Commercial Buildings Get Green Light to Lower Heat

New York City’s Health Department announced last week that it plans to lower the minimum temperature required in buildings from 68 to 65 degrees. The initiative is part of the Mayor’s environmental agenda, known as PlaNYC.

The goal of the temperature decrease is to allow building owners to save energy costs and burn less fuel. The rule will apply to all commercial property, including office space, department stores, city buildings, and restaurants.

Owners across the city appreciate the city’s efforts to present them with an opportunity to save energy and cut costs but point out that they more than likely won’t turn down their thermostats because most of their leases require temperatures to remain above 70 degrees. Health officials say that the reason that they settled on the 65-degree mark is because the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that home temperatures go no lower.

Leaders from tenant associations around the city have mixed feelings about the plan and many believe that the Mayor is misguided in his attempts to conserve. The general sentiment is that instead of lowering temperatures and turning down thermostats, the city should invest in energy efficient retrofitting. For example, the head of one of the tenant groups argued that the Mayor should be focused on installing more efficient windows in buildings so that heat doesn’t escape.

Last November, in an effort to cut fuel costs, Mayor Bloomberg ordered the city to turn thermostats down as temperatures flirted with the freezing mark. When fielding complaints from city workers, the Mayor advised the workers to “wear a sweater if you’re chilly!”

Source: NY Daily News