PRESS RELEASE – IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Updated: June 16th, 2015
City, State and Private Offices Commit to Turn Lights Off to Turn On Savings During Daylight Hour, June 19
Global social media campaign by the Building Energy Exchange to promote the energy, cost and health benefits of using daylight instead of electric lighting in commercial office spaces kicks off today. Several hundred organizations will participate across the globe on June 19th by turning off the lights in day-lit offices for one hour and posting pictures of the spaces to social media.
Early commitments to the 2015 Daylight Hour include more than 150 organizations across the globe, representing more than 20 million square feet of office space, most notably: the historic chambers of New York City Council, major NYC agencies, NYPA, NYSERDA, Con Edison, the Real Estate Board of New York, the Durst Organization, Forest City Ratner, Rudin Management, Tishman Speyer, and Vornado Realty Trust.
Revised: 16 June 2015
The Building Energy Exchange, a non-profit energy efficiency resource center in Manhattan, launches their second international Daylight Hour campaign today. City and State offices as well as private sector offices around the globe will participate by turning the lights off in their day-lit offices on June 19 from 12-1 pm, and posting pictures of the spaces to social media.
“We can all do our part to make the city more sustainable and environmentally friendly,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Through small steps we can decrease energy consumption on a daily basis and collectively contribute to a greener city. I applaud the Building Energy Exchange for creating the Daylight Hour initiative and encouraging all New Yorkers to make use of natural light rather than consuming unnecessary energy.”
Last year, the campaign attracted 150 offices from around the world to raise awareness about the energy, cost and health benefits of using daylight when electric lighting is unnecessary.
“The de Blasio administration has made a dramatic commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, becoming the largest city in the world to commit to an 80 percent reduction by 2050,” said Nilda Mesa, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “Reducing the use of lights and better utilizing day light in buildings across the city will play an important role as we work toward that goal. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Building Energy Exchange – including to provide private buildings with the support they need to reduce emissions and improve efficiency.”
Using daylight in office buildings is an opportunity to save energy and money and promote the well-being of office workers all over the world.
“The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions stems from the energy required to heat and cool buildings. The Daylight Hour offers an exciting opportunity for commercial office spaces to reevaluate their use of energy particularly during hours that offer the most potential for natural lighting,” Council Member Donovan Richards, Chair to the Committee on Environmental Protection said. “Not only does the campaign encourage offices to save energy and in turn reduce emissions, but it also raises awareness of the benefits of natural lighting during peak hours. Across the city and throughout the state I am proud to stand with the de Blasio administration, Building Energy Exchange and other partners to promote the Daylight Hour.”
According to the Building Energy Exchange 2012 study, Let There Be Daylight, $70 million dollars could be saved annually by owners and tenants in New York City alone simply by taking advantage of a free, ubiquitous resource- daylight. Additionally, the periods when daylight is most available (midday and afternoon) coincides with peak demand- the time when offices are running computers and air conditioning and demanding the most energy from the grid. This peak energy is the most expensive energy, and typically the dirtiest and most harmful to our global climate because the oldest, least efficient plants are brought online to meet this need.
“Overseeing the Cuomo Administration’s BuildSmart NY program, which requires all state buildings to cut energy use 20 percent by 2020, has provided us with even greater insight into how to achieve substantial energy efficiencies, ” said Gil C. Quiniones, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority. “Consistent with that ambitious multiyear initiative, the Daylight Hour shows how we need to reduce energy consumption and how much can be accomplished when large electricity users work together”
Reducing the lighting load during peak periods significantly reduces carbon emissions. At the same time, day-lit spaces are often the most pleasant to spend time in, and studies suggest these spaces promote our health and well-being, improve productivity and reduce absenteeism. Daylight Hour is a campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of daylight In commercial offices and is a vehicle to promote resources that help offices properly utilize this important resource, including case studies of daylit offices, technology and systems that ease the use of daylight, and design standard.
“Daylight Hour is an important and interactive effort to engage New Yorkers and raise awareness regarding how much unnecessary energy we use on a daily basis,” said Steven Spinola, President of The Real Estate Board of New York. “Switching off our lights at the time of day where our offices and homes receive the most natural light is a low cost, convenient, and smart way for New Yorkers to participate in an activity which can result in savings of over $70 million for building owners and tenants in our city.”
To celebrate the most impactful and creative participants, a series of awards will be given by the Building Energy Exchange immediately following the Daylight Hour. Last year, 2014, Daylight Hour featured 150 offices, representing 2.4 million square feet of space. More than 1,000 advocates reached 500,000 people through social media. Participants shared creative and humorous photos of their engagement in Daylight Hour, with many recording their energy savings.
