NYC Local Law 84 Benchmarking Reports

New York City pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels. Recognizing that roughly 70% of emissions come from existing buildings, the City implemented the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan (GGBP) -- one of the world’s most comprehensive building energy efficiency policy packages. A central component of the Plan is Local Law 84 (LL84), one of the first energy and water reporting ordinances passed in the US., which has become a model for other American cities pursuing data-driven climate action. This law requires private buildings over 25,000 sq.ft. and public sector buildings over 10,000 sq.ft. to report their energy and water consumption each year for public disclosure. With the first data published in 2011, NYC’s benchmarking database is the largest and most comprehensive in the country. It allows building owners, policy makers, researchers, and the general public to measure, track, understand and compare building energy performance. The New York City Mayor’s Office has successfully leveraged these data to implement innovative policies that promote energy efficiency and reduce emissions in buildings. The Civic Analytics team, led by Professor Constantine Kontokosta, was one of the first to help the city process and analyze these data, and inform the design and implementation of data-driven policies by contributing to the energy and water use reports.

Read the Reports:

• August 2012 

• September 2013

• September 2014 

• August 2016

• October 2017