NYC Local Law 33 of 2018 amended the Administrative Code of the City of New York in relation to energy efficiency scores and grades for buildings required to benchmark their energy and water consumption. According to the new section 28-309.12, scores and grades for these buildings’ energy efficiency will be gotten, given, and made public every year based on benchmarking reports that meet Federal energy efficiency standards.
An energy efficiency score is the 1-100 ENERGYSTAR®Score that a building gets when the US Environmental Protection Agency’s online benchmarking tool, ENERGYSTAR Portfolio Manager®, is used to compare building energy performance to that of similar buildings in similar climates. As part of Local Law 95 of 2019, grades will be given based on ENERGYSTAR®energy efficiency scores:
The energy label will include both a letter grade and the energy efficiency score for the building.
NYC Local Law 33 Steps to Compliance
1. Submit benchmarking data by May 1 of every year.
2. The energy efficiency grade will be made available by the NYC Department of Buildings through the Building Energy Efficiency Rating label every year on October 1.
3. Print and display the label in a conspicuous location near each public entrance within 30 days after October 1of every year.
Submit benchmarking data by May 1 of every year: –
Check your property tax bill from the Department of Finance (DOF) for a section called “One City Built to Last – Compliance Notification” to see if you have to benchmark. You can also look at the Covered Buildings List for your borough, block, and lot (BBL) number on the Department of Buildings website. This list is updated every year. – Every year, check the Covered Buildings List (CBL) for your property’s BBL number. – Set up an account in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager ® if you do not have one at https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pm/login.html.
The following property types are eligible for an ENERGYSTAR® 1-100 score and will be assigned a letter grade:
– Barracks
– Datacenter
– Hospital (general medical/ surgical)
– Hotel
– K-12 school
– Medical office
– Multifamily housing
– Office (covers office, bank branch, financial office, and courthouse)
– Residence hall/ dormitory
– Retail store (covers retail and wholesale club/ supercenter)
– Senior care community
– Supermarket/ grocery store
– Warehouse (covers distribution center, non-refrigerated warehouse, and refrigerated warehouse)
– Wastewater treatment plant – Worship facility
The Building Energy Efficiency Rating label will be available annually in the DOB NOW Public Portal covered building property profile on October 1
Buildings exempted from benchmarking or not covered by the ENERGYSTAR® program:
– Multifamily buildings with less than 20 units, enclosed parking, or other property types that are not eligible to receive a 1-100 ENERGYSTAR®Score
– Some mixed-use buildings
-The ENERGYSTAR® Score can be awarded to a multi-use property, but two conditions must be met: 1. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the property’s Gross Floor Area (GFA) must be made up of property types eligible for an ENERGYSTAR® Score. 2. One qualifying property type must account for more than fifty percent (50%) of the GFA (excluding parking) –
– Buildings that contain a data center, television studio, and/ or trading floor that together exceed ten percent (10%) of the GFA
