Last week, the City Planning Commission (CPC) met to review the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality proposal and hear public testimony. AIANY submitted a letter to CPC in support of the proposal with three recommendations based on concerns identified with proposal 8 to “Fix Zone Green”. The language in this section raised concerns regarding the feasibility of the targets.
- Recommendation 1: Reconsider a 50 percent reduction from the ASHRAE 90.1. Instead, consider setting a very progressive yet potentially achievable reduction factor or adopting a tiered approach for energy reduction, such as 30 percent reduction for 3 percent area exclusion and 50 percent reduction for 5 percent area exclusion.
- Recommendation 2: Amend EUI language from 38 kbtu source EUI to 38 kbtu site EUI. Consider EUI targets specific to building use, as energy use will differ significantly amongst different building uses. These targets could be similar to goals and thresholds set by other local laws.
- Recommendation 3: Establish an expert group to review and refine the Ultra-Low-Energy Building criteria.
The purpose of our recommendations is to add more nuance to the text amendment so that the goals outlined are ambitious, achievable, and specific to various building typologies. Our concerns and recommendations were mentioned by DCP during their presentation to the CPC during the review session on July 24. AIANY will continue to work with DCP to improve the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality proposal.