Navigating New York City’s Building Emissions Local Law 97

What is Local Law 97?

New York City's Local Law 97 sets ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions, requiring most buildings over 25,000 square feet to comply with strict carbon limits starting in 2024 and even tighter limits by 2030. The law is intended to reduce emissions from the city's built environment by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. Staying compliant not only helps the environment but also saves you from steep penalties.

Why is it important to act now?

• Avoid Fines: Buildings that fail to meet the emission limits could face fines of up to $268 per ton of CO₂ over the limit. Acting early allows you to mitigate against costly fines, take advantage of incentive programs, and avoid last-minute rushes.
• Increase Property Value: Energy-efficient upgrades will increase your building’s marketability, future-proof your property, and improve tenant satisfaction.
• Boost Sustainability: Take the lead in New York’s transition to a greener city. Lower emissions benefit everyone—from your tenants to the global community.

How can you comply with Local Law 97?

The main objective is to keep your building’s emissions below the limit by:

• Knowing your building’s current and projected GHG emissions
• Understanding your exposure to LL97 and managing the risks accordingly
• Strategically and cost-effectively planning for compliance
• Taking remedial actions like retrofits, energy modeling, and carbon reduction plans.

Covered buildings must submit a Greenhouse Gas Emission report to the NYC Department of Buildings every May 1 to disclose their emissions for the prior year. The first report on 2024 energy use is due on May 1, 2025. The report must cover the building’s GHG emissions, whether the limit has been exceeded and the amount of penalty if the limit is exceeded.

Where emissions reduction & compliance strategies are needed, the following factors should be taken into consideration:

• Electrification | As the electric grid includes more renewables and less fossil fuel over time, each kWh of electricity will emit less. Consider switching to heat pumps for heating and hot water to take advantage of the cleaner grid.
• RECs | Move your building toward carbon neutrality by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) for grid electricity.
• Energy conservation measures & retrofits | Improvements to building operations, implementation of controls and resets, and installation of more efficient equipment.
• On-site clean energy | Installation of solar panels, micro wind turbines, and battery storage.
• Data optimisation | Energy data and square footage calculations need to be accurate and complete.
• Energy studies | Pursue energy audits, decarbonisation assessments, energy modeling, and more to gain further insights into your building’s path toward sustainability and LL97 compliance.

How can TÜV SÜD help?

 At TÜV SÜD, we specialise in providing comprehensive services for Local Law 97 compliance.

Our expert team offers:

Energy Audits and Energy Advisory Services

Identify key areas for improvement in energy usage and technical advice on energy management.

Carbon Footprint Analysis

Track your building's emissions and prepare for 2024 and beyond.

Sustainability Planning

Tailored strategies to decarbonise, reduce energy use, optimise systems and make smart investments in technology.

Building Performance Data Platform

Allows efficient monitoring and management of building performance data for ESG compliance submissions.

Accurate Emissions Inventory

Identify and verify your building’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, leveraging precise energy-use data.

Financial Projection and Compliance Planning

Creation of projections of your building’s future emissions and estimation of your building’s potential exposure to penalties.

Expert Engineering Consulting

Energy reduction plans, retro-commissioning, and deep energy retrofit modeling in compliance with Local Law 97.

Our services are offered in partnership with Sustainable Investment Group (SIG), a company of TÜV SÜD.

Benefits of working with TÜV SÜD

• Specialised Expertise: TÜV SÜD has extensive experience in energy efficiency, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. Our experts understand the intricacies of LL97, ensuring your building meets the emission reduction targets.

• Global Experience, Local Focus: As a global organisation with deep knowledge of local regulations, TÜV SÜD can tailor its approach to meet both international best practices and specific LL97 requirements.
• Data Transparency: TÜV SÜD provides accurate and transparent data reporting, crucial for demonstrating compliance with LL97 and other regulatory bodies.
• Third-Party Certification: As an independent third party, TÜV SÜD’s certification can enhance the credibility of your sustainability efforts, providing competitive advantages for tenants, investors, and stakeholders.

Download the infosheet

Understanding Local Law 97: What You Need to Know

Discover the key points of Local Law 97 in our brief video. Learn how this regulation affects building owners and what you need to do to stay compliant. Watch now!