What follows is our press release announcing the official opening of the Building Energy Exchange with support from Mayor Bill de Blasio and many other luminaries.

First of Its Kind Resource Center Connects Building Owners to Energy Efficiency Training and Technology

$3.5 million state grant creates information hub for de Blasio’s climate action plan, connecting the building industry to cost-saving systems, education & financing 

Speaker Mark-Viverito, Mayor’s Adviser Goldstein, NYC Sustainability Director Mesa, Council Members, and State officials on hand to celebrate grand opening

January 12, 2015

The Building Energy Exchange, an energy efficiency resource center, opened in downtown Manhattan today, providing education, exhibits, and critical tools to advance energy efficiency in buildings. City and State officials and private sector executives cut the ribbon on this new resource for everyone with a stake in the energy use of buildings.  The Exchange will act as a hub for activities that help building owners, operators, and designers save money, and reduce pollution and carbon emissions through energy efficiency measures.  To establish itself as a trusted source of information the Exchange will answer the following questions for visitors:

–       Which energy saving technology is right for my building?

–       How much money will I save?

–       How do I pay for the project?

–       Where can I train our staff?

–       Where can I see this technology in person?

By providing tangible tools and an objective perspective, the Building Energy Exchange will help every building owner, manager or designer select the right technology and follow best implementation practices to ensure energy savings are realized. In keeping with the administration’s priorities, the energy efficiency of affordable housing will be a major focus of the Exchange, helping that sector drawn down energy bills that act as a regressive tax on our most vulnerable communities.

In attendance were New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, William Goldstein, the Mayor’s Senior Advisory for Recovery, Resiliency, and Infrastructure, Nilda Mesa, the new Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Council Members Richards and Constantinides, John Rhodes, the President & CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Ken Adams, Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner, and many other city and state leaders, along with a host of environmental advocates and private organizations to commemorate the opening of this singular resource.

“During Climate Week, we announced an unprecedented green buildings plan and made NYC the largest city in the world to commit to an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Within the next ten years we’re going to retrofit every single public building with any real energy use – and we’ll provide private buildings with the support they need to do the same, reducing emissions, improving efficiency, generating major savings, and creating thousands of jobs. The Building Energy Exchange will provide key support toward that goal as we take on climate change and ensure a greater, greener New York City.”

“The Exchange will be the first of its kind in New York State, providing critical training and many other resources to help accelerate the adoption of energy efficient projects and technologies. Our goals are ambitious: dramatic reductions in energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution- enabling all New Yorkers to save money while creating better, healthier spaces.” said Executive Director Richard Yancey. “We would like to thank the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, as well as NYPA and NYSERDA, for supporting the creation of the Building Energy Exchange.”

The Building Energy Exchange is an independent nonprofit created to educate the industry about innovative energy efficient technologies and lighting strategies, thereby increasing the demand for efficiency projects.  An initial focus of the Exchange is lighting systems, which are commonly antiquated and inefficient, consuming one third of the City’s commercial electricity and costing New Yorkers $3.4 billion each year.

The Building Energy Exchange, in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation, was recently awarded a $3.5 million Cleaner Greener Communities grant, to facilitate energy efficiency projects in multi-family buildings.  The grant funds the creation of a single resource for multifamily energy efficiency, connecting building owners to assistance, information, education and financing to spur the implementation cost-saving energy efficiency projects.  The three-year grant is provided by the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), as part of a 2014 Regional Economic Development Council Award.

The critical resources provided at the Building Energy Exchange will directly support the goals of Mayor de Blasio’s climate action plan, One City: Built to Last, by connecting multifamily and commercial buildings owners and professionals with information, education, and financing to help them realize energy savings and healthier buildings through energy efficiency projects.  An important Building Energy Exchange project, the “Retrofitting Affordability” study, is already acting as a road map for the “Retrofit Accelerator” program, identified within the Mayor’s plan to connect the most cost effective retrofit solutions to multifamily building owners and managers.  Smaller buildings are another significant focus of the Mayor’s plan, an industry segment for which the tools and resources provided by the Building Energy Exchange will be even more critical.

The New York Power Authority and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority have joined the City of New York in strongly supporting the Building Energy Exchange as a critical resource to help all of New York State reach our energy efficiency goals. Other early supporters of this effort include: the Kresge Foundation, the Scherman Foundation, the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, Osram-Sylvania, the Illuminating Engineering Society of NYC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Tishman Speyer, Vornado Realty Trust, Rudin Management, Goldman Sachs, the Real Estate Board of New York, Mechosystems, National Grid, Con Edison, and others.

“The Building Energy Exchange will be an important asset to our State, allowing designers, contractors, real estate owners and operators to gain a greater knowledge base and access the newest, most energy efficient technologies. Buildings are significant consumers of power in New York State, and this project is a great example of how Governor Cuomo is creating a more cost-effective clean energy economy that protects the environment for all New Yorkers,” said John B. Rhodes, President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

“The Building Energy Exchange’s focus on reducing the energy use of buildings is closely aligned with the strong emphasis that Governor Cuomo’s BuildSmart NY initiative is placing on accelerating efficiency initiatives for New York State public facilities,” said Gil Quiniones, President and Chief Executive Officer, New York Power Authority. “The Power Authority looks forward to leveraging the energy efficiency technology insights and training programs developed by the Exchange.”

