The Governments Role in Greening NYCs Buildings

1
The Governments Role in Greening NYCs Buildings

• Russell Unger
• U.S. Green Building Council, New York Chapter
• October 24, 2007

2
What Governments Can Do

• Mandates - Clean Air Act
• Incentives - Wind power tax credit
• Voluntary standards - Energy Star
• Lead by example use purchasing power - Federal
  recycled paper standards

3
How Can Governments Promote Green Building?

• Modify building codes
• Density bonuses
• Expedited permitting

• Tie to public dollars
• Build green

4
Green Building Law (Local Law 86)

• City-owned and City funded buildings
• New construction, additions and renovations
  costing more than 2 million must meet LEED
  Certified or LEED Silver, as well as reduce
  energy cost by 20-30 and water use by 20-30
• Requirements for work on certain energy or water
  subsystems
• Will affect 12 billion in planned construction
  from 2007-2017

5
Major Policy Decisions in LL 86

• Each Capital ProjectShall
• Not Less Stringent Than LEED
• Minimum Requirements
• ApplyFor Certification

6
Each Capital ProjectShall

• Government green building programs are typically
  created through one of three methods
• An executive order of a governor or mayor
• A policy passed by a city council or
• By a law that includes many if feasible
  qualifiers
• LL 86 True legal mandate
• Unless exemption applies, City absolutely must
  comply

7
Not Less Stringent Than LEED

• The de facto standard for green building in the
  United States
• Room for improvement
• Minimum energy performance
• Relative weighting of points
• LL 86 Not less stringent than LEED

8
Minimum Requirements

• It was possible for a building with nominal
  energy or water savings to become LEED certified
• LL 86 mandates
• 20-30 increase in water efficiency
• 20-30 increase in energy efficiency

9
ApplyFor Certification

• For next 10 years, 50 of each agencys eligible
  buildings must apply for LEED certification
• Ensures verifiability
• By not requiring that buildings be certified,
  does not make City beholden to third-party

10
How Could LL 86 Have Been Improved?

• Residential construction
• Projects under 2 million
• Nonsubstantial reconstruction - tenant retrofits

11
LL 86 Today

• At NYC Department of Design Construction, over
  53 projects together worth 2 billion are
  targeting LEED

• Schools, offices, park
• buildings, museums, libraries and health centers

12
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Laws
(EPP)

• Local Law 118 Director of Citywide Environmental
  Purchasing
• Local Law 119 Energy Water Efficiency
• Local Law 120 Hazardous Materials
• Local Law 121 Recycled Content
• Local Law 123 Green Cleaning

13
Local Law 119 Energy Water Efficiency

• Energy-Star certification
• Federal Energy ManagementProgram (FEMP) for
  lighting,plumbing fixtures and chillers
• Incandescent lamps prohibited if more efficient
  alternative

14
Local Law 120 Hazardous Materials

• Rules on minimum efficiency of fluorescent
  lights City must buy lowest mercury

• Rules on volatile organic compounds in carpeting
  products, architectural coatings and other
  building and construction materials

15
Local Law 121 Recycled Content

• EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guideline for
  enumerated list of products
• By 2008, decide whether other products will
  follow CPG
• Bids on recycled paper
• and double-siding

16
Local Law 123 Green Cleaning

• Pilot program to assess feasibility of green
  cleaning
• By June 1, 2009, implement citywide to extent
  determined feasible