January 2024 marks the start of the Local Law 97 compliance era. There will be steep fines for non-compliance for cooperatives and condominiums.
Fortunately, these structures are getting a little break from the strict requirements of LL97 NYC. How? Well, the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) permits the reduction of penalties. However, that’s only in cases where a building can show that it has made sincere attempts to comply.
Learn How Your Building Can Show Good Faith Effort For LL97 Compliance
Submit Benchmarking Details and Emission Report
The Department of Buildings requires the building’s emission report from the previous year. They use it to demonstrate compliance with any emission changes. Most importantly, they require this evidence to demonstrate a good faith effort.
Attestations concerning the building’s lighting upgrades come with other documentation. As per Local Law 88 requirements, the building must fulfill current energy conservation standards by 2025. Uploading data from the prior year’s benchmarking is an extra prerequisite. This is the energy efficiency letter grade that DOB assigns to your building.
Moreover, updates on the obligations regarding good faith efforts shall be done in 2030 and later. That’s because the present LL97 NYC regulations only cover the 2024–2029 compliance period.
Start Preparing The Decarbonization Plan of Your Building
The board’s actions to cut emissions are additional evidence of their sincere attempts to comply with the new local law 97 NYC emission limits. So, the decarbonization plan for your facility must include:
- an energy audit,
- a mechanical system inventory or
- documentation of the ongoing work to achieve emission compliance.
By May 1st, 2025, you must do all these submissions.
Moreover, you can include information regarding work done since 2013 that decreased building emissions by ten percent or more. A list of changes the building has made to get it to net-zero emissions by 2050 could serve as another type of evidence.
This can be a note from the utility company certifying the work and the building’s electrification. So, include the expected decrease in emissions, a capital plan, and a schedule for each modification in the list of changes. Emission permits under NYC Local Law 97 gradually reduce every five years. However, the reduction happens, intending to reduce emissions by eighty percent by 2050.
Furthermore, provide evidence that the building will reach its 2024 targets by 2027 when submitting the decarbonization plan. To fulfill the 2030 targets on schedule, applications must also be authorized by May 2028 with the DOB.
Also Read: Retrofitting Your Building to Comply with NYC Local Law 97
Good Faith Efforts Eliminate Your Stress of Paying High Penalties
The difference in reported actual emissions and the annual emissions limit is used to compute the penalty for violating building emissions restrictions. Moreover, for every metric ton of CO2 equivalent that exceeds the cap, DOB imposes a penalty of $268 on buildings.
According to experts, most buildings in New York City will not be subject to fines for the first level of reductions. The city predicts that only 11 percent of properties do not comply with the initial guidelines. So, what to do if you find yourself in that non-compliant category? Simply assess your facility’s condition and determine the extent and expense of the necessary repairs to bring it up to code.
Additionally, the DOB will impose penalties on buildings that neglect to submit an emission report for compliance with local law 97 New York. Each year, these reports must be submitted, and the penalties for missing the deadline are determined by increasing the gross floor area of your building by $0.50.
Buildings may request extensions, and the supporting paperwork includes any correspondence with the Department of Finance regarding the matter or a report from the expert finishing the emissions report.
Also, you can get guidance from outreach professionals at the city-sponsored NYC Accelerator about what you’ve got to do to comply with the emissions laws and minimize penalties.
How The Experts at Local Law 97 Guide Want You To Proceed
Reducing the building’s emissions within the limits set by LL97is a challenge for building owners. We believe optimizing the structure’s energy efficiency is the quickest way to accomplish this.
Realizing how much energy your facility requires, what kinds of energy it uses, how efficiently it utilizes those forms of energy, and how to find available alternatives are all crucial to managing with LL 97. So, those are the fundamentals you need to know before you ask an energy expert for help.
Working with our specialists early on in the planning process can substantially simplify decisions and boost results right away.
How We Provide The Best-In-Class Local Law 97 Compliance Consulting Solution
- An engineer looks at the mechanical parts of the construction. Their research is done within 12 weeks after a comprehensive investigation of your facility and recommendations for lowering emissions.
- A roadmap is created to help your company comply with NYC LL97. We collaborate with your core team to create a roadmap to streamline the entire compliance procedure. We can help with utility incentive applications, project management, and engineering designs after you pick the projects.
The only thing that matters to our NYC LL97 Compliance Consulting Experts is your best interests. We handle all your compliance requirements, including installation fees, energy audits, penalty assessments, etc.
So, Seek Assistance From The Best LL97 Consultants — Local Law 97 Guide!
Compared to similar municipal legislation, the penalties under municipal Law 97 are far more severe, making a long-term energy and carbon reduction plan an excellent investment. Our NYC Local Law 97 Compliance Consultants team can help at this point.
We assist you in developing a well-tailored plan that is unique to the needs of your building and identify the options available to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and the consequent Local Law 97 fines for your structure.
So, connect with our LL97 NYC experts and handle all the paperwork and other proceedings to show a ‘good faith attempt’ for LL97 compliance without hassle.
