NYC Enacts Legislation to Promote All-Electric Buildings

March 9, 2022

by Lisa DiCaprio, Sierra Club NYC Group

NYC is now the largest city in the U.S. to enact legislation relating to the electrification of buildings.

On December 15, 2021, the NY City Council voted in support of Int. 2317A-2021, which effectively mandates the electrification of most new buildings by prohibiting the on-site “combustion of a substance that emits 25 kilograms or more of carbon dioxide per million British thermal units of energy.”

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, a proponent of legislation to promote the electrification of NYC buildings, signed Int. 2317A-2021 (subsequently Local Law 154 of 2021) on December 22, 2021. [1]

Local Law 154 of 2021 is the amended and enacted version of Int. No. 2317 introduced by Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-City Council District 41) on May 27, 2021. The law, which expanded the number of exceptions in the original bill, now applies to new buildings less than seven stories for which an application for the approval of construction documents is submitted after December 31, 2023, and to new buildings seven stories or more for which an application is submitted after July 1, 2027. Emergency or standby power is allowed for all covered buildings, which is an important option, especially for critical infrastructure and high-rises in NYC. Local Law 154 of 2021 also includes the following exceptions:

  • Buildings (excluding those classified as R-3) in which the allowable amount of carbon dioxide emissions is exceeded in order to provide hot water and for which the approval of construction documents is submitted on or before July 1, 2027. (R-3 refers to one of 10 residential zoning districts in NYC. R-1 is the lowest density and R-10 is the highest density. For details on R-3 residential districts, see this NYC Planning website on Zoning).
  • Buildings less than seven stories in which 50% or more dwelling units are officially designated as affordable housing and for which an application for the approval of construction documents is submitted before December 31, 2025.
  • Buildings seven stories or more in which 50% or more dwelling units are officially designated as affordable housing and for which an application for the approval of construction documents is submitted before December 31, 2027.
  • Buildings “that will be primarily used by a utility regulated by the public service commission for the generation of electric power or steam.”
  • Buildings where compliance with the allowable limit of carbon dioxide emissions is not feasible, such as those used for manufacturing, hospitals, laboratories, commercial kitchens, and laundromats.

Retrofits are not mentioned in Local Law 154 of 2021; however, the NYC BUILDINGS BULLETIN 2016-012 (nyc.gov) specifies when “an extension, elevation, renovation, etc. is to be considered a new building.” If a proposed retrofit is defined as a new building, the owner must obtain a new building permit from the NYC Department of Buildings and comply with Local Law 154 of 2021.

NYC’s more than one million buildings are responsible for two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions in NYC, as related in the most recent 2019 NYC Greenhouse Gas Inventory. (Buildings comprise the largest sector of emissions because of NYC’s extensive mass transit system.)  

Amy Turner, a Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, explains the legal strategy informing Int. No. 2317 (subsequently, Local Law 154 of 2021) in her May 28, 2021 article, “Emerging Local Legal Pathways for Building Electrification: Air Pollution and Land Use Regulation in New York City & Brookline, Massachusetts,” which was posted on the Sabin Center for Climate Change, Climate Law Blog website. As Turner states:

Previously, local governments had pursued building electrification through building code provisions requiring or incentivizing electrification expressly, or through affirmative “bans” on natural gas hookups to new and renovated buildings. . .The New York City bill is tailored to avoid preemption in two main ways. First, by setting an air emissions standard, it limits preemption risk by the U.S. Energy Policy & Conservation Act (EPCA), which prohibits state and local regulations “concerning the energy efficiency, energy use or water use of” many building systems and appliances. Second, by allowing for the continued provision of all forms of fuel, including fossil gas, it steers clear of potential preemption by the New York State public service law’s so-called “obligation to serve,” which declares as New York State policy “the continued provision of… gas, electric and steam service to all residential customers.” It should be noted that New York City has broad local building code authority, while many local governments are preempted by statewide codes. Still, the air emissions standard model could be adapted to apply for jurisdictions without building code authority, including for existing buildings.

While retaining several key features of the original bill, Local Law 154 of 2021 is an amended and less comprehensive version of Int. No. 2317, which applied to “any new building or any building that has undergone a major renovation,” and would have become effective within two years of enactment. However, the amount of allowable carbon emissions was reduced from 50 to 25 kilograms per million British thermal units of energy in response to a December 8, 2021 letter submitted by Elizabeth Moran, New York Policy Advocate for Earthjustice, to NY City Council Member James F. Gennaro (D-City Council District 24), Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection. The letter, which was supported by several environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club NYC Group, states: “The bill’s current emissions threshold would prohibit the combustion of pure natural gas in new buildings. However, we are concerned that an emissions rate of 50 kilograms of carbon dioxide per BTU creates a loophole that could unintentionally allow continued reliance on natural gas and incentivize the use and expansion of other unsustainable and dangerous fuel sources like hydrogen and biofuels.” [2]

Industry associations and companies that opposed the original Int. No. 2317 included the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), American Gas Association (AGA), American Petroleum Institute, National Biodiesel Board, and National Grid, which supplies electricity and natural gas to customers in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. [3]  

Within the real estate industry, organizations of architects, such as New York Passive House (NYPH) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York, advocated for Int. No. 2317 and called on their members to present statements in support of the bill at the November 17, 2021 City Council hearing. (See, for example, my article, “NY City Council Int. 2317-2021 Promotes Building Electrification,” which was posted on the New York Passive House website on August 25, 2021, and the AIA Statement of Support for Int. 2317, Fossil Fuel Ban Bill.) Kenneth A. Lewis, the 2021 president of AIA New York, emphasized the significance of Int. No. 2317 in his August 20, 2021 New York Daily News OP-ED, “To build NYC's future, build clean,” in which he stated:  

As the first in line in the design process, we are calling on our colleagues across the construction and real estate industries to join us in backing this New York City bill and others like it…

We recognize that some across the various building industries are resistant to the pace the New York City bill would set — even though other cities that have enacted analogous requirements applied them within one year — claiming the proposal would cause major cost increases and disruptions.

We know they’re wrong: Constructing new buildings clean from the start no longer costs substantially more than building new gas infrastructure. In fact, avoiding reliance on fossil fuels avoids huge future costs for owners as the city tightens anti-pollution requirements.

Moreover, fears that the law would be disruptive are significantly overblown. The law would only address most new construction and gut renovations, and would not force anyone not already completely remodeling to stop using existing lines. In fact, it may ultimately lower costs for many New Yorkers, as electrifying buildings, especially when combined with measures to improve energy efficiency, offers significant potential cost savings that will only increase as prices continue to decline for renewable energy, battery storage, and highly efficient electric heat pumps…

Architects by definition are a forward-looking bunch. Our work takes months, and more often years, to complete, and we want the buildings we design to stand the test of time. The New York of the future that exists in only our collective imaginations and on our sketch pads — one that leads the way to a healthier, sustainable planet — has never been closer to becoming a reality.

