Modified Buildings Get Failed Efficiency Grades Following Con Ed Snafu

New energy efficiency grades graced the doors and windows of thousands of buildings this week, but many of the F’s should stand for “false.”

This is because some locations only received failing grades due to errors related to Con Edison data reporting. The F grade is meant to indicate that the building owner did not provide the data to the city. However, some buildings submitted data and still received an F.

Of the more than 20,000 new grades posted this month, 1,971 addresses, or about 9.8%, received an F, based on preliminary building sector data obtained by THE CITY. The number of buildings affected by the Con Ed data reporting snafu is unknown. DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky said it was “hundreds”.

In a statement, Con Ed spokesperson Allan Drury said the company is “working to resolve” the issue.

“We are in regular communication with the New York City Department of Buildings about our progress in addressing these issues,” said Drury.

The owner of the building $1,250 fine If you do not publish your grades by the end of October. But property managers awaiting reconciliation from the DOB for an unfair F grade will not be penalized for not showing a letter grade, he said, Mr Rudansky said.

There are no penalties for bad grades, except for the shame associated with the letter.

Rudansky said in an email, “We are aware of issues reported by Con Ed that are affecting some property grades and this is a challenge process that allows building owners to challenge the grades.” It will be resolved as soon as we implement the “This year, Con Edison made an internal update to improve the quality of data for some properties on the Eligible Building List, which will allow these properties to be graded during this ongoing challenge period. is subject to change.”

alphabet city

Enacted in 2018, revised in 2019, Local law 33 Buildings over 20,000 square feet must measure water and energy consumption and submit the data to the city annually. Building owners must post a rating based on usage and Energy Star. Score Building efficiency level.

An A grade corresponds to a score of 85 or higher, and a D corresponds to a score from 0 to 54.

The problems, which included what consultants described as incomplete meter readings and gaps in data entry, were first made known to insiders around the May data submission deadline.

“It’s hard to do data quality checks the day before submission,” said Charlie Read, operations director at ReDocs, a company that helps real estate comply with environmental and energy laws. “I hope the city will work with buildings and consultants to change the way things are moving forward. I hope.”

Read said it heard DOB will release an updated score in December.

One building that got an A but is stuck at an F for now is terrace gardens plaza, a co-op complex in Midwood, Brooklyn, according to an email sent to shareholders. Two other addresses associated with the complex are grade A, according to preliminary data for 2022.

The management company did not respond to requests for comment.

score up

Preliminary data this year shows improvements across the city, with more buildings achieving A and B grades compared to the previous two years. Last year’s performance reflects his 2020 data, the year of the pandemic. Biased Typical Energy Use pattern.

Preliminary data also show an increase in the number of F grades compared to the last two years.

Aron Parnes, Operations Director at efficiency consultancy IAG Energy, said:

Of the 1,550 buildings that received a provisional F rating in 2022 and were also rated last year, 563 buildings, or about 36%, will also receive an F rating in 2021. The remaining 64% of F buildings are now A, B, C, or D. last year.

Building owners who want to improve their grades can receive free guidance from the city accelerator program and Sustainability Help Center.