Though the planet may be smiling, cash-strapped co-ops and condos have found less to love about NYC's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, which requires buildings bigger than 50,000 square feet to conduct an energy audit every 10 years, then fix any deficiencies identified. That second bit isn't likely to be cheap--nor is the audit itself, which costs an average of 15 cents a square foot, or about $7,500 for a 10-story building with a 50 x 100 (50,000 square feet) footprint.
This month, RAND Engineering & Architecture is giving away a free audit to one building located within a 25-mile radius of Midtown Manhattan. Anyone may enter to win on a building's behalf. Enter here (one entry per building) by Friday, March 18.
While you're on the Rand website, check out their handy guide to the new energy efficiency laws including relevant deadlines, as well as their excellent energy audit fact sheet. And take heart: Your building could eventually recoup its expenditures. According to Peter Scallion, the marketing director for the engineering and architecture firm, the annual savings from bringing your building up to green code range from 5 percent for no cost/low cost modifications to 40 percent for major improvements.
