Enhanced NYC Accelerator Will Offer Streamlined Digital Platform and Additional Focus on Resilience Measures  

Advances “PlaNYC” Initiative to Support Building Owners with Complying with Local Law 97 Emissions Reduction Goals  

November 25, 2024  
CONTACT: Kimberly Winston, [email protected], 917-853-6832

NEW YORK – The Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) announced today it has released a request for proposals (RFP) to expand NYC Accelerator, the free program that offers trainings, one-on-one guidance, and technical resources to building stakeholders who are working to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency at their properties. Since the start of the Adams administration, this popular sustainability program has assisted 22,000 buildings and helped start 25,000 retrofit projects, reducing carbon emissions by 19,400 tons and saving building owners more than $5 million in avoided penalties. Expanding NYC Accelerator aims to reduce 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from Local Law 97-covered buildings by 2030, the equivalent of taking around 250,000 cars off the road per year, and accomplishes another goal set in PlaNYC, the administration’s climate plan. 

“Our 1 million-plus buildings, not our vehicles, are our city’s largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions—Local Law 97 is the mandate that will clear the air,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi.“But to spur the green revolution for buildings, the law must be comprehensible, and adherence must be possible. NYC Accelerator is a proven tool in making compliance simple and real. I look forward to its expansion with thanks to MOCEJ.”  

Building on the current program’s success, the enhanced NYC Accelerator will offer additional digital tools and website capabilities, which will allow more buildings to engage with the program and provide more efficient support; a wider variety of sustainability and resilience resources; and support for smaller and industrial buildings looking to reduce their carbon footprint. The new, three-year NYC Accelerator contract, expected to begin next summer, will require at least 60 percent of small buildings engaged with the program to be in New York State-defined disadvantaged communities, so that more of the city can benefit from improved air quality, upgraded building systems, and the financial impacts of the growing green economy. As extreme rainfall continues to pose a climate threat to the city, the expanded NYC Accelerator will also begin to track resiliency metrics, and its team of experts will be versed in basic resiliency improvement measures, as well as programs and resources available to support the upgrades.  

“NYC Accelerator is the single most important resource for New Yorkers decarbonizing their buildings, and it’s become a model for other cities worldwide,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “The enhanced program will encourage resiliency measures and make digital tools available to all building owners. We encourage a wide variety of program implementers to send proposals, including community-based organizations.” 

“While most of the city’s large buildings are expected to meet their emissions goals next year, those numbers drop as we look ahead to 2030 and 2050,” said Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “By expanding NYC Accelerator, we’re providing property owners and managers with the financial and technical support they need, which will cut emissions, increase resilience, reduce utility demands, and clean our air. We’re also delivering for New Yorkers by achieving yet another goal in our climate plan, which was written to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers, now and into the future.” 

NYC Accelerator was launched in 2012 as the Clean Heat Program to help buildings phase out the use of No. 6 heating oil. Since the city’s 2019 passage of the landmark Climate Mobilization Act, whose centerpiece is Local Law 97 (LL97), NYC Accelerator has been at the forefront of the city’s LL97 outreach, connecting building stakeholders with resources, including service providers, to help them comply with the law and avoid penalties. The program will continue to support small, non-LL97-covered buildings and affordable buildings with electrification strategies and assistance complying with sustainability laws such as Local Law 154, the all-electric new buildings law. It will also continue to provide guidance to affordable housing and houses of worship that have elected to comply with the law’s 2030 emissions reduction pathway or are working to complete prescriptive energy conservation measures. Buildings are responsible for 70 percent of the city’s emissions and LL97 requires about 50,000 large buildings reduce emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050.   

“The success of Local Law 97 depends largely on government’s ability to activate private property owners to take action, and provide them with the support they need as they work to decarbonize their buildings,” said New York City Department of Buildings Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability Laura Popa. “NYC Accelerator is in many cases the first point of contact for building stakeholders looking for help with energy efficiency retrofit projects, and the expansion of this indispensable assistance program underscores the administration’s commitment to getting as many owners as possible on a manageable compliance pathway towards net zero emissions.”