IN-PERSON London. Section A

Abstract

As cities look to reduce their environmental impact, they develop strategies to electrify their buildings stock. One mechanism for this change is moving cities from prescriptive to performative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. A leading case study example of this change is New York City Local Law 97 of 2019 (LL97). LL97 is an important case study of its scale and depth and current implementation phase. This examination of LL97 law’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of its effectiveness in electrifying the building stock and the overall effectiveness of electrification. It also examines the ways in which educational institutions can support this type of decarbonization project. In New York City energy consumption is measured by GHG emissions based on the type of energy utilized by the property. LL97 typically, requires all buildings over 25,000 ft² to reduce the GHG associated with their energy use, 40% by 2030, and 80% by 2050 depending on their occupancy usage. The latest data shows that 27% reduction in emissions in buildings under LL97 between 2012 and 2022. Challenges of buildings owner has put a lot of pressure on the city to amend the law to allow for easier and prescriptive paths to meeting requirements. A new beneficial electrification credit (“BE Credit”) rule allows buildings to reduce their targets if they implemented if they implement certain electrification of building systems. This study will assess how effective the electrification process is in terms of the city its GHG emissions, and urban air quality.