Meeting LL97 Compliance Requirements With Brightcore

Written by Brightcore Energy | Apr 29, 2024 7:26:38 PM

When Local Law 97 (LL97) was passed in 2019, as part of Mayor de Blasio’s Green New Deal to reduce the emissions of New York City’s buildings, its directives may have seemed like something to tackle in the future. However, with the first compliance period of LL97 starting this year and the first reports due one year from now, it’s time to take action to assess, track, and reduce emissions to remain compliant.

Getting Started

The city has provided resources to determine if your building is required to participate, and when you confirm your properties must comply with LL97, the city “strongly encourages you to hire an energy consultant to develop recommendations that meet your specific needs.”

Brightcore Energy provides the expertise you need and works with you as a partner to meet LL97 requirements. With years of experience helping New York City property owners understand and reduce their emissions, Brightcore develops, implements, funds, and maintains end-to-end energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for building owners and developers.

Tracking Deadlines

The May 1st, 2025 is when the first compliance report is due for most covered buildings, including multifamily buildings with 35% or greater rent-regulated units and houses of worship. Though that report is due one year from now, it must capture greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and compliance efforts for 2024, which means now is the time to get started to get the baseline from which you are working and demonstrate the steps to reduce future emissions.

While some properties may be able to apply for adjustments (the deadlines of which have been extended through 2024), most building owners need to get their compliance plan underway today. This may seem daunting but Brightcore can help you get the decarbonization plan for your properties to demonstrate your efforts and plans to reach 2030 compliance goals.

Celebrating Successes vs. Facing Fines

A fiscal advantage to getting started now is that your company can take steps to meet compliance goals and celebrate reductions as milestones vs. preparing to pay the steep fines awaiting those who don’t comply. Penalties will be in place for both buildings that don’t meet compliance goals and don’t report on building energy usage. In initial city notices, fines abound with penalties being “an amount equal to the gross floor area of such building, multiplied by $0.50, for each month such report is not submitted within the 12 months following May 1 of each year, including the 60 days following the deadline.” There will be fines for exceeding emission limits and penalties subject to being “recovered in a proceeding before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH).” Failure to file and failure to comply with energy compliant building requirements and failure to demonstrate energy conservation will make an owner “liable for a civil penalty of $10,000 per covered building” for each infraction.

From a brand perspective, celebrate and communicate efforts to reduce carbon emissions to attract occupants demanding green spaces. From a business perspective, get started today to save on future energy costs and steep penalties.

Discover how Brightcore can help you track greenhouse gas emissions, plan to reduce them, and prepare timely reports. Contact us today to learn more.

Brightcore.

BUILDING. ENERGY. PERFORMANCE.

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