On Thursday, July 18, 2019, international LED company Big Shine Energy hosted the Sustainability Today #BrilliantKnowLEDge Symposium at the Grand Hyatt New York. This event brought together experts in property management, building engineering, real estate and architecture to discuss New York City’s new ambitious building emissions law and the steps that the real estate industry can take to begin compliancy.
Sustainability Ovation
The symposium opened with a panel discourse among sustainability experts with Big Shine Chief Technology Officer August Kruesi as the moderator.
Panelist Sofya Shuster, Vice President of Real Estate Finance at ING Capital in New York touched on investments and incentives to influence and encourage sustainable practices and what other countries, like the Netherlands are doing to implement these resources.
Most of the real estate market players are now fully recognizing the importance of sustainability and energy efficiency,” said Sofya. “To ensure a successful transition towards sustainability, all stakeholders will have to contribute, including governmental authorities, asset owners and operators, financiers, tenants, service providers, etc. On our side, we are excited to be part of this effort by supporting, motivating and rewarding our clients in their aim to improve their sustainability profile.
Panelist Sofya Shuster
Lindsey Prowse, French-American Chamber of Commerce New York (FACC-NY) Member Associate and Sustainability & Innovation Committee Liaison contributed to the panel a parallel case study based on Paris’ robust sustainability initiative as it ties to New York City’s new emissions legislation.
Sustainability is now a key driver of innovation and business growth. As a premier organization for international business, the FACC-NY is fortunate to count some of the world’s most respected French-American leaders and companies in luxury, food, real estate, energy, finance, manufacturing and beyond,” said Lindsey. “Of growing importance to our community is a desire to embrace sustainable business practices. This year, we launched the first Sustainability & Innovation Committee and large-scale Forum. Our mission is to empower business leaders to build upon their dedicated efforts to effect positive change for a more sustainable future.
Lindsey Prowse
Panelist Vatsal Bhatt, PhD, Director of Cities and Communities at U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) gave an overview of the building emissions law and the initial steps that the industry can take to become compliant.
USGBC has been at the forefront of building efficiency and urban sustainability for twenty years and we are looking forward to working with building professionals and urban planners in meeting and exceeding New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act.
Vatsal Bhatt
CDP Vice President of Global Initiatives Sara Law spoke on building owner readiness to initiate action in compliance with the new emissions law in New York City. Sara shared insight on how U.S. companies have pledged GHG reduction targets that align with climate science, all influenced by the U.S. involvement in the Paris Agreement.
Con Edison Incentives and Big Shine LED Quality
As Con Edison participating contractors, Big Shine Energy provides full-service incentive assistance as part of its turnkey solution model.
During the event, three special speakers from Con Edison took the stage. Business Development Manager Arman Hamamdjian explained Con Edison’s 40 to 70 percent incentives increase in the Commercial & Industrial (C&I) program on energy-efficient equipment upgrades, which will last until the end of the program’s fiscal year in October. And on top of the incentive bonus, Con Edison is providing up to 15 percent more incentives for the Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods.
Manager of Energy Efficiency Mahdi Jawad educated the audience on their incentive navigator tool. This tool is useful for calculating incentive estimates for energy-efficient projects.
Lighting Engineer Peter Jacobson gave a rundown of why it’s beneficial to consider networked lighting controls. He also discussed the special incentives Con Edison will honor for such projects. Overall, the crowd received a sense of why it’s important and valuable to act now when it comes to sustainable conversions within New York City property and building spaces.
To conclude the speaking portion, Big Shine Energy Executive Director, Eduard Rodriguez segued into LED lighting quality. He explained the crucial factors to consider when choosing energy-efficient lighting as it relates to sustainability.
LED’s should be efficient and have a long lifespan, however, there are LEDs failing without even meeting 50% of their expected life span,” Eduard stated. “This causes waste of materials and additional greenhouse gases emitting from over-manufacturing. What is the cause? Poor design, cheap components, wrong applications. The list goes on. That is why we exist.
Eduard Rodriguez
Educational Sessions: LED Lighting 101 and Photometric Analysis
Attendees also got the chance to participate in mini seminars hosted by Big Shine’s CTO and photometric engineer. Mr. Kruesi dove into hands-on demonstrations of interior and exterior technology components of various lighting fixtures.
Big Shine Energy’s Photometric Engineer walked attendees through interactive photometric demonstrations with an engaging lecture on lighting levels.
Overall, the symposium provided guests with a comprehensive understanding of urban sustainability and the importance of acting now to keep in step with the City’s new laws. The property owners, energy managers and architects in attendance got a better sense of where to begin so that they can actively contribute to a more carbon-neutral future, starting in the Big Apple. Big Shine offered free lighting audit sign-ups for anyone ready to act now.
About New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act
New York City’s building emissions law, Local Law 97 of 2019, requires a citywide reduction in greenhouse gases, with a 40 percent reduction in citywide emissions by 2030 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050. This new law affects buildings greater than 25,000 square feet, which is about 50,000 buildings, with about 41 percent being commercial buildings. Urban Green Council published a Retrofit Market Analysis in June estimating a market opportunity of $20 billion, with the creation of 141,000 jobs across the New York City Metropolitan Area.
