectively.
New York City leads the nation in climate action and has passed extensive legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Many climate-oriented local laws focus on building sector emissions, accounting for approximately two-thirds of NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Office of Energy & Sustainability oversees efforts toward complying with the following local legislation:
Local Law 84 of 2009 (amended LL133 of 2016) - Benchmarking
Local Law 84 requires annual reporting of building energy usage to the City of New York through the EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool by May 1st of every year. This process is known as energy benchmarking and consists of collecting utility consumption data, building characteristics, and operational information for comparison with similar facilities in similar climates. This law aims to improve transparency regarding properties’ annual energy and water consumption.
Local Law 87 of 2009 - Energy Audits & Retro-commissioning
Local Law 87 requires all New York City buildings over 25,000 square feet to undergo a professional energy audit and retro-commissioning process every 10 years. An energy audit is an engineering study to identify upgrade opportunities to reduce energy consumption in a building. Retro-commissioning ensures existing building equipment and systems are operating as originally intended; it involves functionally testing equipment, making repairs, and confirming proper operations afterward.
Local Law 88 of 2009 (amended LL132 and LL134 of 2016) - Lighting Upgrades and Submetering
Local Law 88 requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to upgrade lighting systems to meet New York City Energy Conservation Code (e.g. switching fluorescent lights to LED) by 2025. In addition, buildings are required to install electrical sub-meters for tenant space greater than 5,000 square feet and provide monthly energy statements.
Local Law 33 of 2018 (amended LL95 of 2019) - Building Energy Efficiency Rating
Local Law 33 requires owners of buildings over 25,000 square feet to obtain Building Energy Efficiency Rating labels every year to display near public-facing entrances. The letter grade is based on a 1-100 ENERGY STAR® score. The goal of LL33 is to improve transparency on the energy efficiency of buildings and encourage building owners to make improvements.
Local Laws 92 and 94 of 2019 - Green Roofs
Local Laws 92 and 94 were passed as part of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act in 2019 and require that new buildings and complete roof replacement projects must include green roofs or solar roofs, or a combination of the two.
Local Law 97 of 2019 (amended LL147 of 2019) - Carbon Emission Limits from Buildings
Local Law 97 was passed as part of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act in 2019 and established carbon emissions limits for buildings over 25,000 square feet beginning in 2024. The carbon caps reduce over time (deadlines are set for 2024, 2030, 2035, 2040, and 2050) and drive toward net zero emissions by 2050. Carbon caps vary depending on the property type, and buildings face an annual penalty of $268/ton CO2e for excess emissions. The law encourages buildings to implement deep energy retrofit projects and invest in infrastructure conversions away from fossil fuels and towards electrification. This is among the most ambitious building emissions legislation in the world.
New York City’s decarbonization goals
In 2016, Mayor Bill De Blasio introduced the climate policy Roadmap to 80 x 50, setting the goal of 80% emissions reductions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels by targeting the city’s biggest emissions sectors (buildings, energy supply, transport, and waste).
In June 2017, he signed an executive order to commit the city to the goals of the Paris Agreement.
In 2019, the city enacted the Climate Mobilization Act. NYC Climate Mobilization Act delineates the city’s plan to meet aggressive emissions reduction targets by 2050, building upon previous plans and goals. The targets are 10% overall emissions reduction by 2030, the creation of 26,700 green jobs by 2030, and the prevention of 50 to 130 premature deaths annually by 2030. Central to the Climate Mobilization Act is Local Law 97.
In April 2023, Mayor Eric Adams released PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done, the new long-term climate plan explaining NYC’s efforts to protect New Yorkers from climate threats, improve quality of life, and build a green economy.
New York State’s decarbonization goals
New York State’s Climate Act, or Community Leadership & Protection Act (CLCPA), was passed in 2019 and includes a plan to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030, 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040, 40% reduction in statewide greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 and 85% by 2050. It also targets net-zero emissions statewide by 2050. It includes a plan to deploy 6 GW of photovoltaic solar generation by 2025, 3 GW of energy storage resources by 2030, and at least 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035.