On the compliance horizon - Local Law 88

Local Law 84 (Benchmarking) and Local Law 87 (Energy Auditing and Retro-Commissioning) along with Local Law 88 (Sub-Metering and Energy Efficient Lighting) were enacted in 2009 as part of the Greener Greater Buildings Laws - PlaNYC. By the end of 2014, "covered" building owners will have been through four filing cycles of Local Law 84 and two cycles of Local Law 87. But what about Local Law 88 - requiring sub-metering and energy efficient lighting with its deadline of Jan. 1, 2025. Ten years out may not make the radar screen, but given the nature of the requirements, Local Law 88 provisions need to be reviewed now, not later. The Greener Greater Buildings Laws were enacted with the goal of achieving significant levels of energy reduction by 2030. The provisions included in Local Law 88 for sub-metering and energy efficient lighting are essential steps in achieving this goal. Studies have shown that sub-metering will result in a 10% - 30% reduction in electrical consumption. With electrical rent inclusion, neither the tenant nor the landlord have the needed electrical usage information to achieve energy saving goals. However, with sub-metering, energy efficient lighting and a monthly electric bill, you now have a game changing combination to make it all work. But getting back to Local Law 88 provisions - it applies to "covered" non-residential buildings with floor plates of 10,000 s/f or greater without direct tenant metering. Tenants renting 10,000 s/f or more on multiple floors are also covered. The January 1, 2025 deadline for the required completion of the installation of sub-meters and energy efficient lighting sounds way out in the future. However, given the fact that it translates to a ten year window for full compliance and many leases have ten year terms, it's clearly not too early to develop an action plan. A key issue to resolve is record maintenance. You will need a stacking plan to follow progress along with detailed records to document on-going incremental work over the next ten years, including each sub-metering installation and each lighting upgrade. One solution that comes to mind is to source a single provider for all of your Local Law 88 related work. If the selected provider performs all of the required sub-metering installations as well as the lighting upgrades and will maintain all of the required records for filing - you would have your action plan. Check out the Quadlogic website (www.quadlogic.com) as a start. George Crawford is a principal of Green Partners, New York, N.Y.