Environmental organizations and coalitions that advocated for Int. No. 2317 include WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Sierra Club NYC Group, NY Communities for Change (NYCC), Sane Energy Project, Food and Water Watch, New York State Renewable Heat Now coalition (in which the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter participates), New York League of Conservation Voters, New York Policy Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), Earthjustice, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), United for Action, 350NYC, 350 Brooklyn, Drawdown NYC, Rewiring America, and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). BlocPower, which installs air-source and ground source (geothermal) heat pumps, and NY-GEO  (NY Geothermal Energy Association), are among the companies and industry associations that supported Int. No. 2317. [4]  

The implementation of NYC’s Local Law 154 of 2021 will depend on the outcome of a bill in the New York State Legislature to mandate the electrification of new buildings throughout the state. (NYS environmental legislation supersedes municipal laws unless the local laws are more strict.) In May 2021 State Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-Senate District 26, Manhattan, Brooklyn) introduced S6843 the “All-Electric Building Act” in the Senate Housing, Construction And Community Development and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher (D-Assembly District 50, Brooklyn) introduced A08431, the Assembly version. S6843/A08431, which was amended in late October 2021 to accelerate its timelines, “provides that no city, town or village shall issue a permit for the construction of new buildings that are not an all-electric building if the initial application for a permit was submitted after December 31, 2023 unless certain circumstances apply.” [5]  

To provide a comparative and historical perspective on New York State’s all-electric building initiatives, I will now discuss current trends in U.S. household use of energy and electricity generation, the all-electric building movement in the U.S., and the statement that I presented at the virtual November 17, 2021 City Council hearing on Int. No. 2317. I will also provide examples of new and retrofitted all-electric buildings.

Current trends in U.S. household use of energy   

Natural gas is the main fuel for generating electricity and heating buildings in the U.S. and accounts for 44% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation. [6] When it is combusted, natural gas releases half the carbon dioxide of coal and two-thirds of oil. However, methane, the main component of natural gas, is 86 times more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping heat over a 20-year period and 25 times more effective over a 100-year period. Methane is emitted from throughout the natural gas infrastructure, which includes gas wells, pipelines, compressor stations, and storage facilities. [7]

The sources of energy (natural gas, fuel oil, kerosene, and/or electric) in households are shaped by government policies, consumer preferences, the design and construction of buildings, the category of building (e.g. single-unit or multi-family), regional differences in climate, and geographical variations in the cost of electricity versus oil and natural gas.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) is the most recent survey for which the EIA has collected and analyzed data. (On October 1, 2021, the EIA announced that the EIA’s upcoming Residential Energy Consumption Survey will collect data from all 50 states.) Here are key findings from the 2015 survey that are summarized in the EIA report, “What's New in How We Use Energy at Home: Results from EIA's 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), which was released in May 2017 and revised in May 2018:

  • Households account for 55% of the energy used in U.S. buildings.
  • The electrification of household heating has increased in all U.S. census regions since the 2005 survey. (See Figure 3, “The proportion of all-electric homes is rising, primarily in the South Census region.”)
  • The majority of homes in the South (59%) are heated by electricity. Natural gas is the main fuel used for heating homes in the West, Midwest, and Northeast. Of the 21.1 million heated homes in the Northeast, “54% are heated by natural gas, 13% by electricity, 23% by fuel oil or kerosene, and 10% by other sources.” (See Figure 4, “Natural gas is the most used heating fuel in heated homes in three of four census regions.”)
  • 25% of all homes in the U.S. are all-electric. (See the April 6, 2017 analysis of the 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, “U.S. households’ heating equipment choices are diverse and vary by climate region.”)

Current trends in electricity generation in the U.S.

The electrification of buildings is an essential corollary to the greening of the electricity grid throughout the world.

The electricity sector accounts for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., as related in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2019 Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The EPA report defines the electricity sector as the “generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity,” and states that “Electricity production… generates the second largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 62% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas.”  

In their article, “How Does Your State Make Electricity?,” New York Times, Oct. 28, 2020, Nadja Popovich and Brad Plumer summarize and provide interactive graphics on trends in electricity generation from 2000 to 2019.

Several states in the U.S., such as New York State and California, have mandated the greening of their electricity grid. For example, the New York State Legislature passed the NYS Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) that former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law on July 18, 2019. The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter collaborated with environmental coalitions and organizations to advocate for the CLCPA, which “requires New York to reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.” The CLCPA created a Climate Action Council (a 22-member committee) to develop “a scoping plan of recommendations to meet these targets and place New York on a path toward carbon neutrality.” The council’s recommendations include the electrification of New York State’s buildings and transportation. [8]

The all-electric building movement in the U.S.

The Sierra Club is playing a leading role in the all-electric building movement, which encompasses a wide spectrum of advocates and practitioners: environmental activists and organizations, architects, engineers, policymakers, government agencies, industry associations for renewable energy and all-electric heating and cooling systems, manufacturers, and real estate investors and developers.

As Jane Margolies, wrote in her February 5, 2020 New York Times article, “‘All-Electric’ Movement Picks Up Speed, Catching Some Off Guard”:

When Berkeley, Calif., became the first city in the country to ban natural gas hookups in new construction last July, no one knew the effects would ripple out so far and so fast….

Globally, buildings generate nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, but in densely developed American cities, the rate can be substantially higher.

For years, natural gas has been promoted as a cleaner alternative to coal-fired electricity, and its use has surged. But carbon emissions from natural gas use have also grown.

The Global Carbon Project, a climate science group estimates that carbon dioxide emissions added nearly 37 billion metric tons of emissions to the atmosphere last year, driven by increased use of oil and natural gas…

Experts say gas must be phased out and electric power increased in development, especially now that the electric power system, known as the grid, is becoming cleaner, thanks to the addition of renewable energy such as wind and solar power…. [9]

Several national environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club, are advocating for the electrification of buildings. In California, the Sierra Club is a member of the Building Decarbonization Coalition that “unites building industry stakeholders with energy providers, environmental organizations and local governments to power our nation’s homes and workspaces with clean energy.” The coalition focuses on “market transformation, consumer inspiration, public policy, and research.” [10] The Sierra Club’s My Generation campaign advocates for an “equitable transition to 100% clean energy in California.” As Matt Gough, the senior campaign representative for My Generation wrote in his July 22, 2021 article, “California's Cities Lead the Way to a Gas-Free Future”: “Cities and counties in California serve as guiding lights as the state navigates a transition from gas to clean-energy buildings. Motivated by the climate crisis, worsening air pollution, escalating gas rates, and safety risks from gas, a new cohort of local government leaders is emerging in California. Over 50 cities and counties across the state are considering policies to support all-electric new construction.” (This article was updated on December 13, 2021, to indicate that “The City of Half Moon Bay and Santa Clara County became the 53rd and 54th cities/counties to commit to phase out gas in new buildings.”)   

In New York State, the Sierra Club NYC Group endorsed the NY City Council bill Int. No. 2317. The Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter supports the bill and participates in the New York State Renewable Heat Now coalition, which is advocating for S6843/A08431. This is one of five bills in the Renewable Heat Now Legislative Package. If the name of your State Senator and Assemblymember does not appear in the list of co-sponsors on the S6843 and A08431 websites, please write and/or call them to co-sponsor this bill. You may find the name and contract information for your representatives in the State Legislature on these websites: nysenate.gov/senators and assembly.state.ny.us. S6843/A08431 is currently in the Senate Housing, Construction And Community Development committee and will be considered in the Spring 2022 New York State Legislative Session. 

