Green Law Alert: Things Building Owners Should Know About New York City’s Benchmarking Law, Part of the City’s “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan”

New York City's "Benchmarking Law," NYC Administrative Code § 28-309, is one component of the City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, which seeks to reduce building emissions and energy costs citywide. Under the Benchmarking Law, owners of certain privately owned buildings will be required to measure and report (or "benchmark") their building's energy and water usage to the Department of Buildings ("DOB") as of August 1, 2011. The Benchmarking Law applies to (a) owners of privately owned buildings larger than 50,000 square feet; (b) all buildings on a common tax lot that together exceed 100,000 square feet; and (c) two or more condominium buildings governed by the same board of managers that together exceed 100,000 square feet.