Energy Efficient Buildings

We want to expand NYC’s Climate Mobilization Act, and require all buildings, not just large buildings, in NYC and on a national level to become energy efficient. This means greening our rent-regulated buildings, public housing, co-ops, and city-owned properties. Transitioning old buildings into energy-efficient buildings across our country saves money in the long-run and creates over 125,000 jobs in NYC alone.

Problem

New York City buildings waste too much energy. Windows are open in the middle of winter and building lights are on all night. While a new NYC law pushes large buildings to improve energy efficiency and retrofit by 2030, we know all buildings – small or large – should have the funding to reduce their energy costs. 

Our Plan

Require landlords to replace broken utilities with energy-efficient alternatives for more than a million buildings in NYC. 

Landlords must: 

• Upgrade boilers.

• Install new windows and sustainable insulation.

• Transition to carbon-free electricity.

• Mandate residential and commercial composting.

• Reduce domestic hot water waste.

• Use cross-laminated timber for new building construction. 

• Replace and recycle non-renewable appliances.

This Matters

In addition to combating climate change, we as tenants will benefit from the energy savings due to lower utility bills. As of now, there are divided incentives for the landlord and the tenant. Let’s work to close that gap. This can be accomplished by providing landlords of buildings less than 25,000 square feet with subsidies to lower energy efficiency retrofitting costs. 

Landlords must be held accountable to improve the quality of our buildings. Energy-efficient changes improve the quality of our lives and put more money back into our pockets.