New York City has passed landmark legislation to reduce the cost of operating existing buildings according to an article this week in the Queens Center. While most municipal legislation focuses mainly on building standards for new builds, this legislation requires energy reduction and energy use monitoring for large existing buildings in New York City. This legislation will affect a small percentage of the buildings in NYC, yet it will affect 45% of the city’s total energy consumption. The legislation requires annual energy audits and remediation plans. It specifically targets lighting since 20% of total energy consumption in the city is from illumination.
The goal of the legislation is to save energy, but importantly also to save costs and help retain corporate presence in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
This is the time of year for resolutiona and renewed focus. Wouldn’t it be great if every real estate brokerage, association and MLS would adopt the legislation too? How much energy could we save if we implemented a few simple changes which would save every real estate organization money, while increasing consumer interest and employee loyalty? It isn’t that hard to go green. One simple way – start to use oneline document management programs – you eliminate the cost of storage, paper, printing, faxing AND you can save some trees at the same time.
Reduce the energy consumption in your building and your staff. Install light sensors so when a room is empty the lights automatically go off. Switch to LED lighting if you’re remodeling. While they are more expensive to install, they are a LOT more energy efficient in the long run and will save you tons on your energy bill. There are now new smart power strips too that will draw no power from computers and other devices once the power strip is turned off. The changes are not that hard, you just need to make it a priority and get it done.
Once you have made the changes be sure you take credit for them with your employees, agents and most importantly your clients. Studies have shown clients are more interested in working with green companies so you can turn your cost savings into a marketing advantage – we call that a win/win.
If you would like to learn more about how you can take your organization green this year, you can download our free paper on Make More Green by Going Green . Soon, we will be releasing a paper about how to take your MLS and Association green as well.
Happy New Year – this is your year to embrace the green movement and make a difference while you save money!
