Reforming the Energy Vision

Green Building Worldwide will keep you up to speed on market-transforming developments nationally and internationally.

New York State

The electric industry is in transition. Climate change mitigation is a global priority. Renewable energy resources cost less than ever before. Energy innovation is growing by leaps and bounds.

Yet energy infrastructure is aging, extreme weather is more frequent, and the energy industry is outdated based on a 20th-century model.

This was never clearer than in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

Seeing the effects of the storm firsthand, Governor Cuomo sought to rebuild, strengthen, and modernize New York's energy system while bringing economic growth to New York. His strategy: Reforming the Energy Vision.

The Governor has tasked the New York Public Service Commission (PSC), the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) to work together to make the Governor's strategy for a clean, resilient, and more affordable energy system a reality, while actively spurring energy innovation, bringing new investments into the State, and improving consumer choice.

THE NEW YORK STATE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (NYSERDA)

NYSERDA's INDUSTRIAL AND PROCESS EFFICIENCY PROGRAM
Performance-based incentives can help manufacturers, data centers, and other production facilities implement energy efficiency and process improvements to improve productivity and reduce costs.

The Industrial and Process Efficiency (IPE) program aims to help manufacturers, data centers, and other production facilities increase output and improve processing as efficiently as possible. NYSERDA calculates financial support for these projects on first-year annual energy savings and, when appropriate, accounts for reductions in energy intensity (the energy used per unit of production or workload). In addition to financial support from NYSERDA, ongoing cost reductions and productivity improvements resulting from the project continue for the life of the equipment.

Manufacturers
More Program Information and Project Types
NYSERDA helps manufacturers reduce costs, including plastics and packaging, chemicals, petrochemicals, metals, paper and pulp, transportation, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, mining and mineral processing, general manufacturing, and equipment manufacturers.

Process Efficiency
Process efficiency projects improve or replace an existing process and result in a gross reduction of energy use or a net reduction of energy use per unit of production. Projects may involve:
• Industrial process improvements or new installations
• Capacity additions that improve the energy use per unit processed
• Quality improvement
• Waste and scrap reduction
• Throughput increase

Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency projects reduce on-site consumption of energy in new or existing facilities. Projects may involve:
• Energy recovery from an industrial process
• Space conditioning improvements related to process only
• Pumping system improvements
• Compressed air efficiency
• Fluid and support system improvements

Operations & Maintenance
Operations and Maintenance projects save energy annually because of upgrades or initiatives to improve operations. Projects may involve:
• Compressed air system leak management
• Replacement of leaking steam traps
• Installation of cogged styles fan belts
• Burner tune-up

Incentives
NYSERDA's performance-based incentives are calculated from the total annual kilowatt-hour (kWh) savings that result from implementing energy efficiency measures. NYSERDA determines incentives by multiplying the annual energy savings by the rates shown. As a result, ongoing cost reductions and productivity improvements resulting from the project continue for the life of the equipment.
- NYSERDA

Data Centers
Data center downtime costs are estimated to be $9,000 per minute. Investing in energy efficiency and making it an integral part of your processes can reduce downtime, improve resiliency, and ensure greater reliability. NYSERDA's Industrial and Process Efficiency (IPE) program offers performance-based incentives to help data center owners and operators offset the cost of investments in energy efficiency and IT productivity projects in their data centers.

ENERGY STORAGE PROGRAM
Value Stacking Pilot Projects
A robust energy storage market can help New York State achieve its long-term clean energy goals by integrating renewables, reducing peak demand, and decreasing the need for fossil fuels.
NYSERDA's Energy Storage program is engaging individuals and organizations involved in building, installing, integrating, or researching energy storage technology.

Value Stacking Pilot Projects
Energy storage is a technology with the potential for value stacking—providing services for, and bringing value to, multiple stakeholders such as consumers, utilities, and the wholesale market. Through the Value Stacking Pilot Projects solicitation, NYSERDA will seek proposals to demonstrate how energy storage can reduce costs and/or increase revenues for multiple stakeholders while creating a cleaner, more resilient energy system. NYSERDA will select pilot projects competitively based on various factors, including local grid and energy system needs, replicability across the State, and the potential for returns on investment without incentives.

NYSERDA intends for these pilot projects to serve as bellwether demonstrations to support tomorrow's grid as Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed Reforming the Energy Vision. The pilot projects will provide information that will allow NYSERDA to, among other activities:
• Evaluate the performance and quantify the value of energy storage to the State's energy system
• Share lessons learned and use-case scenarios to guide on optimizing energy storage systems going forward

New York City

New York City's recent LL84:

Amendment lowers mandatory benchmarking and audit to 25,000 Gross SF from 50,000 Gross SF.

On October 13, 2016, the New York City Council approved a necessary amendment to Local Law 84, another solid step toward Mayor de Blasio's ardent quest for New York City to emerge as the global leader in sustainability and resiliency.

