Mayor de Blasio announced today that New York City is committing to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent over 2005 levels by 2050, starting with One City, Built to Last: Transforming New York City’s Buildings for a Low-Carbon Future – a sweeping plan to retrofit public and private buildings to dramatically reduce the city’s contributions to climate change, while spurring major cost savings and creating thousands of new jobs for New Yorkers who most need them. This makes New York the largest city to commit to the 80 percent reduction by 2050, and charts a long-term path for investment in renewable sources of energy and a total transition from fossil fuels.
Nearly three quarters of New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions come from energy used to heat, cool, and power buildings, making building retrofits a central component of any plan to dramatically reduce emissions.
The City is poised to make direct investments to increase the efficiency of its public buildings, including schools and public housing, reducing the government’s contribution to climate change and generating operational savings for New York City taxpayers. Every single city-owned building with any significant energy use – approximately 3,000 buildings – will be retrofitted within the next ten years, by 2025, with interim goals along the way.
The City will also spur private building owners to invest in efficiency upgrades, setting ambitious interim targets and incentives to catalyze voluntary reductions, and implementing mandates that trigger if interim reduction targets are not met – leading to retrofits in tens of thousands of private-owned buildings. High energy costs take a disproportionate toll on lower-income residents who typically live in less-efficient buildings and must pay a higher share of their income for energy. The City’s plan aims to protect New Yorkers from rising utility bills while reducing emissions and poor air quality and stimulating demand for retrofitting and renewable energy jobs
This plan is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 3.4 million metric tons a year by 2025 – an additional 10 percent reduction in building-based greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to taking 715,000 vehicles off of the road. This will also generate cost-savings across the public and private sectors of more than $1.4 billion a year by 2025, leading to $8.5 billion in cumulative energy cost-savings over ten years. It’s anticipated that approximately 3,500 new jobs in construction and energy services will be created, in addition to the training of more than 7,000 building staff to upgrade their skills.
Read One City, Built to Last: Transforming New York City’s Buildings for a Low-Carbon Future here: nyc.gov/builttolast
“Climate change is an existential threat to New Yorkers and our planet. Acting now is nothing short of a moral imperative,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “New York City must continue to set the pace and provide the bold leadership that’s needed – and becoming the world’s largest city to commit to an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 is central to that commitment. By retrofitting all of our public buildings with significant energy use in the next ten years, we’re leading by example; and by partnering with the private sector, we’ll reduce emissions and improve efficiency while generating billions in savings and creating thousands of jobs for New Yorkers who need it most.”
“I strongly support innovative efforts to make public housing more energy efficient and sustainable. Expanding the energy retrofit initiative in New York City would make an incredible contribution to this goal. This would also support our Climate Action Plan, which is aiming to cut energy waste by half in the residential sector. We’re committed to dedicating a team within HUD to work with NYCHA, the largest public housing owner in the country, to make this effort a reality. As funding for public housing decreases, we must find creative ways to invest in our communities. Mayor de Blasio and I believe this initiative has great promise. Through these Energy Performance Contracts, HUD has already leveraged more than $1 billion across the country to retrofit aging public housing buildings, and we look forward to expanding this program in New York City through our partnership,” said United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.
“This plan, along with the Council’s extensive legislative and policy platform, will go a long way towards ensuring New York has a long term plan for the future. New York must lead on sustainability because we know when New York acts others pay attention and this plan will lay out a future that’s greener and more environmentally friendly,” said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
“As the New York City Public Advocate, I know we must act with urgency to combat the irrefutable damage that climate change is wreaking on our city, our country, and our world. Mayor de Blasio’s plan to expand energy-efficiency standards in New York City, starting with city-owned buildings, is both substantively and symbolically important in that it will kick-start a bold and meaningful campaign to take on climate change. By marching together in the People’s Climate March, we will call attention to this critical issue; by enacting this ambitious energy efficiency plan, we will make a long-lasting difference in the health of our city and our planet,” said Public Advocate Letitia James.