“National Grid has been converting customers to clean natural gas in the New York communities we serve for a over a century. The Building Energy Exchange has taken another step to help create a more energy efficient, resilient, and healthier environment for the citizens of New York. The center provides National Grid’s customers with a new and innovative resource to help them take charge of their own energy choices and usage in the future,” said Ken Daly, President, National Grid New York.

“Through education and innovation, the Building Energy Exchange will benefit building owners, building occupants, and the environment in our city,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Saving costs while also reducing pollution and emissions is a win for everyone and will help lead to a more sustainable and affordable New York City.”

“The opening of the Building Energy Exchange reaffirms New York City’s commitment to reducing our municipality’s negative environmental impact,” said Chair to the Committee on Environmental Protection, Council Member Donovan Richards. “This Exchange will serve as a central resource based location for housing and building related inquires as they pertain to energy efficiency, pollution reduction and healthy living. I look forward to working with the mayoral administration on other innovative and sustainable initiatives to meet our 80 by 2050 goal and build a greener city.”

Council Member Costa Constantinides said, “It’s exciting to see organizations like the Building Energy Exchange open as we make progress toward our city’s commitment to reduce our carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.  This energy resource center will be a hub for NYC to learn about energy efficiency and innovative building methods – a grassroots-level way for people to help reduce carbon emissions and save money.  I look forward to seeing awareness of energy efficiency and environmentalism grow.  I thank the Center for this initiative and I’m proud of Mayor de Blasio and the City Council for leading the way on this important issue.”

“The Building Energy Exchange is critical to putting New York City on a path to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050,” said William Goldstein, Senior Advisor to the Mayor for Recovery, Resiliency and Infrastructure. “This center provides invaluable assistance to realizing a more sustainable New York by deploying important information on energy efficiency and helping construction professionals to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of New York’s buildings.

“The great thing about setting up a retrofit accelerator with the Building Energy Exchange is that it will be one-stop shopping for building owners, architects, engineers and contractors who are serious about cutting energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Building owners don’t have to be the pioneers and go through the trial and error part – they can learn from others who’ve already figured out the hardest questions and have real data to back up recommendations. And they can find out where they can get a bit of help to get over enough of the upfront cost that they can get to the savings part more quickly,” said Nilda Mesa, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.

“The Building Energy Exchange is an innovative approach to help ensure that New York State remains at the forefront of energy efficiency,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams. “This project will further Governor Cuomo’s agenda to establish a cleaner energy environment throughout the state.”

“The Building Energy Exchange is an important step in reaching this Administration’s goals of reducing our carbon footprint and increasing energy affordability,” said Kyle Kimball, President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. “It will also support the growth of NYC as a global capital for innovation, facilitating the creation of a market for new building technologies. Creating a sustainable, resilient future isn’t just smart planning—it’s smart economics.

“The Real Estate Board of New York, representing more than 16,000 owners, managers, developers and brokers of real estate, strongly supports the Building Energy Exchange. The Exchange is a unique and timely asset that will provide education and a center of excellence for lighting technology and energy efficiency where best practices can be shared among our industry and the general public,” said Steven Spinola, President, Real Estate Board of New York.

“New York’s future as a center of global innovation will be enhanced by this Resource Center, which will help to ensure that we are at the forefront of advances in application of energy-saving technology,” stated Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

“Retrofitting buildings with interactive technology will be a critical component of reducing the impact of our building stock.  The Building Energy Exchange will be a place where technology is made tangible through exhibits, interactive case studies and demonstration projects. It will be hub of activity and a place we hope to exhibit our DiBOSS system in the near future,” said John Gilbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Rudin Management Company, Inc.

“Building Energy Exchange is exactly what we need to achieve the energy efficiency potential in our built environment by making sure that the design, construction, and real estate community have the tools needed to implement all cost-effective energy efficiency solutions and have easy access to actionable information about best practices,” said Ashok Gupta, Senior Energy Economist, Natural Resources Defense Council.

“New York City is a leader in its commitment to energy efficient and sustainable housing, and the Building Energy Exchange will be a valuable addition to the resources available to residential building owners and developers. With a variety of financial incentives and stringent standards already in place, technical assistance from the Building Energy Exchange will be invaluable in helping owners make the right investments in energy efficiency,” said Bomee Jung, Deputy Director, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.

“The Building Energy Exchange educates building owners and building operators making daily decisions to improve energy efficiency,” said Susan Leeds, CEO, New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation.  “It helps provide some of the critical information building professionals need to determine the best approach to reducing energy usage, including retrofit projects.  With the support of NYCEEC financing, these projects will help to move New York City closer to its ambitious 80 by 50 goals.”