H2M Joins the NYC Accelerator Program
New York City’s Local Law 97 (LL97) is a carbon emission reduction policy with teeth. Real estate stakeholders who don’t comply with the new law may start to see financial penalties as soon as 2025. Experts including H2M architects + engineers have joined the NYC Accelerator as Service Providers to help building owners and community organizations improve their energy efficiency by the deadline.
What is Local Law 97?
The Climate Mobilization Act is a set of laws that represent New York City’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. LL97 is the centerpiece of that Act. Fifty-thousand buildings across 22,000 properties will be subject to LL97’s emission caps. This law alone is expected to reduce cumulative emissions from large buildings by at least 40% by 2030.
Emission limits are based on the building occupancy type, such as offices (Group B), hotels (Group R-1), or permanent residences (Group R-2). This law applies to individual buildings over 25,000 gross square feet and sets of buildings grossing 50,000 square feet that are either on the same tax lot or are governed by the same board of managers. The New York City Department of Buildings has created a list of buildings that must comply with LL97, which can be found here.
Property owners of a covered building must submit a report of their 2024 emissions by May 1, 2025. Any building that exceeds the limit will face an annual penalty of $268 per ton of carbon dioxide emissions over the limit.
Energy efficiency and carbon neutrality are not easy goals. They will require significant investments of time and energy. To ease the burden, LL97 will recognize “good faith efforts.” Building owners who submit a decarbonization plan by May 1, 2025 with steps for achieving compliance may be able to mitigate some fines. These steps must include compliance with other building energy laws such as Local Law 84 (energy benchmarking and collecting energy consumption data) and Local Law 88 (lighting upgrades and submeter installations).
What is the NYC Accelerator?
The NYC Accelerator and its approved Service Providers are ready to help. According to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice’s website, the Accelerator “provides resources, training, and one-on-one expert guidance to help building owners…improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.” Dedicated account managers who are also compliance experts can work one-on-one with you to determine how LL97 requirements apply to your property and can connect you to financing options and industry professionals.
H2M was recently accepted as an Accelerator Service Provider. Our architects and engineers are experts in LL97 compliance and are prepared to present different ways to help you reduce your building’s carbon footprint: How old is your boiler? Can it be replaced with a newer, more efficient model? What is the insulation rating on your windows and doors? Will you be leaking heat this winter? Do you have space on your roof for solar panels? There are many possibilities, but an expert can make them realities.
Reach out to NYC Accelerator through their website or connect directly with H2M through Brian Castelli at BCastelli@h2m.com.
