Omni New York LLC Partners with Bright Power in Their Commitment to the Empire Building Challenge Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Goal to Turn 195-Unit Affordable Housing Building Carbon Neutral
Omni New York LLC announced today that they are an Empire Building Partner through the Empire Building Challenge, a $50 million initiative to transform existing multifamily and commercial high-rise buildings and substantially reduce the carbon footprint of these structures. Administered by The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Empire Building Challenge will advance low-carbon retrofit approaches resulting in heating and cooling solutions that will increase the comfort, sustainability, and energy performance of the state’s existing high-rise buildings, a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Omni New York has selected Bright Power, a leading energy and water management company, as their partner to determine the suite of deep energy retrofit improvements for one of their properties, Whitney Young Manor. Whitney Young Manor is a 195-unit affordable housing property located in Yonkers, New York. Omni New York is also partnering with Loring Consulting Engineers to provide mechanical engineering services.
As part of the technical assistance funding that Omni has been awarded through the Empire Building Challenge, Bright Power will support Omni in developing a scope of work focused on significant reductions in carbon emissions at the property, with a goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. Upon determining feasible decarbonization measures, Bright Power and Loring will work with Omni to incorporate these measures into the scope of a planned rehabilitation in 2022.
Whitney Young Manor’s first year EUI was 87.7 in 2012, with a current EUI of 96 for 2019. As this property is not in New York City we were not required to comply with LL84 benchmarking and therefore did not start benchmarking our data until 2012. Our goal is to get Whitney Young from the current EUI of 96 to the target EUI of 50 or below by 2035.
As a first step, Bright Power will conduct a comprehensive energy audit to assess the current state of the building’s systems and performance, analyze utility consumption, and identify all potential energy conservation measures based on the operation of the property. Bright Power will also complete an electrification and heat pump feasibility study to evaluate options to electrify heating and domestic hot water systems, an overcladding feasibility study to evaluate incorporating exterior insulation finishing systems (EIFS), and a solar photovoltaic (PV) and energy storage feasibility study to evaluate options to generate renewable onsite electricity and use energy storage for demand response and peak shaving.
Omni New York has a long-standing commitment to reducing its portfolio’s carbon emissions. Its Park Avenue Green property, a Buildings of Excellence awardee, is a certified Passive House (PHIUS) building in the Bronx. Omni New York also has implemented Bright Power’s MoBIUSⓇ real-time energy management service at Park Avenue Green and Morris Avenue Apartments, a neighboring LEED Gold property.
“Omni New York’s latest commitment to a zero-carbon future exemplifies how real estate owners can be a part of the solution and fight climate change. All of Bright Power applauds their ongoing effort to create and preserve high quality affordable housing that benefits residents, communities, and the environment,” stated Jessica Esposito, Manager, Affordable Housing Services for Bright Power.
“Omni New York is proud to be a part of the Empire Building Challenge and to work with NYSERDA and the other selected partners to shape the future of New York’s greenhouse gas reduction in affordable housing. This work is necessary to increase the energy efficiencies of large, existing multifamily buildings while also working to curb climate change,” said Eugene Schneur, Managing Director of Omni New York LLC.
Learn more on NYSERDA’s website.
Read NYSERDA’s press release.