Image Credit: NYC DOB.

Buildings will be graded on a scale of A to F. On September 8, 2020, the Department of Buildings announced that starting on October 30, 2020, all NYC Buildings 25,000 square feet or larger will be legally required to post energy efficiency letter grade signs at their entrances. Similar to restaurant health grade signs, these energy efficiency signs will create greater transparency for the public about how each building operates.

Under Local Law 33 of 2018 and Local Law 95 of 2019, over 40,000 buildings citywide will be required to post an energy efficiency letter grade sign near each public entrance to their buildings. Each building receives an energy efficiency score and an efficiency rating of “A” through “F” based on the building’s energy and water usage.

Each building’s energy efficiency score is calculated using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s online benchmarking tool that compares each building’s energy performance to similar buildings in similar climate areas. As stated on DOB’s Energy Efficiency and Benchmarking webpage, “This data increases transparency regarding properties’ annual energy and water usage – the first step for building owners and tenants in making their buildings operate more efficiently.”

While owners can access and print this label in the DOB NOW Public Portal starting on October 1, 2020, the labels must be posted by October 30, 2020. Failure to post the label by October 30, 2020, may result in a fine of $1,250, according to DOB’s Service Notice and Benchmarking page.

By: Victoria Agosta (Victoria is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2022.)

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