“The teacher doesn’t like me!” Unfortunately, when it comes to New York City energy efficiency grades, that excuse won’t apply. New York City’s Local Law 84 of 2009  (and its amended Local Law 133 of 2016) requires buildings to check their energy and water usage annually and submit the data to the Energy Star Portfolio Manager website, which calculates a score. Then, the Department of Buildings (or DOB, for short) assigns a grade to be posted outside the building: 

●      A – score is equal to or greater than 85

●      B – score is equal to or greater than 70 but less than 85

●      C – score is equal to or greater than 55 but less than 70

●      D – score is less than 55

●      F – for buildings that didn’t submit required benchmarking information

●      N – for buildings exempted from benchmarking or not covered by the Energy Star program

So what should co-op and condo residents do when their building gets the lowest grade on the block? This is not a problem to ignore. Ignoring DOB deadlines or otherwise failing to comply can result in thousands of dollars in fines - coupled with the high cost of waste, poor energy efficiency can be an expensive problem for all residents. If you want to do your part to raise your building’s energy efficiency grade from a “D” to a “C,” here are a few simple switches that residents can take to get started:

1. Solar Surprise: This one is for the over-achievers in the class. Did you know that you, the resident, can buy your own electricity from a solar farm? Even better, the program uses your existing electric infrastructure and just requires you to “subscribe” to an adjacent solar farm. You then receive a credit for savings on your monthly statement and your increased energy efficiency will be benchmarked by the Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

2. Exclusively LED: If you have not yet replaced your light bulbs, including CFL (the ‘corkscrew’ ones), change them to LED! Change your fluorescent fixtures, fixtures in the closets, and undermount cabinet fixtures to integrated LED fixtures. One common concern with changing fixtures is that LEDs are so bright. However, with recent advancement with LED technology, there are many temperature options that will fit any desired choice or taste. LED bulbs and integrated fixtures are a no-brainer investment for lower costs and better energy efficiency.

3. FYI on AC: If your electric bills double every summer, chances are your neighbors face the same issues. Like LED light bulbs, energy efficient AC units with an EnergyStar rating will save money and conserve energy long-term - a must for raising your co-op or condo building’s score.

4. Tanking the toilets: According the EPA, 6% of water consumption is attributable to leaky toilets. Much of that is due to flappers not being replaced as often as needed. Most toilets also have large tanks that use more water than they need. The current EPA standard is 1.28 gallons per flush (GPF). However, many toilets are 1.6 GPF, or if they are older than 27 years, they may be 3-5 GPF! Changing the toilet to a Niagra 0.8 GPF vacuum assisted toilet not only reduces the water usage significantly, but also eliminates the leaky flapper problem as it does not use a flapper.

5. Cold wash: When doing laundry, consider using cold water as switching from hot to cold can cut energy use in half for washing one load. There are plenty of detergents on the market today that do the trick even in cold water.

We also have two suggestions, which do not help the building’s energy efficiency score, but are only common sense:

1. Recycle: We’ve all heard, “reduce, reuse, recycle,” but perhaps your neighbors need a refresher. Make recycling bins accessible throughout the building and print out guidelines (these ones) from NYC Sanitation are a good choice). Did you know that recycling goes beyond paper and plastics? New York encourages organic recycling/composting. Though their pick-up dates were suspended due to COVID, the program will reopen in the fall. Composting can become a great community-building effort for your building’s residents that can also help the environment.

2. Swear Off Single-Use: Another unexpected recycling effort is to bring your building’s soft plastic to the neighborhood pharmacy or supermarket. Soft plastics (like single-use grocery bags) may not be recyclable, which is why residents should investigate drop-off locations. Make it easy for everyone - perhaps have a separate bin for single-use plastic next to the recycling bins and make a weekly drop-off.

These are just a few of the tricks we at the Folson Group recommend as expert energy efficiency consultants. Contact us today to learn how we can help get your building’s grades up!