“We need bold and decisive leadership to combat climate change, and Mayor de Blasio is clearly leading the way to make New York City a powerful and driving force in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and becoming a model for energy efficiency. When New York City acts, the world takes notice. As New York City proudly hosts the People’s Climate March – the largest ever of its kind – I commend Mayor de Blasio for demonstrating the kind of leadership required to develop solutions and jump-start global climate action,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
“Mayor de Blasio’s ambitious plan to address climate change puts New York City on the map as a global leader on a crucial environmental issue. Our city will set an example for the world, while reducing carbon emissions, lowering energy costs for taxpayers and creating new jobs,” said Senate Temporary President and Majority Coalition Leader Jeff Klein.
“Protecting New Yorkers from the devastating effects of climate change has to be one of our top public safety priorities. I commend Mayor de Blasio for this ambitious plan and look forward to working with him as we protect our environment for future generations and work toward a greener and more sustainable New York,” said Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
“I strongly support Mayor de Blasio’s plan to cut carbon emissions across the five boroughs. By engaging both public and private sectors, New York City can continue to be a global leader in sustainability. With the Mayor’s leadership, we will show the world how taking the fight to climate change is essential not only to the health of our environment, but to our economy as well,” said New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
The plan will be implemented through a Compstat-like portal at the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Operations and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, to track the City and the private sector’s progress towards these goals with periodic updates and a public-facing web presence to report on progress each year.
One City: Built to Last, Transforming New York City’s Buildings for a Low Carbon Future will:
Make Our Public Buildings Models of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Generation
- Invest in high-value efficiency upgrades in approximately 150 to 200 City buildings per year for the next ten years, including schools, firehouses, hospitals, police precincts, libraries, and homeless shelters. This will be through a competitive citywide process that identifies the most effective reduction measures across the public building portfolio.
- Will have upgraded every city building with significant energy use by 2025.
- Perform energy upgrades in 450 schools over the next five years – including 325 comprehensive lighting upgrades and 125 boiler replacements to improve energy efficiency and improve indoor air quality (PCB remediation).
- Increase solar and renewable energy deployment on City assets, beginning with 24 schools. Install solar on more than 300 city buildings, generating 100MW of energy over the next decade.
- Pilot cutting edge energy technology from local clean tech start-ups in City buildings.
- Hire additional operations and maintenance staff and expand training programs for the City’s building operators to upgrade skills and ensure equipment is operated efficiently.
- Partner with HUD on the Energy Performance Contract (EPC) program to unlock the potential for undertaking large-scale energy efficiency measures at NYCHA that will free up dollars for other critical needs and improve quality of life for residents.
Create a Thriving Private Market for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
- Set ambitious interim targets for emission reductions and efficiency improvements for private buildings – to be met with aggressive City-directed programs to catalyze voluntary reductions, and mandates that trigger if interim reduction targets are not met, to be developed by a task force.
- Require buildings over 25,000 sq. ft. to measure and disclose energy use annually, conduct energy assessments, and upgrade lighting. The current mandate includes only buildings over 50,000 sq. ft.
- Catalyze the retrofitting of approximately 20,000 private buildings through a “retrofit accelerator” program, making up an estimated 15 percent of citywide built square footage. Two-thirds will be multifamily buildings, and roughly 40 percent will be government-assisted affordable or rent-stabilized buildings.
- Connect New York workers with new jobs and opportunities in energy efficiency and renewable energy, with an integrated workforce development focus throughout each initiative.
- Create a green grant program for affordable housing that will fund efficiency upgrades in exchange for regulatory agreements to preserve affordability. Deploy with local partners in neighborhoods where preservation and rehab of affordable housing is needed and where energy efficiency can reduce the load on the electric grid.
- Incorporate efficiency measures into all Department of Housing Preservation and Development moderate rehab programs by requiring that all buildings undergo an energy audit as part of the capital needs assessment process.
- Organize communities to spur efficiency retrofits, focusing on neighborhoods that face growing threats to affordability due to rising operating costs and changing market conditions.
- Challenge the City’s largest institutions and leaders in the private sector to commit to deep carbon reductions of 30 to 50 percent over ten years.
- Fund trainings in energy efficiency best practices for building staff to save energy and promote skills upgrading.
