To reach its aggressive sustainability goals, New York City needs to do more than improve new construction and renovations. It has to proactively address its existing buildings, a problem that is difficult to tackle because New York City has almost a million of them. However, it turns out that the city's square footage is highly concentrated in less than two percent of its properties; two percent translates into 16,000 properties over 50,000 square feet, which account for half of New York City's square footage and 45 percent of New York City's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These larger buildings also tend to have more sophisticated management and more financial and technical resources than do smaller buildings.

Consequently, New York City enacted a comprehensive effort, called the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP), which targets energy efficiency in these large existing buildings. The City's signature effort in energy efficiency is an internationally recognized, industry-transforming energy efficiency package that is leading the nation in energy efficiency policy. GGBP is designed to ensure that information about energy is provided to decision-makers and that the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures are pursued.

GGBP consists of four regulatory pieces supplemented by with extensive jobs training and a financing entity called the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC). It includes a requirement that large buildings annually benchmark their energy performance (LL84); that a local energy code be adopted (LL85); that every 10 years these buildings conduct an energy audit and a retro-commissioning (LL87); and that by 2025, the lighting in the non-residential space be upgraded to meet code and large commercial tenants be provided with sub-meters (LL88).

These laws will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 5 percent, have a net savings of $7 billion, and create roughly 17,800 construction-related jobs over 10 years.

For a detailed overview of GGBP, download the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan Overview (in PDF).

WorldGBC Government Leadership Award in Industry Transformation
In December 2011, GGBP was internationally recognized by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), winning the first inaugural Industry Transformation Award in the WorldGBC Government Leadership Awards for Excellence in City Policy. Read the 2011 WorldGBC Government Leadership Awards publication (in PDF) for more information.

GGBP as Featured Case Study in ICLEI and IMT Commercial Energy Policy Toolkit
Analysis of GGBP and its success has been recently featured in a case study developed by the Local Government for Sustainability USA (ICLEI) and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT). The case study is part of a Commercial Energy Policy Toolkit designed to "advance innovative program and policy tools in local jurisdictions that have the greatest potential to reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings." For more information, read Case Study: New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (in PDF).