NYC is going to make you change your lightbulbs

In the latest two-step from NYC on the subject of green building, here's the latest bill to pass (as reported by LightNow)

Some highlights (again, thanks to LightNow for the run down):

Int. No. 973-A: Legislation that requires large commercial buildings (over 50,000 square feet) to upgrade their lighting and sub-meter tenant spaces over 10,000 square feet;

Int. No. 564-A: Legislation that creates a New York City Energy Code that existing buildings will have to meet whenever they make renovations (closing the loophole that allows buildings to perpetuate non-compliant systems if they perform renovations on less than half of a given building system);

Int. No. 476-A: Legislation that requires large buildings owners to make an annual benchmark analysis of energy consumption so that owners, tenants, and potential tenants can compare buildings’ energy consumption; and

Int. No. 967-A: Legislation that requires large private buildings to conduct energy audits once every decade and implement energy efficient maintenance practices. Also, all city-owned buildings over 10,000 sq ft will be required to conduct audits and complete energy retrofits that pay for themselves within 7-years.

I don't have a ton of time this morning for commentary, but look for more tonight. We specifically mentioned NYC legislation initiatives in our white paper. This update only strengthens the argument that businesses are soon going to face one of two options, meeting energy requirements on their own terms, or have their arms twisted. Build2Sustain advocates the former.

Look for more on the bill from our blog later this week.