New York, NY The BOMA New York office in midtown hosted another sold out Lunch & Learn – focused on Local Law 88 of 2009 (LL88), AKA the Greener, Greater Building Plan. Deborah Deluca, vice president of electronic drives and controls, and chairperson of the Lunch & Learn program welcomed the packed room and introduced Christopher Cayten, LEED AP, M.Arch, principal of CodeGreen.

CodeGreen was founded in 2006 to consult and advise building owners/managers on energy, water and waste consumption and advise how to best track, maintain and improve performance. This extends into building health, tenant well-being, climate risk and resilience.

Cayten began his presentation by reminding the group of owners, managers and engineers that LL88 was passed in December 2009. The law states that all commercial buildings larger than 25,000 s/f must upgrade its lighting systems and install tenant submeters by January 2025. He concluded his introduction by saying the city has not released any new information since December 2009 and the 2025 deadline is very real for all commercial buildings.

He followed his introduction with a few facts and figures, including – The 60,000 buildings in New York City comprise of 66% of the city’s carbon footprint. The national average is 40%. He explained that the reason NYC has a higher percentage is because the transportation infrastructure in NYC is super-efficient and the city has a significant amount of older buildings. Office properties represent a mere 26% of the city’s carbon footprint. Of that 26%, commercial tenants have a huge input of energy consumption, hence the introduction of LL88 and the need for submeters.

Understanding and complying with LL88 involves three primary components.

System Upgrades

Cayten noted the importance of a comprehensive lighting upgrade plan.  He said, “Lighting is everywhere.  LL88 is for every square inch within a commercial building.”  He advised to engage an expert to create a new lighting plan and multiyear roadmap to futureproof the rollout. Getting started early will create less tenant disruption and in turn will also cost less to implement.

New technologies are available today that make these upgrades and installations more affordable than 2009, when the law was passed.  Working in the now, when a tenant is renewing or vacating its space, is better than waiting until 2024. He further explained that a comprehensive lighting upgrade is not necessarily a one-for-one replacement plan.  For example, pending the built environment, landlords might be able to minimize the amount of fixtures, which will also include fewer and new wall switches.

The law dictates that new construction after July 2010 will trigger LL88. All upgraded spaces within an existing building since 2010 will have to prove compliance for the year the work was done and that will suffice.  The law currently states that owners will have to prove when and which lighting upgrades were made. However, there are no official submittal forms yet. He stressed that working with experienced vendors and tracking work is imperative.

He said that when owners plan a system upgrade, there’s other hardware to consider that will present opportunities to become even more granular.  Items such as daylight sensors and motion sensors will provide the ability to identify plug load, lighting load and HVAC load within tenant spaces.  While not required by law, these items will position a building for 2025 and beyond.

Submetering Requirements

Any commercial tenant with 5,000 SF or more will require a submeter.  A multitenant floor with more than 5,000 SF will require only one submeter per floor.  However, if a large floor gets subdivided, the landlord will be required to add new submeters to comply.

He reviewed different types of meters.  He said that wired meters are more reliable.  However, wireless meters are becoming more popular.  He advised if considering wireless meters, to make sure that the hardware has open protocols so that owners are not stuck if a company goes out of business.

He is a huge advocate of submeters, saying that most tenants are unaware of their total energy consumption and once a submeter is installed, it reduces energy consumption by 6% to 8% per tenant.

Monthly Statements

Once submeters are installed, the law requires landlords to provide tenants with a statement of their monthly consumption, as well as how much they are charged for the consumed energy.

He said that tenant reports are not part of the policy yet, but he believes that the city will eventually add full reporting to the law.  There are many types of reports and social motivation tactics to help tenants reduce their energy consumption.  He provided one example saying that owners can show tenants how much their neighbors are saving by doing a few small changes in their daily procedures.

The law does not stipulate who pays for the upgrades or submeter installation. He reiterated the importance of phasing compliance.  He said that owners/operators will first have to make sure their buildings are compliant and not receiving fines.  Second and once compliant, these owners can position their buildings as a leader in sustainability.

BOMA NY Upcoming Events:

Thanks for Reading!

You've read 2 of your 3 guest articles

Register and get instant unlimited access to all of our articles online.

Sign up is quick, easy, & FREE.

Subscription Options

Already have an account? Login here