by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
After a few weeks of excitement over Mayor Bloomberg’s ambitious proposal to require all buildings 50,000-square-feet or more to be audited for energy efficiency, I was disappointed to read that the plan has been tabled. The main reason cited for the delay was because of opposition from building owners. With difficult economic times, an unfunded plan such as this may fall to tenants, who would have to foot the bill for building owners unwilling to pay increased costs for required changes — even if the payback would occur within just five years (as was written in to the legislation).
While I understand why building owners are opposed to the plan, and I recognize the argument that this plan should be implemented when the city is in a better financial state, this plan could be an important element to economic recovery. With short-term paybacks, the city would also be on its way to reducing carbon emissions, along the lines of PlaNYC 2030.
The other downside to the postponed plan is that I saw a glimmer of hope for struggling architecture and construction fields. There are a number of large-scale buildings that would have needed architectural, engineering, and construction services if this plan had passed. Bloomberg estimated that it would have created 19,000 related jobs. It was not only a chance for the city to become more familiar with sustainability; it was also an opportunity for design and construction professionals to gain much-needed experience with green retrofitting. Hopefully, the plan will not stay on the back burner too long.