PLANYC 2030: Greener, Greater Buildings Plan

NYC Local Law 84

Benchmarking Energy & Water Use

Introduction

Benchmarking reveals the efficiency of underlying systems. It also enables owners, managers, and prospective buyers or renters to evaluate operational performance in comparison to similar buildings. The legislation now requires large buildings to annually benchmark energy and water consumption. Dwelling spaces are not required to benchmark.

Requirements

The entity or agency that manages the building must benchmark energy and water use. For energy, the legislation requires use of the EPA’s internet-based database system or anycomplementary interface designated by the OLTPS. Water benchmarking will only be required if the building was equipped with automatic meter reading equipment by the DEP for the fullprevious year. In either case, any direct reporting from utilities will replace owner/tenant reporting obligations.

Deadline

For City buildings, benchmarking reporting begins no later than May 1, 2010 and is due every May 1 thereafter. For privately-owned buildings, benchmarking reporting begins no later than May 1, 2011, and is due every May 1 thereafter.

Documentation

For all spaces other than dwelling units, the owner is responsible for reporting results to the Department of Finance. Benchmarking metrics shall include the energy utilization index, the water use per gross square food, a rating comparing energy and water use to that of similar buildings, and comparison of data for the building across multiple years. The owner must request tenant energy data in January, using an OLTPS form, and the tenant has until February 15th (or the day s/he moves out, if earlier) to report such information. Owners must report results to the Department of Finance by May 1st, using the OLTPS’ format, and they must maintain records for three years. Incomplete tenant data does not exempt the building from compliance.

Read the full text for NYC Local Law 84 here (.pdf)

Introduction

Building audits are used to identify all potential energy-saving retro-commissioning (operational) and retrofit (capital) measures. Once every 10 years, the legislation requires large buildings (more than 50,000 SF) to perform both an energy audit and retro-commissioning study of central (base building) systems. The energy audit and retro-commissioning reports are combined into an Energy Efficiency report. Individual tenant spaces are exempt from both processes.

Requirements

The energy audits and retro-commissioning studies only apply to buildings’ central systems, including the building envelope, HVAC systems, conveying systems, domestic hot water systems, and electrical and lighting systems. This includes systems within tenant spaces that are owned and maintained by the owner, such as perimeter heating. It does not include systems that are within tenant spaces that are owned and maintained by the tenant, such as unitary HVAC. Industrial processes (chemical or mechanical procedures involved in manufacturing an item) are also exempt from this legislation.

Energy audit

The energy audit must be an ASHRAE Level II Audit. This process identifies at a minimum:

• - All potential energy use-reducing measures
  
• - The associated cost, annual savings, and simple payback for each measure
  
• - The building’s benchmarking output, consistent with the EPA Portfolio Manager tool
  
• - A breakdown of energy use by system and related predicted savings
  
• - How tenant-space energy use impacts the central system’s energy consumption
  

Retro-commissioning

Through analysis, corrections and testing, the agent must certify that all systems and operations are running efficiently. These include all valves, sensors, controls, programmed settings and/or operational practices regarding HVAC, lighting, water, and other systems.

Deadline

Energy efficiency reports are due once every ten years. The first reports must be filed by 2013. They are due in a staggered schedule, based on the last digit of the building’s tax block number and the date of occupancy for newer buildings.

The Department of Finance will notify each building of the requirements three years prior to the due date, and every year thereafter until the due date. Buildings must report within their due year except if they comply before 2013, in this case they benefit from an exemption until the next cycle, ten years later.

Documentation

The energy audit report must be conducted under the supervision of an energy auditor (e.g. a registered design professional). The retro-commissioning study must be completed by a retro-commissioning agent. Both must be completed within four years before the energy efficiency report is filed. Documentation must be kept at every building.