The amendments, Int. No. 1163A was drafted by committees chaired by Councilman Garodnick and guided by Speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Council members Richards, Johnson, Constantinides, Chin, Rosenthal, Kalos, and Barron (in conjunction with the Mayor).

We can expect greater calls for more substantial standards and reporting requirements in the months and years ahead. All are required for New York City to catch up with global applications. New York City was ranked the 20th of the leading sustainable cities globally and third behind Boston and Chicago in the United States according to the 2015 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index.

The Amendment: Updates to Local Law 84 will impact two categories identified as City Buildings & Covered Buildings

CITY BUILDINGS. A building that is more than 10,000 gross square feet, as it appears in the records of the department of finance, that is owned by the city or for which the city regularly directly pays all [or part] of the annual energy bills, provided that two or more buildings on the same tax lot shall be deemed to be one building.

COVERED BUILDING. As it appears in the records of the department of finance, (i) a building that exceeds [50,000] 25,000 gross square feet, (ii) two or more buildings on the same tax lot that together exceed 100,000 gross square feet, [or] (iii) two or more buildings held in the condominium form of ownership that is governed by the same board of managers and that together exceed 100,000 gross square feet, or (iv) a city building.

The amendment to Local Law 84 lowers the requirement for mandatory benchmarking from 50,000 to 25,000 square feet. However, there are exceptions. This new legislation will significantly impact a key segment of New York City's building stock. Building owners, developers, engineers, architects, and related professionals will be required to be up to speed on reporting deadlines and new guidelines.

New Language and Reporting Requirements: Aside from lowering the square footage, the amendment has a wealth of exceptions and reporting guidelines which will put more teeth into Local Law 84. GBW feels that these are necessary and solid steps toward collaboration and transparency.

New York City's Climate Targets: A Roadmap for New York City's Buildings, the One City Built to Last Plan outlined 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 from 2005 levels over the next decade. The city government can lead the way and will commit to achieving a 35 percent reduction in emissions in the next ten years.

Background: The One City Built to Last plan set out to achieve these goals by 2025

Complete efficiency improvements in every City-owned building with significant energy use and install 100 MW of on-site 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 voluntary reductions and new regulations, such as performance standards and measure-based mandates, which would be triggered if adequate reductions are not achieved.

The plan is deployed under One City, Built to Last, a long-term scheme to improve the energy efficiency of NYC buildings and adapt to more renewable energy sources. Buildings contribute to three-quarters of the total emissions in the city every year.

Council member Daniel Garodnick remarked, "the city and building owners are natural partners in energy efficiency."

New York City's recent LL88:

Amendment lowers SF required to Mandate installation of sub-meters and upgrade of lighting to 25,000

On October 13, 2016, the New York City Council approved two (2) important amendments to Local Law 88, concrete steps towards Mayor de Blasio's ardent quest for New York City to emerge as the global leader in sustainability and resiliency - keeping the promises outlined in One City, Built to Last Plan developed by the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability.

The amendments: Approved in Council on October 13, 2016

Int. No. 1160 was drafted in committee by Council member Costa G. Constantinides (in conjunction with the Mayor) to amend the administrative code of the city of New York concerning the installation of sub-meters in specific tenant spaces.

Int. No. 1165 was drafted in committee by Council member Donovan J. Richards (in conjunction with the Mayor) to amend the administrative code of the city of New York concerning upgrading lighting systems in certain buildings.

We can expect greater calls for stronger standards and reporting requirements in the months and years ahead. All are required for New York City to catch up with global applications. New York City was ranked the 20th of the leading sustainable cities globally and third behind Boston and Chicago in the United States according to the 2015 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index.

The Amendments: Updates to Local Law 88

Submetering: This bill expands the sub-metering requirements to owners of buildings 25,000 gross square feet or larger. Prior, Owners of buildings of 50,000 gross square feet or larger were required to upgrade their buildings' lighting systems to comply with the standards for new systems set forth in the New York city energy conservation code.

Lighting: This bill expands the lighting upgrade requirements to owners of buildings 25,000 gross square feet or larger. Prior, Owners of buildings of 50,000 gross square feet or larger were required to upgrade their buildings' lighting systems to comply with the standards for new systems set forth in the New York city energy conservation code.

New Language and Reporting Requirements are laid out in both amendments.

New York City's Climate Targets: A Roadmap for New York City's Buildings, the One City Built to Last Plan outlined 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 from 2005 levels over the next decade. City government can lead the way and will commit to achieving a 35 percent reduction in emissions in the next ten years.

Background: The One City Built to Last plan set out to achieve these goals by 2025

Complete efficiency improvements in every City-owned building with significant energy use and install 100 MW of on-site 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 voluntary reductions and new regulations, such as performance standards and measure-based mandates, which would be triggered if adequate reductions are not achieved.

Council member Constantinides remarked, "seventy percent of carbon emissions come from buildings; this legislation requiring sub-meters in specific tenant spaces will place the city closer to its goal to meet 2025.