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For Immediate Release: April 21, 2023
Contact: dobcommunications@buildings.nyc.gov, (212) 393-2126

MAKE YOUR HOME OR BUILDING MORE SUSTAINABLE THIS
EARTH DAY

Building Maintenance Recommendations and an Earth Day Music Playlist from the NYC Department of Buildings to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

New York, NY – The New York City Department of Buildings is celebrating Earth Day this year by spreading awareness of sustainable building maintenance and operation practices to help create a greener city for all New Yorkers. As the primary regulator of the City’s over one million buildings and close to 40,000 building construction work sites, the Department plays an important role in promoting sustainability requirements in our built environment, which is critical for the City’s ambitious goal of net zero emissions by 2050. New Yorkers can do their part by committing to sustainable practices in their homes and businesses, small steps to reduce energy usage that can have a large aggregate impact on our City. Our helpful recommendations—and an accompanying music playlist—can assist New Yorkers in making their own space a little greener while helping us achieve the dream of a sustainable city.

“Buildings are the number one source for carbon emissions in our City,” said Department of Buildings Acting Commissioner Kazimir Vilenchik, P.E. “Proper maintenance and operation of our buildings can make a huge difference when it comes to energy efficiency and reducing those carbon emissions. This Earth Day, our building recommendations can help New Yorkers make their buildings more sustainable, so we are all dancing to the same tune.”

Around two-thirds of citywide carbon emissions are attributed to our buildings, which are by far the City’s largest source of climate-change-causing greenhouse gases. The Department of Buildings’ Sustainability Bureau is tasked with overseeing a number of citywide initiatives aimed at reducing these emissions from our building stock, which can help push back against the damaging impacts of climate change.

Energy Usage Benchmarking

You can’t grow, if you don’t know. The Department requires owners of larger buildings to annually measure their energy and water consumption through a process called benchmarking. Building owners submit these benchmarking reports to the City, and this data increases transparency – an important first step for building owners and tenants in making their buildings operate more efficiently.

Energy Efficiency Letter Grade Signs

But how efficient is your building really? Check the letter grade to find out! Large buildings that are required to file benchmarking reports are also required to hang energy efficiency letter grade signs at all public entrances, giving any New Yorker an easily understood snapshot of the relative efficiency of the building they are about to enter.

Energy Audits and Retro-Commissioning:

Is it time for your building to have a tune-up? Large buildings in New York City are required to undergo an Energy Audit, which is an analysis of energy use in a building with the purpose of identifying opportunities to reduce the amount of energy consumed without negatively affecting overall operations. Simultaneously, existing building system retro-commissioning is required, to ensure that these systems have been installed properly, and are tested and operating at peak efficiency.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Limits for Large Buildings

We are putting buildings on a carbon diet. Knowing that buildings are the single-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the City of New York, the Department is implementing new limits on the greenhouse gas emissions of NYC’s larger buildings starting in 2024 to reach the goal of a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by the year 2030 and net-zero building emissions by 2050.

Energy Conservation Code for New Construction and Alterations

We are building green in our City. The 2020 New York City Energy Conservation Code (NYCECC), enforced by the Department, regulates new construction and alterations in New York City, ensuring that new building and alteration projects in our City meet strict energy-efficient building standards. The Department regularly updates this code to exceed State standards, ensuring that New York City stays at the forefront of the sustainable construction movement.

Sustainable Roof Program

The answer can be right above our heads. Rooftop space is a well of untapped potential for creating a sustainable city. That’s why the Department enforces sustainable roof requirements for all new roofs constructed in the five boroughs, requiring that they be covered by solar panels or a green roof vegetation system. Green roofs absorb rainwater and provide insulation, and their surface area combats the heat island effect while aiding local air quality.

These initiatives primarily impact large buildings and new construction projects, but that doesn’t mean that tenants, small businesses and homeowners can’t do their part as well. By acting together, New Yorkers can have an outsized impact on the sustainability and resiliency of our City. Whether you are a property owner, business owner, or renter, there are many practical steps you can take to reduce your personal carbon footprint. Below is a list of recommendations for any New Yorker to help this City take a leap toward carbon neutrality and lasting sustainability.

The list is also a music playlist you listen to while taking these steps to make your building more energy efficient.

Building Sustainability Recommendations and Music Playlist

“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd - Turning off the lights in an empty room is one of the easiest ways to prevent wasted energy and save money on your electric bill. Doing this on the individual level might not save the planet, but if millions of New Yorkers turned off lights they weren’t using, it would make a big impact. Turns out your electricity bill-conscious parents were on to something.

“Looking’ Through The Windows” by The Jackson 5 – A clean, unobstructed window allows in more sunlight, which can illuminate a room during the day without having to always rely on electric lights. Cleaning the windows & window screens can be done with the low cost of cleaning supplies. And, sure maybe one of the windows in your home becomes a lot more popular than the others, but they all deserve to clean, because when you clean them all together, it can really brighten up the room.

