Local Law 87 waits for no one
Temperatures outside are soaring, so as we crank our A/C’s and remove our socks from the freezer, it’s hard to think about heating up our buildings. While the thought of cooler temperatures might seem like a distant dream, now is the time to make sure your building is ready to heat up. Not convinced? Well, it’s the law. Local Law 87 requires all New York City buildings over 50,000 square feet to undergo an energy audit, implement necessary changes (retro-commissioning) and submit an energy efficiency report, once every ten years to ensure its systems are performing as intended.
How can you know when your time is up? Just look at your tax block number. If it ends in ‘4’, this is your lucky year (if it ends in ‘5’, pay attention; you’re next!). Your report is due December 31, 2014.
Now let’s see what the process would look like if you started today:
August 15: Submit building and utility information. Over the next two weeks, we will enter your data into EnergyScoreCards to generate a scorecard to see where your building stands, get a baseline.
September 25: Site visit day! Once the data is in we need to see how everything is working. The energy audit is a required component of local law 87 and it’s a necessary step in making your building a top performer. Over the next four to six weeks our team will absorb the data collected and turn it into a personalized report for you, telling you which measures you need to take in order to meet the requirements of the law, and which optional measures you can implement to make your building an energy star.
October 1: Site visit #2. With the audit report completed, you can now enter the retro-commissioning phase. Our technicians return to your building to test the equipment against the LL87 checklist. Over the next three weeks our auditors will create a retro-commissioning scope of work (RCx SOW) which tells you exactly what needs to get done in order to get your buildings working as they were designed to.
October 10: With your RCx SOW in hand, you now have the tools you need to bring your building up to speed. Over the next two months, your building will undergo changes as prescribed by the RCx SOW. Some of the measures will be required by law, others you may choose to implement to further streamline your building’s systems.
December 1: Your work here is done. At this point the implementation phase needs to be completed and verified. The auditors will return to your building and make sure everything is running smoothly and as intended.
December 12: Congratulations! Thanks to your advanced planning, your Energy Efficiency Report has been submitted to the Department of Buildings and you have complied with Local Law 87 like the law-abiding building owner that you are. The best part? You have a decade to reap the rewards.