We will use a series of mandates, challenges, and incentives to reduce demand among the city's largest energy consumers
With 5.2 billion square feet of space parceled into almost a million buildings, reining in the energy consumption of New York's building sector presents a challenge of remarkable complexity and scale. (See table on following page: Key Areas for Targeted Energy Efficiency Initiatives; see case study on following page: Energy Efficiency Tools)

As described in the following table, our efforts will be focused around five key areas: institutional and governmental buildings, commercial and industrial buildings, residential buildings, new construction, and appliances and electronics. We have focused primarily on upgrades to existing buildings, since they will still form the overwhelming majority of our building stock by 2030.

We have also singled out the largest sources of consumption for reforms, such as lighting and inefficient appliances. By replacing outdated lighting systems with more energy-efficient models, working at the State and Federal level to steadily improve standards for appliances and electronics, and leveraging renovations to enforce our energy code more vigorously, we can achieve enormous savings-in our usage and energy bills. (See table on previous page: Electricity Savings from Compact Florescent Light Bulbs)

For private sector change, government has three basic tools in its arsenal: challenges, requirements, and incentives. We will be able to use all three, sometimes within the same targeted area. In many cases, such as the energy upgrades for large commercial and industrial buildings, we will incent behavior to encourage early adoption and then mandate compliance by 2015. We will also challenge the city's leading non-profit and commercial building owners to match the City's commitment to cut its own energy use by 30% in 10 years. The City's commitment will not only set an example, but also help incubate the expertise required for the larger citywide transformation. This, in turn, will reduce the costs of these measures for all.

Every energy-saving measure included is cost-effective, with paybacks within five years or less. And by prioritizing the largest buildings first, the maximum impact will be achieved with minimal complexity.

Progress (as of 4/22/08):
In January, the City and other parties including Con Edison, National Grid, the New York Power Authority, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, proposed an Energy Efficiency Partnership to address joint efforts that would align energy-saving programs within PlaNYC's five key areas: existing institutional, commercial, and residential buildings as well as new construction and appliances/electronics. The City hopes to formalize this Partnership as part of the on-going PSC Energy Efficiency Portfolio proceeding. In another initiative, 10 major universities signed on to the challenge to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2017. To date, these institutions have each completed their greenhouse gas inventories and created a draft action plan to achieve reduction targets. In addition, the City has been participating in PSC proceedings and utility rate cases to increase energy efficiency incentives, which have resulted in an April 2007 PSC Order that removes utility disincentives to promoting energy efficiency and provides $140 million for gas efficiency programs over five years from two gas utility rate case settlements. The City will participate in the design and implementation of these efficiency programs.