- Spur the development of more than 250MW of private solar generation across the City in the next decade – a dramatic eightfold increase over current levels.
- Support clean tech businesses — in energy efficiency, energy storage, or renewable energy generation — seeking to expand in New York City.
With this green buildings plan, the City also released this year’s benchmarking report analyzing energy and water consumption data in large buildings reported in 2013. New York City is the first city to undertake a multi-year benchmarking analysis to better understand energy and water usage across a wide variety of building types and uses, establish a living library of building data, and identify opportunities to reduce consumption. New York City has, by far, the largest square footage (over 2 billion square feet) of buildings encompassed by the benchmarking legislation (Local Law 84 [2009]).
The Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability has worked closely with NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) for the past three years on this annual report. CUSP has provided an unprecedented level of data cleaning, validation, and analytics for the largest citywide data set of buildings in the U.S. – allowing New York City to continue to lead with energy efficiency policies informed by rigorous data analysis.
Read the full Benchmarking Report here: http://on.nyc.gov/1pnuN38
The City also released this year’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, pursuant to Local Law 22 (2008), which is an annual inventory and analysis of citywide GHG emissions. Read the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory here: http://on.nyc.gov/1uahs5P
The City’s commitment to dramatically reducing its contributions to climate change go hand-in-hand with its aggressive implementation of a comprehensive, citywide resiliency plan that will better protect against the risks of climate change. Earlier this year, Mayor de Blasio created the first-ever City office focused on resiliency — the new Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency — which is leading the City’s work on short- and long-term measures to strengthen coastal defenses, upgrade buildings, protect infrastructure and critical services, and make homes, businesses, and neighborhoods safer and more vibrant.
“This major commitment to cutting climate change pollution from the city’s largest source is a perfect way to commemorate the Mayor’s first climate week. Nearly two years after Sandy ravaged so many New Yorkers’ homes—this commitment will not only help combat the pollution that’s turbocharging our weather, but help make housing for many in the city more affordable. This is the kind of urgent action we need in order to protect our children and build a more sustainable city in a changing world. We look forward to working with the mayor to continue building a better future for the people of New York,” said Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“America’s #1 city will show the way to the big cuts in climate pollution we need,” said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund. “I congratulate Mayor de Blasio for his leadership, especially the Mayor’s plan to upgrade buildings so they waste far less energy – cutting costs for families and businesses, cleaning the air, and delivering jobs. I am thrilled to see this proven approach, based on the NY Clean Heat program EDF partnered with the City to create and expand, further expanded in the retrofit accelerator.”
“We applaud Mayor de Blasio for his visionary commitment to an 80% carbon reduction by 2050. Bold plans like these are what’s required to pull our planet back from the brink of irreversible climate devastation. Climate change affects everyone – but its impacts are not evenly felt. Climate justice demands that we protect our most vulnerable communities. We hope New York City’s leadership triggers a municipal revolution that compels global leaders to finally take long overdue action,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
“The Mayor is putting New York City on the path to a smarter, cleaner, greener, and more resilient city. Climate change is real, dangerous, and worsening. It falls upon us to slash carbon emissions and protect the city from the climate disruptions ahead. With the smart building policies announced today and with the Mayor’s long-term commitment to a city that runs on clean energy, New York City will benefit as a global sustainability leader,” said Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University.
“As thousands of people participate in today’s historic People’s Climate March, Mayor de Blasio is right to announce this bold plan to address climate change. This new plan will help drastically reduce carbon emissions while strengthening vulnerable communities hit hardest by Sandy and creating good jobs that lead to careers. Sandy survivors look forward to playing an active role in helping to implement this plan and making their neighborhoods more resilient,” said Susannah Dyen, Coordinator of the Alliance for a Just Rebuilding.
“New York knows from hard experience just how dangerous global warming already is. We’re proud to stand with the Mayor as he calls for real change, and we look forward to working with the City to move forward boldly to address the climate crisis,” said May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org.