“Light Switch” by Charlie Puth – When older incandescent light bulbs burn out, they can easily be switched out for more efficient LED lights – a certified viral hit when looking for a cost-effective way to make your building more green. LED lights use less energy and last longer than older light bulbs, helping to reduce electricity usage with a small financial commitment.

“The Heat is On” by Glenn Frey – Purchasing programmable thermostats is a great investment which allows you to automatically adjust heat in your building based on occupancy and usage patterns. This can lead to significant energy savings over time by automatically turning up the heat when you want it to feel like Beverly Hills, and automatically turning it off when it’s not needed.

“Even Flow” by Pearl Jam – Replacing older bathroom fixtures with low-flow toilets, showerheads, and faucets, can significantly reduce water consumption during your morning routine. Despite the name, low flow doesn't mean low pressure, and you can still enjoy a strong shower while conserving water. This option to reduce your water usage is a perfect ten.

“We are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift – Listen, the fact is there are more attractive options than your current gas stovetop. If you are looking to break things off with your current gas-powered stove, why not convert to an electric or induction range instead? Going electric has a number of perks, chief among those being a reduction in your carbon footprint while in the kitchen. Often, people who make the switch will never, ever, ever want to get back together with their old gas stovetop.

“Hot Hot Hot” by Buster Poindexter - Water heaters are known to be one of the most inefficient appliances in any building, but there are high-efficiency replacement options, such as heat pump water heaters. Also known by the name hybrid electric water heaters, these are actually the same thing. Upfront costs can be pricy, but annual savings on your electric bill will quickly add up to make this one of the hottest cost-effective options.

“Daddy Cool” by Boney M. – The window air conditioner is a ubiquitous sight in New York City, keeping not just daddies, but mommies and also kiddies cool and comfortable during the dog days of summer. But they only work when the cold air actually stays in the room, so to avoid wasting energy make sure the A/C unit is properly fitted in the window, and that the other windows in your apartment are closed.

“Cool it Now” by New Edition – A lot of things can heat up a room, and it’s only going to get hotter with more direct sunlight in the summer months. You can cool it down, without immediately resorting to air conditioning, by simply drawing window shades and curtains. Simple measures like this can help you save air conditioning costs for days when it is really needed.

"Fría Como El Viento" by Luis Miguel – If you want to make sure that your air conditioner is running at peak efficiency, keeping you cold as the wind, you need to periodically clean the air filter. According to the US Department of Energy, cleaning or replacing a dirty AC filter can lower your energy consumption by 5% to 15%!

“Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry – No one likes it when you’re hot and then cold. Avoid simultaneous heating and cooling in your building by making a point to check your programmable thermostat before cranking up the A/C. Having hot and cold blasting at the same time is a waste of energy that can easily be avoided.

“Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire - When home appliances break down and you need to start browsing for replacements, head over to EnergyStar.gov to find their list of the most efficient Energy Star appliances. Shining bright for you to see, an Energy Star can show you what Sustainability can truly be. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, large household appliances like refrigerators, washers and dryers, account for about 15% of a household’s energy consumption.

“Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow – Solar energy systems capture a reliable, renewable source of energy that reduces demand on New York City's electrical grid and reliance on other fuel sources. Installing a solar system at your building is one of the best ways to cut down on your building’s use of fossil fuels, by soaking up the sunlight that is already there. Visit us online or in the office to learn about filing solar energy projects at the Department of Buildings.

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” by Stevie Wonder – It’s no superstition – if your home isn’t properly sealed, it’s going to leak warm air during the winter and cold air during the summer. Make sure your building is properly sealed by filling in any holes, creases and cracks at the roof, walls, windows, and foundation. A properly sealed building envelope greatly increases energy efficiency of any building.

“Help!” by The Beatles – Sometimes you just need to know when to ask for help. Property owners who need help accelerating energy efficiency planning for their buildings, should reach out to NYC Accelerator – a program of the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. They provide free personalized guidance on building retrofit projects and can help you apply for low-interest financing as well as available incentive programs for sustainability improvements. Since 2021, the program has initiated over 12,900 projects in more than 9,300 buildings across the five boroughs.

“Energy” by The Apples in Stereo - Energy Audits are only required by law at larger buildings in New York City, but even smaller buildings could benefit from a professional survey of their energy usage. NYC Accelerator can help you find a building sustainability professional to perform an audit, which can be a great jumping-off point for more significant energy efficiency retrofit projects.

“After Hours” by The Velvet Underground – Asking for help with sustainability projects shouldn’t be difficult. That’s why we open our borough offices  every Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. for homeowners, tenants, small business owners, and building managers for our free “Buildings After Hours” assistance program. No registration required, just stop on by and get answers to your specific energy efficiency questions from DOB experts. It’s seriously cool.

“Gossip Folks” by Missy Elliott - Following these recommendations is a great way to do your part in the fight against climate change, but you can multiply your impact if you get others involved as well. Don’t keep it to yourself, go out and gossip. Talk to your neighbors, landlord, tenants, friends and coworkers about how they can also make changes to make New York City a more sustainable place to live for all of us.

To listen to our Earth Day building sustainability mixtape, see the playlist here.

For more information about sustainability initiatives at the Department of Buildings, visit our website.