爱豆传媒

President Bill Clinton, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Eric Adams visited the Empire State Building to announce the publication of the groundbreaking 鈥淓mpire Building Playbook: An Owner鈥檚 Guide to Low Carbon Retrofits鈥� on April 21, 2022.  

爱豆传媒 teamed with Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on. The guide outlines the step-by-step process for existing commercial buildings to develop a pathway to carbon reduction with proven returns on investment.

鈥淭he free, online Playbook charts a path for landlords, tenants, and service providers to reduce greenhouse gases and related carbon associated with the operations of buildings, achieve the goals of New York State, and comply with Local Law 97,鈥� said , chairman, president, and CEO of ESRT.  鈥淓SRT will use the Playbook to compete for tenants and protect and create value for our shareholders. We maintain our industry leadership position with proven paybacks on actions taken towards a more sustainable future. The Playbook demonstrates the case of how to achieve 75 to 90 percent emissions reductions with a payback of four to eight years through a combination of building system upgrades with a renewably sourced grid.鈥� 

ESRT鈥檚 Dana Robbins Schneider, SVP, director of energy, sustainability, and Sustainability led ESRT鈥檚 development of the playbook with major funding from NYSERDA as did the Durst Organization, Hudson Square Properties, and Vornado Realty Trust. The work shows how to codify test, refine, and verify the in-building projects. Beyond the Empire State Building, the Playbook contains case studies for retrofit analyses done by each of these partners, which includes One Bryant Park, 100 Avenue of the Americas, and One Penn Plaza. ESRT partnered with the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative to drive leadership in action toward climate resilience and a carbon neutral future.

This work includes case studies, guidance, and project-specific technical information on best practices for building owners to achieve deep energy and carbon reductions at their properties and comply with local laws such as New York City’s Local Law 97, as well as respond to tenant and investor demands.

Significant findings from the Playbook include:

• TARGET HEATING METRICS: Focusing on how to reduce, recycle and store heat is a primary way to drive down buildings’ greenhouse gas emissions and achieve a strong return on investment.
• MANAGE PEAK POWER: A resource efficient approach to electrification for big buildings phases out fossil fuels while reducing peak power consumption, providing relief to the electric grid now and in the future.
• PLAN INCREMENTAL CHANGE: Small steps create a large impact with incremental investments achieving significant carbon reduction over time.
• CALIBRATE TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSES: Traditional energy audits are not enough and decarbonization requires a rigorous systems analysis of whole-building heating and cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water and envelope. Building owners, engineers, and solution providers must collaborate to choose solutions that are both technically and financially viable.
• ENGAGE TENANTS: Tenants are key. Building owners will accelerate investments in climate-friendly office spaces if tenants demonstrate demand.

The insights shared support replication with the potential for application across entire real estate portfolios while demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of the proposed solutions that can catalyze the wider marketplace. Additional case studies will be added to the Playbook over time, highlighting the work of Empire Building Challenge partners to showcase decarbonization pathways for a variety of buildings. This includes a wide variety of commercial office buildings, multifamily affordable housing buildings, and buildings located in disadvantaged communities, supporting the goal of an equitable transition to clean energy that values the comfort and health of all New Yorkers.

Strategies for Cutting Carbon

Supporting ESRT in this effort, 爱豆传媒 has brought together creative minds and innovators from varied disciplines. The team is led by partner Ian Booth, partner and MEP engineering expert, and associate mechanical engineers Astrid Sardinas and Daniel Bersohn, PE (a member of the New York City Code Committee). New approaches being developed by the team have included decarbonization strategies, all-electric buildings, and ways to evaluate and conserve embodied carbon in building retrofit projects.

These highly effective approaches need to address the challenges and anxieties shared by many real estate operators in New York City and beyond. 鈥淏uilding decarbonization and heating electrification don’t need to be hard,鈥� said Bersohn. 鈥淲hile it may sound as radical as going from eating burgers and fries to eating beans and kale, it’s nowhere near as drastic 鈥� it鈥檚 more like enjoying the burgers and just making the fries in an air fryer.鈥� The new normal that building owners reach in 10-20 years won鈥檛 happen all at once in one building.

It might arrive little by little as each new tenant moves in: every piece of aged equipment is an opportunity for real progress toward heating electrification, energy efficiency, and decarbonization.

Updating Older Buildings

Our team has set its sights on older and historic buildings that can be modernized with new engineering concepts and low-carbon systems, setting the stage for carbon neutrality and changing economic goals. By encouraging future-facing new construction in addition to the retrofitting of existing buildings, our team hopes to bring the region鈥檚 buildings up to date with evolving standards and address the challenge of minimizing carbon footprints.

Working with ESRT, we are helping invigorate these efforts to catalyze new green economic growth in the state. Spearheaded by firm leaders Booth, Sardinas and Bersohn, the team from 爱豆传媒 shares in the hopeful vision of a carbon-neutral New York and expresses excitement about the Empire Building Challenge and the new Empire State Playbook for Deep Energy Retrofits 鈥� and the promise of a carbon-neutral future.