“As we continue to increase awareness about the importance of creating a sustainable environment, it is imperative that we recognize that the fight to preserve our environment and the fight to create good jobs go hand in hand,” said Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “I applaud Mayor de Blasio for crafting a detailed plan to ensure that our planet and its resources remain intact for future generations of working families. The NYC Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO-CIO is committed to standing with the de Blasio Administration, and with partners who share our commitment to protecting our environment and our workforce.”
“Tackling climate change is the challenge of a generation and it will require all the ingenuity and skill of America’s workers to do it. Energy efficiency retrofits are a win-win-win. They reduce emissions, save money and create living wage jobs. New York City can lead the way and fight climate change and inequality at the same time,” said Valerie Ervin, Executive Director of the Center for Working Families.
“Increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions will help solidify New York’s standing as the world’s model of sustainability,” said Rob Speyer, Chair of The Real Estate Board of New York. “Mayor de Blasio should be commended for his leadership, making New York the largest City to ever make this ambitious commitment, hopefully leading the way for other cities around the world to follow.”
“We applauded the Mayor and his administration in taking a strong stance to address the issue of climate change here in the City of New York. The NAACP supports the Mayor’s initiative of reducing carbon emissions by retrofitting public buildings including public housing across the city,” said Hazel Dukes, President of the New York Chapter of the NAACP.
“We applaud Mayor de Blasio’s aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York and set us on a path to energy independence,” said Bill Rudin, Chairman of the Association for a Better New York and Vice Chairman and CEO of Rudin Management Company. “We are eager to work with the Administration to develop a citywide retrofit plan that balances significant capital investment with the need to improve efficiency and utilize alternative fuel sources to ensure a cleaner New York.”
“The Mayor’s commitment to reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency in our city’s built environment is one that the business community shares and this plan outlines a public-private initiative that we support,” stated Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO, the Partnership for New York City.
“The effects of climate change have been ravaging the communities where NYCC members live for years. From the devastation Sandy brought in the Rockaways to the disproportionately high asthma rates in Central Brooklyn and the South Bronx, low-income communities of color have suffered the majority of the consequences linked to our changing planet. Mayor de Blasio is proposing a new way forward in this city — attacking the root cause of the crisis while creating good jobs for New Yorkers. This is an important first step in a visionary plan to build a New York that is sustainable for NYCC members in vulnerable communities across the city, as well as for future generations,” said Jonathan Westin, Executive Director of New York Communities for Change.
“Accelerating retrofits of large and mid-size buildings is a win/win for the planet, and for New York City’s residents and workers,” said Adam Friedman, Executive Director of the Pratt Center for Community Development. “When we make our buildings more efficient, we not only reduce greenhouse gasses but help keep housing and small business space affordable, and enable workers to share in the value they create. Pratt Center is eager to work with Mayor de Blasio’s administration to scale up retrofits citywide.”
“Our city must lead the way in responding to climate change and taking drastic steps to decrease contributing factors for it. We saw the tragic impact caused by Superstorm Sandy, and have a moral obligation to act now. This plan will greatly reduce our city’s carbon footprint while setting an example across the city and globe. I commend Mayor de Blasio for taking the visible threat of climate change seriously and look forward to working with his administration to reach these goals and make further progress,” said Councilmember Mark Treyger.
“I am proud to join the Mayor and hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in support of The People’s Climate March. Climate change is the largest problem facing our planet, and with luck this will be the largest demonstration of our commitment to do something about it. Cities, their residents, and those who govern them have a responsibility to lead the way in reducing our carbon footprint, and the place to start is in our own businesses, homes, and public buildings. As Borough President, I fully support the Mayor’s initiatives to make New York the nation’s greenest city,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
“The building retrofit program that the administration has developed is both aggressive and achievable,” said Bill Goldstein Senior Advisor to the Mayor for Recovery, Resiliency, and Infrastructure. “The initiatives that we have crafted to successfully implement this program and the transparent tracking tools that we will use to monitor our progress will be models for similar programs throughout the country.”
“Climate change will affect the lives of all New Yorkers in many ways over the coming decades,” said Daniel Zarrilli, acting Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. “The Mayor’s bold plan will not only put New York City on a path toward a low-carbon economy, it will also demonstrate to the world how cities can solve this crisis and limit the future’s most destructive climate change impacts.”