The NY City Council bill to promote building electrification

The Sierra Club NYC Group endorsed Int. No. 2317, and the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Executive Committee voted at its October 16, 2021 quarterly meeting for this resolution that I submitted: “The Sierra Club supports local legislation in New York State that promotes the electrification of buildings and views the NY City Council bill Int. No. 2317 as a model for such legislation.”

On November 17, 2021, I testified at the virtual NY City Council hearing on three bills relating to the electrification of NYC’s buildings: Int. No. 2317, Int. 2196-2021, and Int 2091-2020. [11] The hearing was chaired by City Council Member James F. Gennaro (D-City Council District 24), chair of the City Council Committee on Environmental Protection.

Statements in support of Int. No. 2317 were given by representatives of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, architects, members of several environmental organizations, and representatives of industry associations and companies that install ground source and/or air-source heat pumps. [12]  

In his presentation, Ben Furnas, the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate Sustainability, affirmed that Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans, which are related to property tax payments, will be available for financing new electric buildings as of January 2022. [13]

Here are expanded versions of the ten points that I made in support of  Int. No. 2317 at the NY City Council hearing on November 17, 2021:

1. Electricity is the only form of energy with the potential to be obtained entirely from renewable sources. The electrification of buildings is a global movement and an essential corollary to the greening of the electricity grid throughout the world. For example, in New York State, all utilities must obtain 70% of their distributed electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

2. All-electric buildings do not require the on-site combustion of oil and/or natural gas and will facilitate compliance with NYC and New York State mandates for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (For example, NYC’s Local Law 66 of 2014, which was introduced by former NY City Council member Costa Constantinides as Int. 0378-2014, requires an 80% reduction of emissions by 2050 based on a 2005 baseline.)

3. Int. No. 2317 includes important exemptions; for example, the use of emergency or standby power that is crucial for critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, and an important option for high-rise buildings.

4. Int. No. 2317 is designed to preempt legal challenges, such as challenges to bans on natural gas connections that are often initiated by the American Gas Association (AGA). [14] Amy Turner, a Senior Fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School, analyzes the legal strategy informing Int. 2317-2021 in her May 28, 2021 article, “Emerging Local Legal Pathways for Building Electrification: Air Pollution and Land Use Regulation in New York City & Brookline, Massachusetts,” which was posted on the Columbia Law School, Sabin Center for Climate Change, Climate Law Blog website.

5. The electrification of buildings is a public health and environmental justice issue. As Peggy Shepard, Co-Founder and the Executive Director of WE ACT For Environmental Justice, wrote in the organization’s May 28, 2021 electronic newsletter: “This bill will help reduce air pollution and emissions that contribute to climate change, which will help address health disparities experienced by people of color. A recent study found that communities of color in the city are exposed to 17 percent more PM2.5 emissions associated with residential gas combustion than the population average, with Blacks facing 32 percent higher exposure. The health impacts of this disproportionate exposure can be seen in the higher rates of mortality and morbidity in these communities – our communities – including chronic respiratory diseases like asthma.” 

6. Scientific studies by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Harvard University, and UCLA provide extensive evidence on how gas stoves cause indoor air pollution. [15] As Brandon Pytel writes in his May 6, 2020 Earth Day Initiative article, “Gas Stoves Pollute the Air and Harm Your Health, Health Studies Find,” that summarizes these studies: “Cooking with gas releases harmful air pollutants like nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide, which can lead to multiple health complications. Nitrous oxide is particularly harmful to children, increasing the risk of asthma, learning deficits and cardiovascular disease.” Bans on natural gas stoves are facilitated by increasing public awareness about their adverse health impacts and the availability of electric and electromagnetic (induction) alternatives. [16]

7. All-electric buildings are technically feasible. They require electric heating and cooling systems, such as ground source (geothermal i.e. geo-exchange), air-source, or water-source heat pumps; water heated by solar power, electric or heat pump water heaters; electric or electromagnetic (induction) stoves or cooktops; and electric washers and dryers. [17] The design and construction of new and retrofitted all-electric buildings is accelerating in the U.S. and throughout the world. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) is demonstrating its confidence in the electrification of buildings. The NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Competition Award, which was initiated in 2019, includes several all-electric building projects. For descriptions of the Round I (2020) and Round 2 (2021) projects, see this NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence website. Each of the 13 awards granted in 2021 is for an all-electric building with a heating and cooling system that utilizes a ground source or air-source heat pump. 

8. All-electric buildings are economically feasible because electricity is a more efficient source of energy than natural gas or oil. As Justin Gerdes writes in his article, “So, What exactly is building electrification?,” Greentech Media, June 5, 2020, “Heat pumps are much more efficient than the equipment they replace. Air-source heat pumps or heat pump water heaters are three to five times more energy-efficient than their natural-gas counterparts. And researchers are using artificial intelligence to make heat pumps even more efficient.” Although older models of heat pumps did not function properly in colder climates, the new versions are now effective up to at least -12 degrees Fahrenheit. As Gerdes states in his article, “A misconception persists that heat pumps will fail in extreme cold. Not so. A recent Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) report found that cold-climate heat pumps can heat homes even when the outdoor temperature plunges to -12 degrees Fahrenheit.” [18]

9. The electrification of buildings must be accompanied by the reduction of energy consumption. Therefore, new and substantially retrofitted buildings that are all-electric buildings should achieve the criteria required for a green building certification, such as Passive House, LEED, Living Building Challenge, and Net-Zero Energy Buildings. The two, main Passive House certifications are Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) and the Passive House Institute (PHI) in Germany, which also certifies the EnerPHit - certified retrofits with Passive House components. (On October 17, 2020, the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Executive Committee voted unanimously to update its January 25, 2019 resolution on Passive House to highlight the public health as well as environmental rationales for promoting this green building design. The resolution, which I introduced, states: “It is the position of the Atlantic Chapter that all new buildings in NYS that receive any form of public financing and, optimally all new buildings, shall be designed and built to Passive House standards.”)

10. Three scientific reports on climate change issued in 2021 highlight why we must simultaneously accelerate the electrification of buildings, reduction of energy consumption by green building design (optimally Passive House), and the greening of the electricity grid. These reports are the May 6, 2021 UN Environment Programme (UNEP) “Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions;” the August 9, 2021 UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis,” which is summarized in this press release; and the April 13, 2021 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report, “It's official: July was Earth's hottest month on record.” As U.N. Secretary-General Secretary António Guterres emphasized in his statement on the IPCC report, “This is code red for humanity.” [19]  

 

EXAMPLES OF NEW AND RETROFITTED ALL-ELECTRIC BUILDINGS:

In the 1950’s, General Electric (GE) and Westinghouse began to promote all-electric houses to increase the use of electricity for heating and appliances, as depicted in the video, “The Westinghouse All-Electric House.” In his article, “Live Better Electrically: The Gold Medallion Home Campaign,” Michael Houser, the State Architectural Historian for Washington State, states, “The LBE campaign positioned natural gas, the biggest power source of the time, as an outmoded method to operate appliances like furnaces, cooking ranges, water heaters, and clothes dryers.” During this campaign, GE and Westinghouse succeeded in achieving the construction of approximately one million all-electric homes in the U.S. [20] The current all-electric building movement is developing under very different historical circumstances and is not limited to single-unit homes; however, the Gold Medallion Home Campaign and its demise provides an important historical example of how fossil fuel companies in the U.S. have shaped our built environment.

