As New York City’s climate goals become increasingly ambitious, building owners are feeling the pressure to meet stringent emissions caps under Local Law 97 (LL97). While much of the conversation has focused on capital upgrades—think new boilers, envelope improvements, and solar installations—smart energy management strategies like submetering are gaining traction as a cost-effective and data-driven tool, especially in multifamily residential properties.
What Is Submetering, and Why Does It Matter?
In simple terms, submetering breaks down a building’s total energy usage by unit, space, or system. This means individual tenants, common areas, HVAC systems, or even specific equipment can be monitored separately. For owners of multifamily buildings, this level of granularity reveals where energy waste is occurring—and who is responsible.
Unlike traditional master meters that only measure a building’s aggregate consumption, submeters empower property managers and tenants alike with insights that lead to smarter, more sustainable behavior.
LL97 and the Multifamily Emissions Challenge
Under Local Law 97, most buildings over 25,000 square feet must limit their annual carbon emissions, with increasingly strict caps set for 2030 and beyond. Multifamily buildings face unique hurdles:
- Tenant-controlled HVAC or lighting systems often fall outside the direct control of building management.
- Communal areas like laundry rooms, gyms, and hallways may be energy-intensive but aren’t individually accountable.
- Traditional energy audits may not capture behavioral inefficiencies or hidden spikes in usage.
- This is where submetering becomes a strategic compliance asset.
The Compliance Edge: How Submetering Helps
Identify Hidden Energy Loads
Submeters can detect energy hogs at a granular level—whether it’s an inefficient elevator motor, a communal refrigerator, or overuse of electric space heaters in winter.
Enable Tenant Engagement & Cost Sharing
LL97 puts the emissions burden on owners, but tenants often drive energy use. Submetering opens the door to transparent billing and incentive-based conservation, fostering cooperation instead of conflict.
Justify Capital Upgrades
Want to upgrade lighting or HVAC systems in certain units? Submeter data helps build a case with real numbers, improving ROI clarity for capital investments.
Enable Load Shifting
By understanding peak usage times, buildings can shift non-critical operations to off-peak hours, helping manage emissions intensity during grid-stressed periods.
Support Article 321 & Prescriptive Pathways
For buildings following the prescriptive path under Article 321, submetering can help verify implementation of required measures, especially those involving system optimization and controls.
Challenges to Consider
While submetering offers clear advantages, it’s not a silver bullet. Implementation can be costly, retrofitting older buildings is tricky, and privacy concerns among tenants must be addressed with transparent policies.
Moreover, submetering does not reduce emissions directly—it simply enables the strategies that do. But in a world where data is the new utility, submetering provides the map, and LL97 gives the destination.
Final Thoughts
For multifamily building owners navigating LL97’s evolving compliance landscape, submetering is more than just a utility management tool—it’s a gateway to data-driven emissions control. In the same way that smart thermostats changed home energy use, submeters are poised to transform how large residential buildings manage their carbon footprint.
As the next LL97 deadlines loom, now is the time to meter smarter—not just harder.
