New York Adopts New Appliance Efficiency Bill and Updates Building Codes

Posted by: samanthaklein // Intern

As populations continue to increase in New York, electricity demand is on the rise. Concurrently, the state has big plans to achieve decarbonization goals. Meeting both needs is challenging and requires a great deal of dialogue between politicians, community members, and sustainability experts. Senate Bill S7176 establishes advanced building codes as well as appliance and equipment standards. This initiative will promote clean energy across the state. 

 

In addition to slashing carbon emissions, New Yorkers will collectively save hundreds of millions of dollars on their utilities bills by implementing energy-efficient appliances. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved will be equivalent to taking 370,000 cars off the road.

 

The appliance standard would apply to various home items such as computers, televisions, air purifiers, and electric vehicle chargers. The only states with appliance standards currently are California, Connecticut, and now New York. The purpose of this portion of the bill is to “protect New Yorkers by filling federal regulation gaps” pertaining to new and innovative energy saving products on the market. This will eliminate wasteful and poorly-performing products, and will ensure cost-effective and energy-efficient options for individual consumers and businesses. NYSERDA reported that wasted energy from low-performance household products could remove $14 billion from the state’s economy.

 

The next step in the bill is to redefine New York’s energy codes. These standards set minimum efficiency requirements for new and renovated buildings, ensuring that emissions will be reduced over the lifespan of the building. (Currently, emission reductions are only considered over a 10 year window). While the United States has its own energy code in place for all states, New York’s code exceeds this national standard. In fact, New York sets a strong precedent for every state to follow. The Historic Climate Leadership Act (CLCPA) set New York to have the following goals:

• 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030
• Carbon free electric grid by 2040
• Greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 85% by 2050
• Eventually reach a carbon neutral economy

These aims will be heavily supported by the 2022 building code updates.

 

The New York State budget is being reallocated such that $320 million of the targeted $14 billion will be directed toward low-income communities to further support their needs. The majority of the remainder of the savings will be reinvested in decarbonization goals. Aside from electrification, New York is focused to achieve low-carbon fuels by diversifying their energy sources. Renewable natural gas sourcing combined with electrification will ensure that sustainability standards are met.

 

If you are a New York resident, or are simply just interested in learning more about the NY building code updates, check out Urban Green Council and Building Energy Exchange. These sites are excellent news sources, and they also each hold webinars to discuss New York's building standards. 

 

Sources: 

ACEE (2022)

Advanced Energy Economy (2022)

NY Senate (2022)