It's year three in the Local Law 87 (LL 87) cycle and "covered buildings" on blocks ending in a "5" need to review their LL 87 compliance requirements for 2015 and even consider taking the process further to maximize potential benefits. Because compliance is mandated, focus is often limited - taking only those steps "to get the job done" in order to avoid fines for noncompliance. Fines start at $3,000 for the first year and then increase to $5,000 for each additional each year of noncompliance.
Instead of just "getting the job done," what about a more strategic approach to achieve greater value from your LL 87 compliance process, without adding to the cost. First, you will need to engage a qualified professional to perform the work, ideally a licensed professional engineer (PE), who specializes in LL 87 compliance work and has the required accreditations. It is important that the PE selected has experience with buildings similar to yours.
The process will usually start with an analysis of your utility bills and then move on to one or more site visit inspections. These site visits include a roof to basement inspection to determine the condition of the building envelope, including the roof, windows and building exterior. Additionally, base building equipment will also be inspected and evaluated including HVAC, electrical, lighting, domestic hot water and conveying systems. Some base building equipment, such as boilers and air-conditioning equipment will be tested for efficiency of operation. Testing and balancing of distribution systems may also be required for more complex buildings.
Following these inspections, an audit and retro-commissioning report will be prepared and delivered to the owner. This report will incorporate the results of the tests and inspections and will include recommendations for energy savings measures as well as retro-commissioning deficiencies. Any deficiencies noted in the report must be corrected prior to filing. Allow sufficient time for the correction of deficiencies, so as not to miss the filing deadline.
The final step is the filing of the EERC 1 Form, the Energy Audit Workbook, the EERC 2 Form and Retro-Commissioning Workbook. Once the filing has been completed and the fees paid, the process is complete.
Now comes the strategic part. The PE that you engaged (with knowledge of similar buildings), now knows more about your building than you do. You need to know what he knows and you don't. Solution - a meeting for a full review of the report and a sharing of observations, so you will know what he knows.
George Crawford is the principal of Green Partners, New York, N.Y. Tags: