During the spring of last year, New York gained worldwide attention by passing a law requiring new buildings to be all-electric. The law passively prohibited using propane furnaces and gas boilers for new buildings throughout the state. The Big Apple was the first city to pass such a law, and following that, there were discussions among other states for the same.
However, the new buildings are only a few pieces of the big puzzle. Many buildings are already there, and the projected emissions of all these buildings are scary.
Thankfully, the city has an answer, as they passed Local Law 97 four years ago. The law is one of the most aggressive laws to address emissions.
The Positive Changes To The Regulations
NYC will soon begin penalizing property owners who emit too much greenhouse gas. It is a move towards zero building emissions by the year 2050. So far, nine cities and four states have adopted such policies, acknowledged as building performance standards. It is very likely to be a national policy very soon.
Commercial and residential buildings in NYC make up 13% of total carbon emissions. And they are one of the biggest reasons for climate change. Environmentalists praise the building decarbonization movement as a key element to the burgeoning effort to tamp down cities’ contribution to global warming.
However, landlords and developers are preparing for new requirements. And they fear the massive costs involved in retrofitting older structures and ripping out gas-burning heaters.
Also Read: Retrofitting Your Building to Comply with NYC LL97
Significance of Local Law 97
The LL97 NYC is getting its prominence of being the landmark of policies. It caps energy consumption or emissions and requires the property owners to improve water and energy use. The Local Law 97 NYC came into effect from 1st January. It applies to approximately all the buildings over 25,000 square feet with exceptions of few. And as we move to forthcoming years, the emission standards will be more strict. For the older property or building owners, meeting the standards can be expensive.
Eric Adams’ Getting 97 Done
In September 2023, NYC Mayor Eric Adams launched the comprehensive plan of “Getting 97 Done.” The plan is to reduce the carbon emissions from the city’s large buildings as part of the obligations under Local Law 97 New York, which was introduced in 2019 and help the buildings stay in LL97 NYC law compliance. The new phase of the Adams administration’s climate efforts entails a new analysis showing that the NYC Local Law 97 is already effective. The buildings are meeting their reduction in emissions, and they are compliant.
The administration seeks financial resources to assist retrofit projects towards LL97 NYC. It makes buildings and properties more efficient and emits less carbons. The administration will convene a Local Law 97 mobilization council to meet regularly and check how effective the implementation efforts are.
There would be managers and building owners, companies that provide finances, and a workforce in the council to help ensure the city understands how implementation is proceeding underground.
Why Is Electrification The Big Win?
In terms of strategy, electrification is the most critical tactic that involves shifting from fossil-fuel-based systems to electricity-powered ones. It includes upgrading boilers and other HVAC systems to electric heat pumps that can tap into renewable energy sources. It significantly reduces any building’s carbon footprint. If it is in combination with on-site renewable sources and energy storage, it will offer sustainability, potential resilience, and long-term cost-effectiveness against infrastructure failure.
However, by no means this process is straightforward. These 1:1 direct replacements for existing equipment are not yet available in many scenarios. Upgrading the existing utility service for enhanced electrical loads can be difficult and pricey. Heat pumps, cost-effective electric-powered replacements and the most energy-efficient for fossil fuel service hot water system and HVAC may require extensive new horizontal and vertical refrigerant piping throughout the building.
The proposed new rules for LL97 NYC provide decent incentives for early electrification. It includes a coefficient for negative GHG emissions. It is a number that translates a certain energy source into tons of GHG. Electricity gets used to supply new heat pumps, which replace fossil-fuel-powered systems. This incentive reward will be double the amount if a building owner takes action before 2026.
Consulting engineers can draft and develop a phased decarbonization tactic for buildings that cannot implement full electrification immediately. This approach checks electrification as part of a big plan to implement gradually. There will be a phased strategy that will start with measures for load reduction, such as building envelope improvements and plumbing fixtures that are water-saving, which can reduce the required complexity and size of the new heat pumps.
Also Read: NYC Local Law 97 and 2024: Year of the Landmark Law
Buildings That Are Exempt From The LL97
While the city is moving forward with a positive step towards climate change and the building owners are taking strong actions against carbon emissions, many buildings do not need to comply under LL97 NYC:
- Facilities that are industrial and used for the generation of electric power or steam.
- Buildings for which ownership and the responsibility for maintenance of the HVAC systems and hot water heating systems get held by each dwelling unit owner.
- New York City Housing Authority owned lands, housing developments, and buildings.
- Buildings which participate in a federal housing program that is project-base.
- Properties whose main user or dominant occupancy is classified as occupancy A-3 religious house of worship.
- Buildings that housing development funding companies own.
Wrapping Up
New York City is a strong example to other cities by taking strong measures towards climate change. And the LL97 NYC will ensure that the city gets to meet the goals which it has set for 2030 and 2035.
FAQ
What is “Getting 97 Done” for?
The plan is to reduce the carbon emissions from the city’s large buildings as part of the obligations under Local Law 97 New York.
What is the main objective of LL97 NYC?
The main objective of LL97 is to reduce carbon emissions to a large extent and meet the goals already set for 2030 and 2035.
What is the incentive reward for electrification?
It includes a coefficient for negative GHG emissions. It is a number that translates a certain energy source into tons of GHG.
