A Roadmap for New York City's Buildings
To be on a pathway to 80 by 50, we will need to reduce GHG emissions from the energy used to heat, cool, and power our buildings by 30 percent over the next decade. City government can lead the way, and will commit to achieving a 35 percent reduction in emission in the next ten years.
To achieve these goals, by 2025 we will:
- Complete efficiency improvements in every City-owned building that has significant energy use and install 100 MW of onsite renewable power.
- Implement leading edge performance standards for new construction that cost-effectively achieve highly efficient buildings, looking to Passive House, carbon neutral, or "zero net energy" strategies to inform the standards.
- Develop interim energy performance targets for existing buildings to be met through both voluntary reductions and new regulations, such as performance standards and measure-based mandates, which would be triggered if adequate reductions are not achieved.
These goals set a high bar for what we will expect from our buildings in the future. Ambitious as they are, however, they are also designed to be flexible. To rise to this challenge, ensure our measures are technically sound, and to determine the ideal process of implementation, we will work closely with New York City's world-class real estate industry, architects, engineers, labor unions, and academics. Then City will convene a task force to conduct a robust technical analysis that will be used to create programs, policies, and regulations that transition our buildings to a low-carbon future.
