Local Law 33 is already an active New York City ordinance that requires buildings above 25,000 square feet to post an energy efficiency grade at each public entrance beginning in 2020. Similar to the Department of Health grades for restaurants, a building’s energy efficiency grade will be a letter.
However, 1251-A changed the grade distribution. City grades are determined by a building’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager score, which comes from the annual energy benchmarking that is required under Local Law 84 and 133.
See the below breakdown of the new grades:
A: 85 & above
B: 70-84
C: 55-69
D: 54 & below
F: Non-compliance
N: Exempt or score not feasible to obtain*
Labels, like the sample one below, will be made available in the DOB NOW public portal on October 1, 2020. The building grade must be displayed in a conspicuous location in a public entrance of the building within 30 days of October 1, 2020, failure to do so will result in an annual fine of $1,250.
*Buildings with an N grade contain a data center, television studio, and/or a trading floor that is >10% Gross Floor Area (GFA) and are exempt from compliance.