“The Building Energy Exchange is focused on breaking down barriers to realizing the enormous economic and environmental benefits of making our buildings more efficient,” said Richard Yancey, Executive Director of Building Energy Exchange. “The Daylight Hour is an inspirational and fun campaign that connects the dots between energy efficiency, daylight harvesting, and action. People often wonder what they can do to help prevent climate change. We simply ask them to join their peers, turn off their lights, and enjoy the daylight.”
The Building Energy Exchange is an independent nonprofit created to educate the industry about innovative energy efficient technologies and lighting strategies, increasing the demand for efficiency projects and reducing friction for decision makers and practitioners. An initial focus of the Exchange is lighting systems, which are commonly antiquated and inefficient, consuming one third of New York City’s commercial electricity and costing New Yorkers $3.4 billion each year. The Building Energy Exchange convenes networking and knowledge sharing events, professional training, and energy efficiency exhibits, in their downtown resource center as well as managing targeted demonstration projects and maintaining a website of extensive virtual resources at www.beex.wpengine.com.
The Daylight Hour is sponsored by MechoSystems, the global leader in commercial WindowManagement® Solutions. The company’s patented SolarTrac® System automatically adjusts window shades and louvers to optimize daylight, comfort, views. Its proven, energy-saving performance has earned it a place in many of the world’s most notable architectural projects. Learn more about MechoSystems here: www.mechosystems.com
2015 Daylight Hour Current Commitments
Adelphi University – New York, NY
AKF Group – Boston, MA
AKF Group – Mexico City, Mexico
AKF Group – New York, NY
AKF Group – Princeton, NJ
AKF Group – Puebla, Mexico
AKF Group LLC – Stamford, CT
Allen + Killcoyne Architects – New York, NY
Amenta Emma Architects – Hartford, CT
APF Properties, LLC – New York, NY
Architecture Research Office – New York, NY
Arrowstreet – Boston, MA
Association for Energy Affordability – New York, NY
Atco Properties & Management – New York, NY
Atelier Ten – New York, NY
Atelier Ten – New York, NY
Bagby – Charlotte, NC
Bavier Design – Stamford, CT
Bleecker Associates – Malvern, PA
Brand Cool – Rochester, NY
Bright Power – New York, NY
Brighton Health Group – Stamford, CT
Brooklyn Academy of Music – New York, NY
Brooklyn Greenroof, LLC – New York, NY
Cisco – New York, NY
City University of New York – New York, NY
ClearBridge Investments – New York, NY
ClearBridge Investments – Wilmington, DE
ClearBridge Investments, LLC – San Francisco, CA
Conservation Consultants Inc. – Pittsburgh, PA
Control Arms – New York, NY
Crescent Heights – New York, NY
Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, Inc. – New York, NY
CSArch – Albany, NY
CSArch – Newburgh, NY
Department of Citywide Administrative Services – New York, NY
di Domenico + Partners – New York, NY
Domingo Gonzalez Associates – New York, NY
EN-POWER GROUP – New York, NY
FirstService Residential – Irvine, CA
FirstService Residential – New York, NY
FirstService Residential – New York, NY
Five Star Development – Pittsburgh, NY
Forest City Ratner – New York, NY
Genesee Community College – Batavia, NY
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders – New York, NY
Goldman Copeland – New York, NY
Green Mountain Energy Company – Austin, TX
Grind – New York, NY
Handshake – New York, NY
HeartShare Human Services of New York
HLW International – New York, NY
HOK – St. Louis, MO
HR&A Advisors – New York, NY
Infosys Limited – Bangalore, India
Interbrand – New York, NY
International Living Future Institute – Portland, OR
International Living Future Institute – Seattle, WA
Jack Resnick & Sons – New York, NY
Jacobs | Doland | Beer – New York, NY
Jaros, Baum & Bolles – New York, NY
Jones Lang LaSalle – New York, NY
Jones Lang LaSalle – New York, NY
Kumon Canada – Burnaby, BC
Kumon Canada – Calgary, AB
Kumon Canada – Montreal, QC
Kumon Canada – Vaughan, ON
Kumon North America – Chicago, IL
Kumon North America – Duluth, GA
Kumon North America – Hebron, KY
Kumon North America – Houston, TX
Kumon North America – Lawrencevile, NJ
Kumon North America – Manhattan, NY
Kumon North America – Phoenix, AZ
Kumon North America – Plantation, FL