Here are examples of new and retrofitted all-electric U.S. buildings of various dimensions, use categories (residential, mixed, and commercial), and green building certifications:

New (in progress and completed) all-electric buildings: 

  • Tower 1, Alloy, developers and architects, in progress, 100 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. The 44-story residential and commercial tower will be NYC’s first all-electric skyscraper. Tower 1 is one of the five buildings (three new and two retrofitted) in The Alloy Block located in Downtown Brooklyn. These buildings, which will be constructed in two phases, will comprise a total of 850 apartments, 200,000 square feet of retail space, and two retrofitted schools that will be the first schools in NYC designed to Passive House standards. [22]
     
  • Sendero Verde, Handel Architects, Steven Winter Associates (Certified Passive House Consultants), in progress, East Harlem, NYC. (This building is all-electric except for the use of natural gas to heat water.) Sendero Verde is a 700-unit, multifamily, 100% affordable building and multi-use development, which will include a 37-story all-affordable Passive House building that received the 2019 Best of Design Award for Unbuilt - Green Building, a NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Round I, 2020 (Late Design Phase) Competition Award, and a 2021 Connecticut Green Building Council (CTGBC) Multifamily Residence Category Merit Award. [23]
     
  • 425 Grand Concourse, Dattner Architects, Steven Winter Associates (Certified Passive House Consultants), in progress with a 2022 completion date, Mott Haven, Bronx, NYC. (This building is all-electric except for the use of natural gas to heat water.) 425 Grand Concourse is a Passive House, 26-story, mixed-use, mixed income, multifamily project with 277 affordable housing units that received a NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Round I, 2020 (Late Design Phase) Competition Award. [24]
     
  • Cornell Tech, initiated by former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is a partnership between Cornell University and Technion University in Israel that grants graduate degrees in Applied Sciences. The 12-acre campus on city-owned land on Roosevelt Island currently comprises three buildings featuring various aspects of green building design: The House at Cornell Tech, the Passive House residential building for faculty and students; the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, the academic center; and the Tata Innovation Center (previously The Bridge), the innovation hub of the campus that facilitates collaboration between students and technology companies. [25]
     
  • The House at Cornell Tech, Handel Architects, Steven Winter Associates (Certified Passive House Consultants). (This building is all-electric except for the use of natural gas to heat water.) The 26-story Passive House residential building with 352 apartments for students and faculty was the first Passive House high-rise in NYC and is the tallest Passive House building in North America. The Passive House Institute (PHI) of Germany certified The House on November 1, 2017. [26]
     
  • The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center, Morphosis, architects. The four-story academic building features 1,465 solar panels installed on a 40,000 square foot canopy shared with the Tata Innovation Center; a four-acre geothermal well field with 80 closed-loop, 400-feet deep wells; a green roof; and a 40,000-gallon tank located beneath the campus lawn that collects rainwater to provide non-potable water.
     
  • The Tata Innovation Center (previously The Bridge), Weiss/Manfredi, architects. A seven-story building that provides classrooms, work spaces, and event spaces for academic research teams and technology companies. The LEED Silver building features 24,000 square feet of solar panels installed on the Tata Innovation Center’s portion of the solar photovoltaic canopy shared with the Emma and Georgina Bloomberg Center. [27]
     
  • Adobe’s North Tower, Gensler architects, in progress. The fourth and largest tower at Adobe’s global headquarters in downtown San Jose, the 18-story, 700,000 square foot North Tower will be the first all-electric building in Silicon Valley when it is completed in 2022. Adobe plans to obtain the electricity for all of its operations from renewable sources by 2030 and is advocating for San Jose to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable energy. (Buildings are responsible for about one-fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions in California and comprise the second largest sector of these emissions.) [28]
     
  • The Bullit Center, Seattle, designed by Miller Hull Partnership, architects, and developed by the Bullitt Foundation, is a six-story Living Building Challenge commercial office building that opened on Earth Day, April 22, 2013. The 50,000 square foot Bullit Center generates its own electricity with a rooftop array of 575 solar photovoltaic panels. Water is provided by a 56,000-gallon cistern that collects rainwater, which is filtered and disinfected. (The rainwater-to-potable water system was completed on November 1, 2018.) The Bullit Center’s timber and steel frame utilizes Douglas Fir certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. A kiosk displays real-time measurements of the Bullit Center’s consumption of energy, water supply and the amount of electricity produced by the solar photovoltaic panels. [29]
     
  • R-951 Residence, Paul A. Castrucci Architects, is a 6,000 square foot row house with three apartments located on 951 Pacific Street in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Completed in 2015, this is the first building in NYC to obtain Passive House and Zero Energy Ready certifications. The R-951 Residence features a rainwater harvesting system and a solar photovoltaic array.

All-electric building retrofits (completed or in progress as of January 2022)

  • Hotel Marcel, Becker + Becker, owner, developer, and project architect; Steven Winter Associates (Certified Passive House Consultants). This Passive House retrofit in progress in New Haven, Connecticut is converting the 110,000 square foot Pirelli Tire Building, designed by Marcel Breuer in the Brutalist architectural style and occupied from 1970 to 1988, into the all-electric 165-room Hotel Marcel that will meet the requirements for EnerPHit certification. All the electricity for the building will be generated from rooftop solar photovoltaic panels and solar canopies on the parking lots, which will include electric charging stations. The Hotel Marcel will be the first Passive House hotel in the U.S. [32]
     
  • Casa Pasiva, Chris Benedict R.A., architect, in progress, Brooklyn, NYC; Passive House retrofit of nine buildings with 143 apartment units in Bushwick that are owned by the nonprofit RiseBoro Community Partnership. (Casa Pasiva is all-electric except for the use of natural gas to heat water.) This retrofit, which is inspired by the Energiesprong (Energy Leap) construction process, will not dislocate the tenants and provides a model for compliance with the fossil fuel caps on all existing buildings exceeding 25,000 square feet mandated by NYC’s 2019 Local Law 97. [31]
     
  • Passive House, Caroll Gardens, Baxt Ingui Architects, Brooklyn, NYC; Passive House renovation of a brownstone in Carroll Gardens that was constructed in the late 1800’s. In 2018, the townhouse became the first Passive House Plus certified building in the U.S. (Passive House Plus requires the on-site generation of energy from renewable sources to equal consumption over a one-year period.) [30] 
     
  • The Tyler, East Haven, Connecticut, The Architectural Team (TAT), architects,  WinnCompanies developer, Steven Winter Associates (Certified Passive House Consultants). As described on The Architectural Team (TAT) website: “The Tyler, a mixed-income community for seniors, is the first adaptive reuse project in the United States designed to adhere to the Passive House Institute’s EnerPHit program standards with applicable historic exclusions. The three-story core of the 84-year-old former East Haven High School features 70 apartments for individuals aged 55+, a resident lounge, on-site management office, fitness center, community kitchen, entertainment space, craft room, reading nook, and outdoor courtyard.” The Tyler is a recipient of the 2021 Connecticut Green Building Council (CTGBC) Award of Excellence. [33]

 

EXAMPLES OF BUILDINGS IN NYC WITH GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS [34]

The NY City Council and former Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio promoted the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems in NYC in various ways, such as the preparation of a geothermal manual, legislation, reports, and the identification of locations appropriate for individual and district geothermal installations.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s initiatives included the Geothermal Heat Pump Manual designed by Alex Posner and the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Office of Sustainable Design. He also signed City Council bill Int. 694-A-2013, which required the NYC Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability to explore the feasibility of developing geothermal energy resources in NYC. (See the press release for the public hearing at which Mayor Bloomberg signed and described the significance of Int. 694-A-2013.)

Advocacy for geothermal during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration comprised a February 2015 report, “Geothermal Systems and their Application in New York City,” issued by the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability; New York City Local Law 6 of 2016, and an April 2, 2021 press release, “A Recovery for All of Us: Mayor de Blasio Announces Path to Provide Geothermal Utility Service,” describing how NYC “will identify project sites this year and pursue legislation to deploy geothermal district demonstration projects and bring service to scale.” The Geothermal Pre-feasibility Tool, mandated by New York City Local Law 6 of 2016, was developed by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the New York City Department of Design and Construction. This online map of NYC allows the user to “identify areas where ground source, or geothermal heat pump systems may be an option for retrofitting buildings’ heating and cooling systems.” [35] 

  • American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Center for Architecture located at 536 LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village, NYC. The first geothermal system in NYC was installed during a conversion of the 100-year old building, previously occupied by a printing facility, into the multipurpose Center for Architecture for the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Architect Andrew Berman, PLLC, designed the renovation, which was completed in 2003. Two geothermal wells drilled below the sidewalk in front of the building to a depth of 1,260 feet, collect groundwater to provide heating and cooling for the 15,000 square foot building. [36]
     
  • General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church, New York located at 440 West 21st Street in Manhattan. Drilling for the geothermal system began in Fall 2006 and was completed in Winter 2018. Twenty-two standing column wells were installed beneath the sidewalks surrounding the seminary. Each well was bored at a depth of 1,500 to 1,800 feet to collect groundwater, which has a constant temperature of 65 degrees. (The depth of the wells exceeds the 1,453-foot height of NYC’s Empire State Building.) An Episcopal Church commitment to phase out fossil fuels inspired the General Theological Seminary to install the geothermal system. As related in an August 15, 2006 The Driller article, “Geothermal Initiative Begins at General Theological Seminary,” “Construction on the project begins in the wake of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, which passed significant ‘green’ legislation encouraging the church at every level to reduce ‘energy use through conservation and increased efficiency, and by replacing consumption of fossil fuels with energy from renewable resources toward the reduction of global warming.’” [37]
     
  • Trevor Day School, a pre-K through Grade 12 independent school with campuses on the Upper East and Upper West Sides of Manhattan, NYC. The 15-story LEED school building on the Upper East Side, which opened on May 21, 2015, utilizes an innovative geothermal pile system comprising over 350 piles that is integrated into the building’s foundation to heat and cool the building. [38]
     
  • St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, NYC. The geothermal system, which provides all the heating and cooling for the 76,000 square foot cathedral, was installed in 2017 as part of a $200 million renovation of the 138-year-old building. Ten standing column wells, located in the cathedral’s gardens along East 50th and 51st Streets, were drilled 2,200 feet into the bedrock to collect groundwater. (The depth of the wells is six times the height of the cathedral’s Gothic spires.) The geothermal system uses 30 percent less energy than the steam radiators it replaced, which burned an annual average of 218 barrels of oil that emitted 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. [39]
     
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center, Weiss/Manfredi, architects. The 22,000-square-foot building features a green roof, rain gardens, and 28 geothermal wells. Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi describe their project as: “A sustainably rich structure, the Visitor Center redefines the physical and philosophical relationship between visitor and garden, introducing new connections between landscape and structure, exhibition and movement. Like the garden, the Visitor Center evolves over time. The building’s lush, curving green roof adopts four distinct identities, changing with the seasons. With its sustainable features, such as rain gardens, geothermal system, and native plantings, the Visitor Center is a showcase for environmental education.” [40]
     
  • Beach Green Dunes I and II, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, located on Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, Queens, NYC. This two-phased affordable housing project demonstrates how buildings with different heating and cooling systems can achieve Passive House certification. Located on the Rockaways beachfront, Beach Green Dunes I and II were constructed after Hurricane Sandy in 2011 with innovative resiliency features.
     
  • Beach Green Dunes I, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, co-developed by the Bluestone Organization in conjunction with Triangle Equities, is a mixed-use, seven-story, building with 101 mixed-income affordable rental apartments that utilizes a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air-source heat pump system for heating and cooling and rooftop solar photovoltaic panels for generating electricity. [41]
     
  • Beach Green Dunes II, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP, Steven Winter Associates (Certified Passive House Consultants), developed by L+M Development Partners, is a Passive House mixed-use, eight-story building with 127 mixed-income affordable rental apartments. A closed loop geothermal system provides heating and cooling. Solar photovoltaic panels are located on the rooftop and a steel trellis that covers the surface parking area. Beach Green Dunes II received a 2020 CTGBC Passive House Category Honor Award and a 2021 Uli New York Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing Development. [42]
     
  • Beach Green Dunes III, developed by the Bluestone Organization in conjunction with Triangle Equities and L+M Development Partners, in progress, located on Beach Channel Drive in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY. This is a Passive House, mixed-use, eight-story building with 138 affordable rental apartments, a geothermal heating and cooling system, rooftop solar photovoltaic panels, and innovative resiliency features.

 

NOTES

[1] See the December 22, 2021 press release, “Mayor de Blasio Signs Landmark Bill to Ban Combustion of Fossil Fuels in New Buildings, which also includes statements by representatives of several organizations that advocated for Int. No. 2317. The first paragraph of the press release states: “Mayor Bill de Blasio today signed into local law a mandate phasing out the combustion of fossil fuels in new buildings and accelerating the construction of all-electric buildings. The law, the first of its kind for a large cold-weather city, represents a major shift in how buildings use energy to provide heating and cooling, by prioritizing air quality, public health, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.” See also the video of the December 22 press conference.

[2] Int. No. 2317 was amended as Int. 2317A-2021, on December 9, a few days before the December 15, 2021 City Council vote on the bill. The official summary of Int. No. 2317, the original version, states: “This bill would prohibit the combustion of a substance that emits 50 kilograms or more of carbon dioxide per million British thermal units of energy in any new building or any building that has undergone a major renovation.” The bill provides an exception for emergency standby power, a hardship preventing compliance with the bill, where the combustion of the substance is required by certain enumerated industries, and where the combustion of the substance is used on an intermittent basis in connection with a device that is not connected to the building’s gas supply line.”

