MARCH 2017 • Volume 13 • Issue 3 decision-makers, which include building owners, managers, superintendents, board members, buyers, sellers, and residents, to help them prioritize investments in energy effi ciency. The City requires owners of large buildings of over 50,000 square feet to measure and publicly disclose their energy and water use annually through a process called “benchmarking,” conduct energy audits and retro-commissioning once every ten years, install energy sub-meters for large commercial tenants, and upgrade lighting in non-residential buildings. But what about homeowners? New York residents can choose to purchase renewable energy. If they choose greener power, they reduce dependence on fossil fuels such as gas, oil, and coal. Homeowners can choose between two 100% renewable energy options, both available through ConEd or National Grid: • Wind Power: Consists of 100% regionally wind-generated electricity, and costs an additional • Green Power: Consists of 35% wind-generated electricity and 65% small hydro power, and costs an additional 1 cent per kWh In sum, both commercial property owners and private homeowners should take full advantage of the energy effi ciency programs available. All stats provided by DCAS Division of Energy Management. 1 NEW YORK CITY IS COMMITTED TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY Focusing on New York City’s environmental quality is not only necessary, but it improves the city in many other ways: it brings down our rising housing costs, enhances the quality of our buildings, and creates new jobs and opportunities for career advancement. In 2015, 23 percent of New York’s electricity was produced from renewable resources. Further, NYC is committing 10% of the City's annual energy budget to fund energy-saving investments in City operations including its buildings, fl eet, street lights, and wastewater treatment plants. Some of the renewable sources of energy the city will use are as follows: • Hydroelectric power – Falling water (waterfall) drives turbines to generate electricity • Wind Power – Moving wind drives turbine to generate electricity • Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Technology – Captures sunlight to generate electricity without mechanical equipment • Bioenergy – Burning of wood or other plant material to generate electricity • Geothermal – Heat energy generated and stored in the Earth for later use Under Mayor DeBlasio’s “One City, Built to Last” plan, New York City is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 percent by 2050. This is on track with what the United Nations projects is needed to avoid the most irreparable aspects of climate change. By 2025, the proposals are expected to save New Yorkers nearly $1.4 billion annually on their utility bills, and $8.5 billion cumulatively over ten years. The proposals in the plan are expected to create 3,475 direct jobs in construction and related industries and will train an estimated 7,775 workers to upgrade skills (see chart). One way to reduce of GHG emissions is by “retrofi tting” our public and private buildings. A “retrofi t” involves modifi cations to existing commercial buildings that may improve energy effi ciency or decrease energy demand (as defi ned by the Dept. of Energy). These public building retrofi ts will generate an estimated $750 million in construction spending every year over the next ten years, and will result in approximately 3,500 new construction-related jobs and hundreds of additional administrative and programmatic jobs. The effi ciency improvements are expected to save $1.4 billion for New Yorkers annually, and nearly $8.5 billion in cumulative cost-savings over the course of ten years. For our privately-owned buildings, the City has focused on providing information to building 2.5 cents per kWh SPRING BRINGS GREAT CHAMBER EVENTS Spring is right around the corner! Late Sunday, March 12, we move our clocks ahead an hour and look forward to longer days. We very much look forward to what is in store for the spring and summer. I’d fi rst like to take a moment to refl ect and remember one of Queens’ great civil servants, Helen Marshall. The Queens Chamber of Commerce joins all New Yorkers, and Queens residents in particular, to mourn the passing of the former Queens Borough President. As the fi rst African American borough president of Queens and the second-ever woman to be elected to the position, Helen fought vigorously to improve our children's schools and bring a wealth of resources into our beloved borough. Thank you, Borough President Helen Marshall, for your years of service! For Your Calendar ► Multi-Charity 5k – Generosity Queens. The Chamber has joined forces with Generosity Series to help nonprofi t fundraising in the World's borough! Join us in the famed Flushing Meadow- Corona Park on April 2. Check out www.generosityseries.com for more details. ► On April 21, the Queens Chamber is hosting the 5 Borough MWBE Awards at Vaughn College. All fi ve New York City chambers are honoree their best at this event. ► Do not miss out on our Big Business Expo at Citi Field on May 17. This is our premier annual event designed to showcase your business. Please contact us for exhibitor and sponsorship information. ► On May 8, the Chamber will bring our Members to Albany in order to showcase the hospitality and tastes of Queens. We are calling it Queens Day in Albany. If you are a restaurant owner or want to attend, please contact us for more information. We will be traveling to Albany to give our NYS legislators a taste of the most diverse county in the country! Farewell, Kosciuszko Bridge The state plans to blow up the old Kosciuszko Bridge within the next couple of months. The much-needed new bridge, which carries the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway over the Newtown Creek, has been under construction since 2015 and is expected to open in April. Stay tuned for a specifi c demolition date, as we plan to host a viewing party to ring out the old and bring in the new! MAYRA DIRICO PRESIDENT OF THE QCC THOMAS J. GRECH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE QCC *This chart illustrates how the City will stay on course for carbon reduction by 2025.
QB032017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above