New measures could soon require New York City landlords to post energy efficiency grades in their lobbies, similar to how restaurants post sanitation grades in their windows.
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The report card rule would apply to residential and commercial buildings with footprints larger than 25K SF. A federal energy efficiency rating along with a letter grade between A and D would need to be posted in the lobby for visitors to review, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The report cards are part of a package of quality-of-life measures, which also include a rule about limiting after-hours construction in order to prevent noise complaints in residential neighborhoods. Under the new measures, noise levels near residential buildings would have to be below 75 decibels and would be measured 50 feet from construction sites, according to the WSJ.
In the case of the energy efficiency grades, the measure is intended to encourage more efficient buildings and help keep landlords accountable. If a building has a poor score, residents and tenants will be able to push for improvements with the posted grade as leverage.
The bill was approved on Monday by the New York City Council Committee on Environmental Protection, and will now be considered on Tuesday at the final council meeting of the year.
If both measures pass, the new regulations will come into effect January 2020.
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