New York City should focus on elevator shafts to improve the energy efficiency standards of its high-rise residences, according to a new report from the Urban Green Council.
A typical New York apartment building loses thousands of dollars worth of energy every year from leaky elevator shafts that vent warm air at the top of the building and draw in cold air at the bottom.
The report, “Spending Through the Roof says that apartment building owners pay an average of $3,400 a year to replace heat lost through the roof. In taller buildings, the cost can be more than $20,000 a year.
Plugging this type of air leak can cost from $500 to $15,000. If the leaks were plugged on 4,000 tall apartment buildings in the city, landlords would collectively save $11 million a year, while keeping 30,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
Elevator shafts and stairwell openings were required to vent smoke in the case of fire. But construction practices and firefighting techniques have changed, so the vents now "are needlessly open all the time."
Codes governing stairwell vents haven't changed since 1929 so there's no legal way now for building owners to fix the problem.
Related Stories
| Dec 13, 2011
LEED-EB outpaces LEED for new construction
The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) LEED certifications for existing buildings standard is outpacing LEED for new buildings for the first time.
| Dec 13, 2011
Regulators charge pervasive abuse of construction workers in Connecticut
Federal and state regulators say they have uncovered what they call "widespread noncompliance" with minimum wage and overtime laws in Connecticut's construction industry.
| Dec 13, 2011
Philadelphia mayor signs order for project labor agreements
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order establishing project labor agreements for major public works projects in Philadelphia.
| Dec 13, 2011
Improved code requirements for attic ventilation
The Roof Assembly Ventilation Coalition (RAVC) participated in the development of the code.
| Dec 12, 2011
LEED-EB Outpaces LEED for New Construction
The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) LEED certifications for existing buildings standard is outpacing LEED for new buildings for the first time.
| Dec 12, 2011
Philadelphia Mayor Signs Order for Project Labor Agreements
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order establishing project labor agreements for major public works projects in Philadelphia.
| Dec 12, 2011
Improved Code Requirements for Attic Ventilation
The International Code Council (ICC) recently published the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) that includes improved code requirements for balanced intake and exhaust for ventilated attics.
| Dec 12, 2011
DOE makes 2010 ASHRAE energy standard the reference for state energy codes
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a ruling that establishes the 2010 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ (ASHRAE’s) 2010 energy efficiency standard as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes.
| Dec 1, 2011
Chinese cabinet approves regulation to prevent fraud in construction bidding
China’s State Council approved a regulation to standardize bidding processes for construction and other business-related projects in order to prevent fraud and misconduct.
| Dec 1, 2011
More stringent efficiency codes driving growth in green building industry
Thanks partly to upgraded building codes, the building energy efficiency market will soar more than 50% between now and 2017 to $103.5 billion, according to Pike Research.