Kumon North America – Southlake, TX
Kumon North America – Teaneck, NJ
Kumon North America – Torrance, CA
Kumon North America – Troy, MI
Kumon North America – White Plains, NY
Landmarks Preservation Commission – New York, NY
Legg Mason – Baltimore, MD
Legg Mason Global Asset Management – New York, NY
Leonard Powers Inc – New York, NY
M&E Engineers – Somerville, NJ
MaGrann Associates – Mount Laurel, NJ
McGillin Architecture Inc -Bala Cynwyd, PA
MechoSystems – New York, NY
Morrisville State College – Morrisville, NY
Natural Resources Defense Council – Beijing, China
Natural Resources Defense Council – Bozeman, MT
Natural Resources Defense Council – Chicago, IL
Natural Resources Defense Council – New York, NY
Natural Resources Defense Council – San Francisco, CA
Natural Resources Defense Council – Santa Monica, CA
Natural Resources Defense Council – Washington DC
NBBJ – New York, NY
New Citi Consulting LLC/Simply Solar LLC – New York, NY
New York Power Authority – White Plains, NY
Normandy Real Estate Partners – New York, NY
NYC ACRE – New York, NY
NYSERDA – Albany, NY
NYSERDA/New York Green Bank/NYCEEC – New York, NY
Orange County Community College – Middleton, NY
Orndee Omnimedia – New York, NY
Oxfam International – New York, NY
Paramount Group, INC. – New York, NY
Paramount Group, Inc. – New York, NY
Perkins Eastman Architects – Chicago, IL
Perkins+Will – New York, NY
Philips Research NA – Briarcliff Manor, NY
Phillips Lytle LLP – New York, NY
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP – Stamford, CT
Quadlogic Controls Corp – New York, NY
Queens Library – Jamaica NY
Queens Public Library – Arverne, NY
Queens Public Library – Broad Channel, NY
Queens Public Library – Cambria Heights, NY
Queens Public Library – Corona, NY
Queens Public Library – Forest Hills, NY
Queens Public Library – Jackson Heights, NY
Queens Public Library – Little Neck, NY
Queens Public Library – Long Island City, NY
Queens Public Library – Long Island City, NY
Queens Public Library – Long Island City, NY
Queens Public Library – Long Island City, NY
Queens Public Library – Queens Village, NY
Queens Public Library – Richmond Hill, NY
Queens Public Library – Ridgewood, NY
Queens Public Library – Rosedale, NY
Queens Public Library – South Hollis, NY
Queens Public Library – Woodhaven, NY
Real Estate Board of New York – New York, NY
Renfro Design Group, Inc. – New York, NY
RFR Realty – New York, NY
RFR Realty – New York, NY
RFR Realty LLC – New York, NY
RFR Realty LLC – Stamford, CT
Rose Associates – New York, NY
SerraLux Inc – Santa Rosa, CA
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill – London, UK
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP – New York, NY
Smart Fiber Skylights – Colombo, Sri Lanka
Specification Lighting Sales – New York, NY
Springs Window Fashions – Middleton, WI
Steven Winter Associates – New York, NY
Steven Winter Associates – Norwalk, CT
Steven Winter Associates – Washington, DC
Steven Winter Associates, Inc. – New York, NY
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan – New York, NY
Suffolk County Community College – Riverhead, NY
SUNY Albany – Albany, NY
SUNY Binghamton – Binghamton, NY
SUNY Buffalo – Buffalo, NY
SUNY Clinton Community College – Plattsburgh, NY
SUNY Fredonia – Fredonia, NY
SUNY Jefferson Community College – Watertown, NY
SUNY New Paltz – New Paltz, NY
SUNY Onondaga Community College- Syracuse, NY
SUNY Oswego – Oswego, NY
SUNY Polytechnic Institute – Utica, NY
TF Cornerstone – New York, NY
The Daylight Savings Company – Goshen, NY
The Durst Organization – New York, NY
The Hippodrome Building – New York, NY
The Marino Organization – New York, NY
The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership – New York, NY
The New York Times – New York, NY
tk1sc/StudioK1 – Irvine, CA
Trinity Real Estate – New York, NY
True Energy Solutions – Rochester, NY
TSO Logic Canada – Vancouver, BC
USAI Lighting Collaboratory – New York, NY
Vidaris, Inc. – New York, NY
VP+C – New York, NY
Western Asset – New York, NY
White Plains Presbyterian Church – White Plains, NY
Willdan Energy Solutions – Anaheim, CA
Willdan Energy Solutions – Azusa, CA
Willdan Energy Solutions – New York, NY
Willdan Energy Solutions – New York, NY
WNUK SPURLOCK Architecture – Washington DC
Women’s Environment and Development Organization – New York, NY
To learn more about Daylight Hour, please visit www.daylighthour.org.