[3] For statements in opposition to Int. No. 2317 made by the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), American Gas Association (AGA), American Petroleum Institute, National Biodiesel Board, and National Grid, which supplies electricity and natural gas to customers in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts; see the websites of these organizations and the official Hearing Testimony 11/17/21 and Hearing Transcript 11/17/21 of the NY City Council hearing on the bill. See also Brad Plumer and Hiroko Tabuchi’s December 16, 2021 New York Times article, “How Politics Are Determining What Stove You Use.” The REBNY Statement on City Council Intro 2317 was issued by REBNY President James Whelan on May 27, 2021, the date on which Int. No. 2317 was introduced by Council Member Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-City Council District 41). This statement erroneously claims that the bill “will not effectively reduce carbon emissions because the city’s electricity will continue to be sourced almost entirely by fossil fuels when this proposal would be implemented as well as for several years thereafter.” For New York State legislation to green NY State’s electricity grid, see the 2019 NYS Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). 

[4] For the statements submitted by representatives of these organizations and companies to the NY City Council, see the official Hearing Testimony 11/17/21 and Hearing Transcript 11/17/21.

[5] See Brooklyn Eagle Staff, “Kavanagh, Gallagher introduce bill mandating all-electric buildings in NYS,” Brooklyn Eagle, November 1, 2021, and Samantha Maldomado, “Bill to Require All-Electric Buildings in New York State Gets a Jump-Start,” The City, November 26, 2021. See also a November 1, 2021 press release, “Senator Kavanagh and Assemblymember Gallagher Join Environmental Advocates in Urging Passage of All-Electric Building Act,” which announced a rally in Brooklyn in support of the legislation.

[6] See the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website, How much of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are associated with electricity generation? As related on this website, “In 2020, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the U.S. electric power sector were 1,447 million metric tons (MMmt), or about 32% of total U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions of 4,575 (MMmt).”   

[7] See Sierra Club press releases on methane and Tina Gerhardt, “Methane's Big Moment: What's behind those big cuts to methane emissions at COP26?, which appears in the November 2, 2021 edition of Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club. See also, John Schwartz and Brad Plumer, “The Natural Gas Industry Has a Leak Problem,” New York Times, June 21, 2018. Schwartz and Plumer state: “When burned for electricity, natural gas produces about half the carbon dioxide that coal does. The shift from coal to gas has helped lower CO₂ emissions from America’s power plants by 27 percent since 2005. But methane, the main component of natural gas, can warm the planet more than 80 times as much as the same amount of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period if it escapes into the atmosphere before being burned. A recent study found that natural gas power plants could actually be worse for climate change than coal plants if their leakage rate rose above 4 percent.” For additional information on the significance of methane emissions, see Brad Plumer and Hiroko Tabuchi, “What Happened on Day 2 of the COP26 Climate Change Summit.” This is one of several articles compiled in “What Happened on Day 2 of the COP26 Climate Change Summit,” New York Times, November 2, 2021, updated November 13, 2021. For a new study based on recent imagery of methane emissions captured by a European satellite, see Henry Fountain, “Seen From Space: Huge Methane Leaks,” New York Times, February 4, 2022.

[8] The current co-chairs of the Climate Action Council are Doreen Harris, President and CEO, New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), and Basil Seggos, Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The following goals were established to achieve the CLCPA mandates: sourcing 70% New York State’s electricity from renewable sources and developing the capacity for 3,000 MW of energy storage by 2030; the generation of 6,000 MW of electricity from solar power by 2025 and 9,000 MW of electricity from offshore wind by 2035; and the reduction of 22 million tons of carbon dioxide through energy efficiency and the electrification of buildings and transportation. The CLCPA also instructs the DEC to issue an annual report on New York State’s greenhouse gas emissions. For the 2021 report, see the website for the Statewide Greenhous Gas Emissions Report. On the CLCPA, see also Jesse McKinley and Brad Plumer, “New York to Approve One of the World's Most Ambitious Climate Plans,” New York Times, June 18, 2019, and Roger Downs, “Albany Update Summer 2019,” Sierra Atlantic, Summer 2019. 

[9] On the all-electric building movement in the U.S., see, for example, Jane Margolies, “‘All-Electric’ Movement Picks Up Speed, Catching Some Off Guard,” New York Times, February 5, 2020, and Garet Bleir, “Building Electrification Cuts Emissions as Critics Ditch Coal, Gas,” Sierra, February 27, 2020. See also Jane Margolies, “Energy-Efficient Isn't Enough, So Homes Go ‘Net Zero,’” New York Times, November 16, 2021, and Patrick Sisson, “As Risks of Climate Change Rise, Investors Seek Greener Buildings,” New York Times, October 26, 2021.

[10] See also Rachel Golden, Building Electrification Program for Climate Leaders, Sierra Club, 2019. Rachel Golden is the deputy director of the Sierra Club's Building Electrification program. See more stories by this author.

[11] Int. No. 2091 would “amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to studying the feasibility of electrifying existing buildings” and Int. No. 2196 would mandate “a study of the health impacts from gas stoves.”

[12] See the official Hearing Testimony 11/17/21 and Hearing Transcript 11/17/21 for the statements submitted for the City Council hearing on Int. No. 2317.

[13] Local Law 96 of 2019, introduced by former City Council Member Costa Constantinides as Int. 1252-2018-A, authorizes a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program in NYC that allows building owners to receive long-term financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Local Law 96 of 2019 is one of nine bills passed by the NY City Council on April 18, 2019, and subsequently enacted into law. For more information on these bills, see the NYC Office of Climate and Sustainability website on the Climate Mobilization Act, which is also referred to as NYC’s Green New Deal; the NY City Council website, NYC Buildings and Climate Change; my article, Lisa DiCaprio, “NYC’s Green New Deal,” Sierra Atlantic, Summer 2019, and Stefanos Chen, “Counting Down to a Green New York,” New York Times, July 12, 2019. See also the recording of the July 22, 2021 New York Passive House virtual event on Local Law 97: “Town Hall - Climate Mobilization – ACT NOW. Local Law 97, which is included in the Climate Mobilization Act, mandates fossil fuel caps on all NYC buildings larger than 25,000 square feet.

[14] The American Gas Association (AGA) website states: “Situational Awareness: AGA members can expect more anti-natural gas and ‘electrify everything’ policies at the state and local levels as part of an ongoing effort by national interest groups and allied local politicians to eradicate fossil fuels. States, cities, and localities are capitalizing on the groundwork laid by the large environmental groups in the form of message amplification, organizing support, tactical and legal expertise, and financial resources.” Challenges by the American Gas Association (AGA) to bans on natural gas connections often assume the form of state legislation that prohibits the implementation of local gas bans. See Jeff Brady and Dan Charles, “As Cities Grapple With Climate Change, Gas Utilities Fight to Stay In Business,” National Public Radio (NPR), All Things Considered, February 22, 2021, updated March 10, 2021.

[15] See, for example, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health study, Effects of Residential Gas Appliances on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health in California,” by Dr. Yifang Zhu (Principal Investigator), Rachel Connolly, Dr. Yan Lin, Timothy Mathews, and Zemin Wang. (The Sierra Club commissioned this UCLA study.)

