It is hard to overstate the stupidity and unfairness of this local law. New York is already facing massive generation inadequacy forced by climate change activists ignoring reality and timing of actual alternative sources, so let’s add a lot of load, and impose tremendous costs on middle and low income co-ops and landlords. I live in an A rated co-op so we have time. We already replaced all of the lighting with LED’s and we will install a heat pump hot water system for the summers so we can turn off our large boiler sometime in the next few years. But the real reason for our 97 rating is that the building is on Riverside drive, benefits from the winds, has apartments that benefit from tremendous cross ventilation with the courtyard--and many of the people has summer homes and are away most of the summer. I’m sure a lot of Park Avenue buildings are also highly rated for the same reason. Meanwhile working people living in queens are facing huge expenses--for what exact benefit? Additionally, the penalties for dense high tech buildings in NYC that are Platinum LEED rated are perverse. Finally, the technology to meet these standards as they roll forward does not exist. Or will conflict with one of the other evils--Landmarks’ commission which won’t allow many potential solutions. This is a wonderful example of bad policy accomplishing little but penalizing people who live in one of the most energy efficient places on the planet. It is a wonderful way to create a backlash. So let’s not celebrate, but cry.
It is hard to overstate the stupidity and unfairness of this local law. New York is already facing massive generation inadequacy forced by climate change activists ignoring reality and timing of actual alternative sources, so let’s add a lot of load, and impose tremendous costs on middle and low income co-ops and landlords. I live in an A rated co-op so we have time. We already replaced all of the lighting with LED’s and we will install a heat pump hot water system for the summers so we can turn off our large boiler sometime in the next few years. But the real reason for our 97 rating is that the building is on Riverside drive, benefits from the winds, has apartments that benefit from tremendous cross ventilation with the courtyard--and many of the people has summer homes and are away most of the summer. I’m sure a lot of Park Avenue buildings are also highly rated for the same reason. Meanwhile working people living in queens are facing huge expenses--for what exact benefit? Additionally, the penalties for dense high tech buildings in NYC that are Platinum LEED rated are perverse. Finally, the technology to meet these standards as they roll forward does not exist. Or will conflict with one of the other evils--Landmarks’ commission which won’t allow many potential solutions. This is a wonderful example of bad policy accomplishing little but penalizing people who live in one of the most energy efficient places on the planet. It is a wonderful way to create a backlash. So let’s not celebrate, but cry.