“A comprehensive energy management strategy will ensure that all of the City’s public buildings are models for sustainability,” said Stacey Cumberbatch, Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
“New York City’s ambitious Energy Code surpasses national standards, and now under the leadership of Mayor de Blasio we have a plan to integrate these efficiencies into existing structures by retrofitting our public buildings, and working with private owners to incorporate these standards,” said Department of Buildings Commissioner Rick D. Chandler. “To advance this initiative, the Department of Buildings will work closely with stakeholders in the construction industry to support and educate builders during plan examinations on sustainable building practices that are provided in the NYC Energy Code. The bold and achievable goal of an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050 isn’t only necessary for upholding our city’s future in combating climate change, but will also provide substantial energy cost savings for New Yorkers.”
“The international community must band together to address the undeniable impact of climate change, but it is the world’s urban centers that can and must take the lead. With this ambitious plan, Mayor de Blasio is doing just that – marshaling every City resource at his disposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As Chair of the Assembly’s Labor Committee, I am particularly enthusiastic about the job creation and employee training parts of the plan. It’s truly a win-win – reducing the city’s carbon footprint while employing and training thousands in construction and energy services,” said Assembly Member Carl Heastie.
“Climate change is a critical issue throughout my Brooklyn district. I applaud Mayor de Blasio’s effort to cut back harmful emissions and to improve our quality of life. Red Hook and Sunset Park are still recovering from Sandy. The Mayor’s initiative will be a big help,” said Assemblyman Felix W. Ortiz.
“I applaud Mayor de Blasio for the scope and ambition of the plan he’s announcing today. If we’re going to meet the urgent challenge of climate pollution, government has a crucial role to play, both in improving public sector operations and spurring everyone to make the changes we need to make. With the Mayor’s leadership, I’m confident New York City will continue to rise to this challenge, and ultimately demonstrate that the need for transformative action is not so much a burden requiring sacrifice, as it is an opportunity to do things better, cleaner, and cheaper and make our communities and our world more livable, equitable, and productive. I’m committed to doing everything I can to support the Mayor’s efforts to set us on the path to achieving this,”
said Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh.
“Our children are already ahead of us in understanding the importance of energy and the environment. Congratulations to Mayor de Blasio on leading the way to improve our school buildings,” said Assembly Member Cathy Nolan.
“We can no longer afford to not be fully committed to take on the threat of climate change,: said Council Member Julissa Ferreras. “I commend Mayor de Blasio and his administration for taking a bold step towards a greener future for all of our families. This plan should serve as the blueprint for the future of our American cities, and illustrates how our City once again is at the forefront of innovative and progressive thinking.”
“If we don’t want to tell our grandkids that we utterly failed them – when the evidence was clear – then we must take bold action now. I’m proud that New York City is leading the way. By setting an ambitious goal, retrofitting our buildings to save energy, and dramatically reducing New York City’s own use of fossil fuels, we’ll be able to approach future generations with a clear conscience and a more sustainable planet,” said Council Member Brad Lander.
“Throughout Climate Week we have had an opportunity to highlight problems that have occurred in urban America, many which have deep roots in environmental injustice,” said Council Member I. Daneek Miller. “In areas such as my district in Southeast Queens, where a vast majority of residents are homeowners, we have been hit by issues such as inequitable waste disposal, flooding, and rising utility costs. Yet in order to address these problems, a new approach to our environmental responsibilities is needed. For this reason, I am proud to stand with Mayor de Blasio in charting new goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote renewable energy, and lower costs by utilizing smarter technologies – all while creating new jobs through retrofitting projects and developing green facilities. I thank the Mayor for his leadership on this issue and look forward to creating an environmentally friendly City in an economically sensible way for working New Yorkers.”
“I applaud Mayor de Blasio for advancing a forward thinking plan that will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and ensure the long-term preservation of our city and planet for future generations. NYCHA has an important role to play in reducing this city’s carbon footprint and I look forward to working with the administration to make our public housing more efficient and resilient,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres.