Local Law 87 (LL87), enacted in 2009 as part of the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, requires energy audits and retro-commissioning at buildings over 50,000 gross square feet once every ten years. The law is built to catch the low-cost and no-cost fixes hiding in a building's existing systems long before any capital retrofit gets discussed. Hudson Clean Heat carries owners through the process end to end, from the initial ASHRAE Level II audit to retro-commissioning and filing with the Department of Buildings.
1. Buildings that exceed 50,000 gross square feet.
2. Two or more buildings on the same tax lot that together exceed 100,000 square feet.
3. Two or more buildings owned by a condominium association, governed by the same board of managers, that together exceed 100,000 square feet.
1. Energy Audit – a full review of a building’s HVAC, domestic hot water, envelope, lighting, and controls, carried out to the ASHRAE Level II standard or the U.S. Department of Energy’s Asset Score Audit Template Tool. Owners must investigate and document the findings, though implementing every recommendation is not mandatory.
2. Retro-Commissioning (RCx) – functional testing that checks whether existing systems still run as originally designed. Unlike the audit, any no-cost or low-cost fix uncovered during RCx must actually be corrected.
LL87 penalties accrue for each year a required Energy Efficiency Report (EER) is not filed:
1. $3,000 for the first year of non-compliance.
2. $5,000 for each additional year the filing remains outstanding.
The Department of Buildings will not accept a late filing until all accrued penalties have been paid in full.
Every covered building is assigned to a ten-year filing cycle based on the last digit of its tax block number.
When: The filing is due in the calendar year whose final digit matches the final digit of the building’s tax block number.
Example: A building on a block ending in 6 files in 2026; a block ending in 7 files in 2027. The cycle then repeats every ten years.
Deferrals: Buildings that already meet the current NYC Energy Conservation Code, or that completed a substantial system upgrade within the prior ten years, may apply in advance for a deferral or extension using the relevant DOB forms. Full program details are published by the NYC Department of Buildings.
Establish your baseline. We assess your building’s HVAC, domestic hot water, envelope, lighting, and controls to determine exactly where LL87 requires an audit and where RCx applies.
We document every audit and RCx finding, flag the no-cost and low-cost measures LL87 requires you to correct, and outline which capital upgrades make financial sense to pair with the work.
Hudson Clean Heat implements the right fix for your building, from RCx corrections to domestic hot water decoupling, partial electrification, or full electrification, with access to rebates and incentives.
We connect you with a registered design professional to file your building’s Energy Efficiency Report with the Department of Buildings ahead of your block’s decennial deadline.
As your next decennial filing approaches, we keep your building’s systems tuned and your documentation ready, so you’re never scrambling when the deadline lands.
Not sure where your building stands?
Contact Hudson Clean Heat Today
Our team brings decades of combined experience in energy audits, retro-commissioning, and building electrification to help New York property owners meet Local Law 87 requirements while uncovering savings that pay for the process.