[16] In her November 10, 2019 USA Today article, “No more fire in the kitchen: Cities are banning natural gas in homes to save the planet,” Elizabeth Weise states: “Roughly 35% of U.S. households have a gas stove while 55% have electric, according to a 2017 kitchen audit by the NPD Group, a global information company based in Port Washington, New York.” See also the Berkeley Ecology Center, Home Electrification Fact Sheet: Induction Stoves and Cooktops and the Energy Star website on 2021-2022 Residential Induction Cooking Tops.

[17] See the 2021 Urban Land Institute report, “Electrify: The Movement to All-Electric Real Estate,” Technologies that Enable All-Electric Buildings, pgs. 22-24. For more information and diagrams on these technologies, see these U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) websites on Air-Source Heat Pumps, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Solar Water Heaters, and Heat Pump Water Heaters, which explain and include diagrams on these technologies, and these Energy Star websites for product information on air-source heat pumps, geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, and heat pump water heaters.

[18] See also Rachel Golden and Cara Bottorff, “New Analysis Heat Pumps Slow Climate Change In Every Corner of Country,” Sierra Club, April 23, 2020.

[19] On February 15, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and several federal agencies released a new climate change study, “2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report,” which updates their 2017 projection of sea level rise. Given the current rate of global warming, the report predicts a foot of sea level rise by 2050 and two feet by the conclusion of this century. See the NOAA press release, “U.S. coastline to see up to a foot of sea level rise by 2020,” which includes a video, “February 15 virtual media briefing on NOAA’s long-term sea level projections for the U.S.,” and links to several resources related to the study. See also Henry Fountain, “Coastal Sea Levels in U.S. to Rise a Foot by 2050, Study Confirms,” New York Times, February 15, 2022. Nadja Popovich and Brad Plumer discuss the historical responsibility of various countries for the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere in their November 12, 2021 New York Times article, “Who Has The Most Historical Responsibility for Climate Change?”

[20] Michael Houser also describes the support of the real estate industry and communities for the Living Better Electronically campaign. As he states, “Across the county and here in Washington state, hundreds of developers and builders jumped on the LBE bandwagon. The Medallion Home badge was a prominent feature of local Parade of Homes programs for numerous years. Entire neighborhoods such as the Somerset development in Bellevue (1961), were planned and built as Medallion Homes. With inexpensive power in the Pacific Northwest, GE and Westinghouse’s goal for increasing electrical standards in home construction was easily met.  For example, in 1958 Seattle City Light proclaimed that 99.4% of all of Seattle’s new single-family homes were all-electric.” 

[21] For examples of Passive House retrofits, see also the Passive House Buildings Spring/Summer 2020 issue, Climate-Conscious Building: Retrofit Revolution. The Passipedia - The Passive House Resource explanation of EnerPHit - the Passive House Certificate for retrofits states, “It is not always possible to achieve the Passive House Standard (new constructions) for refurbishments of existing buildings, even with adequate funds. For this reason, the PHI has developed the “EnerPHit – Quality-Approved Energy Retrofit with Passive House Components” Certificate. Passipedia lists these seven criteria for EnerPHit certification: “improved thermal insulation, reduction of thermal bridges, considerably improved airtightness, use of high quality windows, ventilation with highly efficient heat recovery, efficient heat generation, and use of renewable energy sources.” For examples of EnerPHit retrofits, see Camille LeFevre, “The First Passive House EnerPHit Retrofit in North America,” Rise, June 7, 2019, updated October 16, 2021. (This retrofit is all-electric with the exception of natural gas for heating water.) See also Tobias Roberts, Passive House Retrofits: The EnerPHit Program, Rise, September 26, 2020, updated October 25, 2021.

[22] See Michael Young, “Excavation Underway for the Alloy Block at 100 Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn,” New York Yimby, December 16, 2021. 

[23] On the health benefits of Passive House design, see Deborah Moelis AIA CPHD Principal; Sustainability Report Issue #2, webinar, “Why Passive House Dormitories are Healthier and More Energy Efficient,” posted June 1, 2020, on the Handel Architects Research & Education website, and Deborah Moelis, Ryan Lobello, and Louis Koehl, Sustainability Report Issue #5, “Why Passive House Buildings Create a Healthier Interior Environment,” posted July 21, 2020, on the Handel Architects Research & Education website. See also the video of the Passive House Accelerator, April 21, 2021 Global Passive House Happy Hour, “Sendero Verde Multifamily Passive House: Louis Koehl & Ryan Lobello.”

[24] See Sebastian Morris, “425 Grand Concourse Will Debut as the Country's Largest Passive House High-Rise in Mott Haven, The Bronx,” posted July 19, 2021, on the New York Passive House (NYPH) website.

[25] See Elizabeth A. Harris, “High Tech and High Design, Cornell’s Roosevelt Island Campus Opens,” New York Times, September 13, 2017.

[26] See “Designing and Building the Largest & Tallest Passive House Building in the World,” posted October 17, 2017, on the Handel Architects website. See also my articles, Lisa DiCaprio, “High-rise Passive House in NYC,” Sierra Atlantic, Fall 2017 and “Passive House Update -- Educational Resources,” Sierra Atlantic, Winter 2021. (I participated in two group tours of The House led by Deborah Moelis, an AIA CPHD (Certified Passive House Designer), Principal, founding member of Handel Architects and the Project Manager for The House and Sendero Verde.

[27] For information on LEED, see the website for the U.S. Green Building Council that administers the LEED certification program, and Patrick McGregor, “What LEED Certification Is & How Your Building Can Achieve It,” 42floors, December 7, 2021.

[28] See Donna Morris, “Adobe Breaks Ground on North Tower in San Jose,” Adobe blog, June 14, 2019; Sarah Golden, “Trend: Commercial buildings go all-electric,” GreenBiz, March 2, 2020; and “Behind Adobe's bold plan to build an all-electric building,” GreenBiz, July 26, 2019.

[29] See Rob Peña, “Living Proof: The Bullitt Center,” posted August 6, 2015, on the Bullit Center’s Case Study: Living Proof website; Barbara Porada, “The ‘World’s Greenest Commercial’ Building Opens in Seattle Today,” ArchDaily, April 22, 2013; and Jane Margolies, “Going ‘Deep Green,’ Office Buildings Give Back to the Planet,” New York Times, July 14, 2020. See also the June 16, 2020 virtual tour of the Bullit Center and the International Living Future Institute Bulllit Center website.

[30] See Lloyd Alter, “You’d Never Guess This NYC Townhouse Is a Passivhaus,” Treehugger, July 21, 2021, and the August 19, 2020 Passive House Accelerator video, “Passive House Walkthrough of Brooklyn Brownstone Retrofit with Baxt Ingui Architects.” Since 2015, the Passive House Standard has included three certification options: Passive House Classic is the traditional standard, Passive House Plus requires the on-site generation of energy from renewable sources to equal consumption over a one-year period, and Passive House Premium, for which the on-site generation of renewable energy must exceed its consumption, also on an annual basis. See Christina B. Farnsworth, “Passive House Options Now Include Classic, Plus and Premium,” posted March 21, 2015, on the Green Builder website. For the different Passive House options, see also Passipedia– The Passive House Resource.

