As illustrated in PLANYC, Mayor Bloomberg hopes to execute numerous initiatives to establish a greener city. One area of concern is housing. Bloomberg has continued to push for legislation that would obligate commercial building owners to put into place energy audits and make energy-efficient retrofits. Already in progress is the green renovation of New York’s 1909 landmark Argonaut building in Manhattan, which will cost $20 million. Bloomberg’s legislation plan comes in four pieces, and if they are achieved, the laws could take effect in 2013. These potential regulations include creating a New York City Energy Code for existing buildings whenever they undergo renovations, owners of buildings that are 50,000 sq ft. or more will be necessitated to conduct an audit at least every ten years, buildings of the aforementioned size will need to conduct a benchmark analysis of energy consumption every year, and these buildings will also need to include energy-efficient lighting systems.
However, there is much opposition to Bloomberg’s goals. Many building owners are realizing that upfront costs to renovate infrastructure and customize housing to meet the Mayor’s standards will be stressful. For small buildings especially, an audit that costs thousands of dollars would pose a problem. As a result, strong resistance has forced the Mayor into loosening his grip on the greener housing package. For instance, the Mayor has decided to leave it to the owners’ discretion of whether or not to change their buildings as directed by the audits. Another point that has been made against the plan is the current recession. There is really no money to spare these days to fund for these restorations. According to James F. Gennaro, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection, it is expected that property owners will galvanize to change windows, upgrade windows, and other measures to produce lower carbon emissions. However, it is unlikely that public building owners will jump at the opportunity to make a change especially with financial instability and difficulty with obtaining bank loans. (1)
Ultimately, it comes down to the issue of Cost Efficiency versus Energy Efficiency, and determining which is more important. Although Bloomberg’s revised plan is no longer as strong as the original, he still believes that in the long run, New York’s citizens will be compensated by living in a greener environment and spending less money on energy costs.
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Sources:
(1)
Bloomberg Drops an Effort to Cut Building Energy Use
Last Accessed 5.07.10
Picture of Mayor Michael Bloomberg taken from Inhabitat.com
Last Accessed 5.07.10
