As of July 1st, New York City law requires buildings burning highly polluting No. 4 or No. 6 heating oil to switch to cleaner burning fuels. Buildings burning No. 6 oil will have to switch as soon as their boiler permits expire and those burning No. 4 will have to switch when they replace their burner or boiler but no later than 2030.
Go to nyccleanheat.org/spot-the-soot to find out when your building's permit expires and when the fuel switch is required. The conversion process requires planning in advance. Converting from No. 6 and No. 4 oil to cleaner fuels has many advantages. It reduces boiler emissions substantially and lowers building maintenance and operating costs. Similarly, regular boiler maintenance, fine-tuning of the heating system, pipe and boiler insulation and implementing efficiency upgrades on existing boilers will decrease fuel use and save money.
Recently, mayor Bloomberg announced almost $100 million in financing and technical assistance to help buildings take advantage of cleaner fuels and technologies through the NYC Clean Heat program.
In the past 12 months, over 500 buildings have converted to cleaner fuels. NYC Clean Heat has launched a website, nyc.gov/cleanheat, which details all the assistance available for buildings. There, residents can find out if their building burns heavy oil, and building owners and managers can find detailed information and free resources to help them navigate the process of converting to cleaner fuel.
NYC Clean Heat is ready to help buildings make the transition to cleaner fuels now.
Contact NYC Clean Heat to learn more, dial 311 and ask for NYC Clean Heat. To reach the NYC Clean Heat technical director to discuss converting your building, call 212-656-9202 or [email protected].
Isabelle Silverman is an attorney at Environmental Defense Fund, New York, N.Y. Tags: