Navigating New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Legislation

Buildings larger than 50,000 square feet account for 45% of New York City’s energy consumption. The City took a major step toward lowering energy usage when it passed the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan legislation in 2010. The legislation will require all large buildings to benchmark their baseline energy consumption annually, audit and retro-commission once per decade, and upgrade lighting and install tenant sub-meters by 2025. The heightened focus on efficiency is driving investment in the energy performance of aging buildings. At the same time, economic conditions are forcing private firms to seek ways to reduce operating costs and distinguish themselves through labels such as LEED® and ENERGY STAR. The measures needed to achieve operating savings are highly specific to each building, and the efficiency planning and improvement process requires diverse expertise not typically available in one place. To respond to this need, HR&A has teamed up with Buro Happold Engineers and SHoP Construction to form G.Works, a unique partnership that provides a single source for energy efficiency projects from planning through implementation.

G.Works is guided by the principle that efficiency investments must be not only socially responsible, but also economically prudent, producing a healthy return. G.Works identifies the most cost-effective improvements, determines optimal phasing given capital budgets and lease structures, secures the best package of public incentives, and then installs and commissions the measures. The G.Works partners draw upon over 80 years of combined experience to provide dedicated project management, expert technical and financial analysis, consistent delivery and ongoing support, all in a timely and cost-effective manner.

G.Works customizes a suite of services for each client, ranging from a targeted lighting study to a turnkey LEED implementation. Our Phase I G.Works Action Plan provides a "go/no-go" decision point for proceeding with Phase II implementation work. For owners wishing to comply with the new City legislation, G.Works will conduct all required analyses, prepare a Greener, Greater Action Plan that meets reporting guidelines, and obtain a 50% cost-share from NYSERDA for our work.

To find out more about the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, available incentives, and G.Works' services and experience, visit our website.