[31] See Patrick Sisson, “New York’s Real Climate Challenge: Fixing Its Aging Buildings,” New York Times, December 29, 2020. As Sisson writes, “Casa Pasiva, a $20 million retrofit project in the Bushwick neighborhood, aims to be a pioneer. The developer behind the project is pushing an aging collection of buildings to the cutting edge by essentially turning them inside out, all without tenants needing to relocate. Interior pipes, radiators and heating ducts, will be removed or sealed, and a new façade on each building will cover a new all-electric heating and cooling system.” See also Scott Gibson, “New York Developer Adopts a European Template for Deep Energy Retrofits,” Green Building Advisor, February 26, 2021, and the NYSERDA RetrofitNY website on Casa Pasiva: RetrofitNY In Action: RiseBoro's Casa Pasiva Project. For an analysis of NYC’s 2019 Local Law 97, see William Neuman, “Big Buildings Hurt the Climate. New York City Hopes to Change That,” New York Times, April 17, 2019.  

[32] For a description and photographs of the Pirelli Tire Building retrofit, see the Becker + Becker website for the Hotel Marcel. See also Kate Doherty’s Party Walls blog post, “Pirelli Historic Retrofit: Part I,” posted July 31, 2020, on the Steven Winter Associates website. (Doherty is a Building Systems Analyst for Steven Winter Associates.) You may listen to Lois Arena, PE, Director, Passive House Services for Steven Winter Associates, speak about her Passive House projects on the Passive House Accelerator, January 11, 2021 Season 1, Episode 1, Passive House Podcast. See Lois Arena and Dylan Martello’s February 8, 2022 The Passive House Network (NPHN) presentation, “Scaling Up All-Electric Buildings.” See also Shane Reiner-Roth, “Marcel Breur's iconic Pirelli Building will be readapted into hotel,” Archpaper, The Architect’s Newspaper, January 13, 2020; Lisa Prevost, “Hotels Lag in Energy Sustainability. One Project May Change That,” New York Times, November 11, 2020; and Jay Fox, “Hotel Marcel Opening its Passive House Doors,” Passive House Accelerator, June 15, 2021. As Prevost writes in her article, “Some large hotel brands and owners have set companywide greenhouse gas reduction goals, but much of the industry has failed to take advantage of measures that could save energy and reduce operating costs, according to a report by the Urban Land Institute’s Greenprint Center for Building Performance.”

[33] See the Steven Winter Associates website, “The Tyler - Former High School Turned Senior Housing.” In his June 23, 2021 Passive House Accelerator article, “High School to Affordable Housing,” Jay Fox discusses how the repurposing of the former high school “emerged from a public-private partnership involving the town and developer WinnCompanies.” He quotes Christina McPike, the WinnCompanies Director of Energy & Sustainability, on the dual benefits of the project: “Historic adaptive reuse projects, such as The Tyer, are solving for two crises at once – an affordable housing shortage and climate change. While new development and curbing carbon emissions are often competing goals, projects like The Tyer exist at the crossroads of the two, transforming existing, underutilized buildings into new environmentally responsible communities.”

[34] For information on the technical aspects of geothermal heat pumps, see the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) website on geothermal that includes diagrams of different geothermal systems. See also a “This Old House” November 19, 2019 video, “Future House, Affordable Geothermal,” which depicts a Dandelion Energy geothermal installation in a home located in Albany.

[35] For more information about Local Law 6 of 2016, which was introduced by NY City Council member Costa Constantinides as Int. 609-A and passed unanimously by the Council, see “City Council Passes Constantinides Geothermal Bill,” the Queens Gazette, December 16, 2015. For an overview on the installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems in NYC and Westchester County during the past several years see Alison Gregor, “Geothermal Designs Arises as a Stormproof Resource,” New York Times, November 6, 2012; Jay Egg, “If NYC Can Do Geothermal, Anybody Can Do Geothermal,” Green Builder, July 10, 2018; and Kaya Laterman, “Converting to Geothermal Energy,” New York Times, August 9, 2019.

[36] See Andrew Berman’s website for a description and photographs of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Center for Architecture renovation.

[37] See also Jim Dwyer, “Contemplating Heaven, but Drilling Deep Down,” New York Times, November 19, 2008.

[38] For an explanation of the geothermal pile system, see the May 21, 2015 Business Wire press release, “De Blasio Calls for Renewable Energy, Trevor School Answers with Geothermal,” which states: “While reviewing the physical site for the building back in 2009, the engineering team discovered that its foundation conditions were perfect for utilizing a geothermal pile system. The East 95th Street building sits upon deep deposits of silt over bedrock, which required over 350 piles to be installed 80 feet deep to support the building. The large number of piles, combined with a prime environment for exchanging heat with the ground, allowed Trevor to take advantage of the foundations themselves to heat and cool the building. Trevor’s foundational pile system was designed by Langan Engineering & Environmental Services and Robert Silman Associates, and brought to life by Geothermal International, who integrated the geothermal loops into the piles.”

[39] See Sharon Otterman, “The New, Green Pride of St. Patrick’s Cathedral is Underground,” New York Times, March 14, 2018, and “St. Patrick’s Cathedral Goes Green With Geothermal,” posted March 17, 2020 on the website of Dandelion Energy, a geothermal installation company in the Northeast.

[40] See this April 26, 2021 video in which Manfredi and Weiss discuss their architectural projects, Lecture: Michael Manfredi and Marion Weiss.

[41] For more information on Beach Green Dune I, see Linda G. Miller, American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York, In the News, January 10, 2018; the Bluestone Organization website for Beach Green Dunes I; and the NYC Connect website, Affordable Housing for Rent.

[42] See also the Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP website for Beach Green Dunes II, the L+M Development Partners website for Green Beach Dunes II and article, “Beach Green Dunes II is a Model for Sustainable Multifamily Housing Developments;” former Mayor de Blasio’s February 19, 2020 press release on Beach Green Dunes II, “Your Home NYC: Mayor de Blasio Welcomes Home Tenants at New, Resilient Affordable Housing Development in Queens,” and the Steven Winter Associates website article, “Beach Green Dunes II: Rigorous Passive House Design.”

*A special thanks to the architects and engineers who are advocating for and demonstrating the feasibility of new and retrofit all-electric buildings.

** For my previous Sierra Atlantic articles, see: “Key Resources on Recent Climate Change Reports,” Key Resources on Climate Change Reports: Part II,” “The Drawdown Project to Reverse Global Warming,” “The Social Cost of Carbon & Why It Matters,” “Ecological Footprints and One Planet Living,” “Five Years of Activism: NYC Commits to Fossil Fuel Divestment,” “State Must Pass Divestment Act Targeting NYS Common Retirement Fund,” “NYC’s Green New Deal,” “Initiatives to Reduce Plastic Pollution,” “Carbon Footprints and Life-cycle Assessments - Educational Resources,” “Biomimicry - Innovation Inspired by Nature,” “The Circular Economy - Educational Resources (Part I),” “Earth Day 50 and the Coronavirus Pandemic - Educational Resources,” and “Educating for American Democracy.”

 

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