Background

Over half of New York City’s functional built area is concentrated in less than two percent of its properties; in approximately 15,000 properties, each with over 50,000 square feet of floor area. These buildings, which account for 45 percent of New York City’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, tend to have more sophisticated building systems management and more financial and technical resources than their smaller counterparts. Consequently, New York City has enacted a comprehensive effort, called the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP), with the goal of advancing energy efficiency in large existing buildings.

The companion New York City Local Laws 84 (LL84) and 87 (LL87) establish requirements for compliance. LL84 requires an annual benchmarking of energy and water use, to facilitate comparisons of energy consumption patterns between similar buildings. LL87 provides more thorough assessment and analysis. The law dictates that every ten years, an ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audit and a Retro-commissioning study must be performed on the base-building systems. The systems that are studied and analyzed within a building include: Heating, Ventilation, and Air-conditioning (HVAC), domestic hot water, electrical and lighting systems, conveying systems, and building envelope.

Local Law 84 Compliance

LL84 requires all basic building information as well as utility bills and water usage be entered into the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) online Portfolio Manager. This needs to be repeated annually, due May 1st of each year.

This law applies to all covered buildings that are over 50,000 square feet to submit information relating to the building’s total energy and water usage for the previous calendar year to an internet-based database system. This information will be used to provide benchmarks that help to track and assess the energy and water use of these buildings and compare their usage to other similar buildings.

KAWI Group will assist in keeping your property compliant and providing you with valuable information to better manage energy usage.

Local Law 87 Compliance

Local Law 87 (LL87) mandates that buildings over 50,000 gross square feet undergo periodic energy audit and retro-commissioning measures, as part of the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP). The intent of this law is to inform building owners of their energy consumption through energy audits, which are surveys and analyses of energy use, and retro-commissioning, the process of ensuring correct equipment installation and performance.

Local Law 87’s energy audit and retro-commissioning process requires the following:

  1. Determine if a building needs to comply, and what year it is due.
  2. Conduct an energy audit and retro-commissioning of base building systems and complete an Energy Efficiency Report (EER) electronically.
  3. Submit the EER once every ten years to the City by December 31.

KAWI Group will work with you to make sure your building is compliant while ensuring your occupants’ safety and comfort. This adds value to your property.

Retro-Commissioning

Retro-commissioning (RCx) refers to a systematic process of optimizing the performance of building systems by correcting deficiencies—e.g., by adjusting or upgrading of control systems, improving maintenance, recalibrating equipment and making appropriate repairs. RCx does not involve major equipment replacement; it focuses on making sure that the existing equipment is doing what it is supposed to do, and that the building systems are operating well together.

Retro-commissioning ensures the integrity of systems and equipment in commercial building and facilities to meet energy saving goals and operating requirements. It is feasible even for companies that are on a tight budget. Even without a hefty capital investment, energy saving can range anywhere from 5% to 20%.

Some of the most important benefits of implementing retro-commissioning are as follows:

  • Cost savings: Operating cost can be considerably reduced through retro-commissioning. The savings may vary on a number of factors like location of the building, type, and scope of employing the process. A study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that businesses could save significantly per square foot by means of retro-commissioning.
  • Fine-tuning: Retro-commissioning is a monitoring-based process. Software programs will monitor and analyze the efficiency of the systems in the building and generate reports. Based on these reports, your equipment is fine-tuned to further improve energy savings.
  • Rejuvenation: Even if the equipment and systems present in the building are old or broken, they can be returned to a proper operational state. The lifetime of the equipment can also be further increased.
  • Less grievances: Retro-commissioning improves the comfort level of the inhabitants of the space and ultimately reduces complaints from workers.