Greener, Greater Buildings Plan mandates Retro-Commissioning in New York
Sep 18, 2013
Did you know that New York City has actually mandated retro-commissioning? New York City Local Law 87 requires that buildings over 50,000 gross square feet in size undergo periodic energy audit and retro-commissioning measures. Enacted in 2009, the law is intended to optimize building energy performance and is part of New York City’s larger Green Buildings and Energy Efficiency plan.
As leaders in the Retro-Commissioning industry, we are pleased that New York City, with one of the densest concentrations of buildings in the nation, is taking this important step toward energy efficiency. We remember well the blackout that hit the Northeast and Midwest US, and Ontario, Canada, in August 2003, causing cascading blackouts that disrupted power for up to two days in many places. Increased energy efficiency would not have prevented the initial power outage, but it might have shortened its duration if there had been fewer demands on the power grid.
This is part of the reason why our mission statement is to “exceed expectations through execution.” We understand that undertaking a Retro-Commissioning project, whether required by legal mandate or suggested through internal business processes, is a disruptive and potentially expensive undertaking. We are often able to exceed expectations with regard to the amount of time it will take to recoup the costs of Retro-Commissioning through energy savings, and we understand how this can help reinforce the need for Retro-Commissioning in the first place. We also know that each Retro-Commissioned building is decreasing the strain on the power grid, and thus decreasing the chances of another rolling blackout.
If you have an older building, or you are watching energy costs rise and wondering if there could be a solution, contact us today to learn more about our Retro-Commissioning services.
