In December 2006, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg challenged New Yorkers to generate ideas for achieving 10 key goals for the city's sustainable future. New Yorkers in all five boroughs responded. The result is the most sweeping plan to enhance New York's urban environment in the city's modern history. Focusing on the five key dimensions of the city's environment - land, air, water, energy, and transportation - we have developed a plan that can become a model for cities in the 21st century. The combined impact of this plan will not only help ensure a higher quality of life for generations of New Yorkers to come; it will also contribute to a 30% reduction in global warming emissions.

SEP is responding to the needs of the New York City Greener, Grerater Building Plan (PlaNYC). PlaNYC sets a goal of achieving a 30 percent reduction in the city's annual greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. Acknowledging that nearly 80 percent of our citywide emissions result from the energy that we use in buildings, we have set out to improve the energy efficiency of New York City’s buildings.

SEP works with building owners, developers, and architects who need to improve their buildings energy efficiency.

Equipment Upgrades & Sub-Metering

PlaNYC requires all large buildings to upgrade their lighting over the next 15 years.

SEP implements clean energy systems at the highest possible value for the client. Our services are unique in the marketplace because of our ability to provide our clients unbiased (equipment and vendor neutral) information necessary to invest in environmentally responsible technologies. When analyzing a building energy usage, SEP technicians provide appropriate technology based on industrial experience. SEP always provides full lifecycle cost analysis which includes initial cost, labor of installation, replacement or repairs, and future energy costs.

Building Commissioning & Energy Audits

PlaNYC requires large buildings to conduct an energy audit once every ten years, and to undertake energy-efficient maintenance practices as part of a retro-commissioning process.

An Energy audit focused on LEED™, Energy Star™, and ASHRAE standards to establish a baseline for energy usage, the following will be identified:

  • The annual utility costs and energy usage for the building(s), including electricity, natural gas, and other energy loads such as propane, oil, and other fuels.
  • The annual water usage and cost for the building(s).
  • A comprehensive list of recommended equipment including detailed specifications.
  • Projected financial and environmental benefits of recommended improvements.
  • Anticipated costs and return on investment (ROI) break-even payback calculations.

With the information gathered on site and the energy usage data, SEP will develop a list of recommendations for energy efficiency improvements.  These recommendations will take into account any available financial incentives (rebates from utilities and/or government entities) for efficiency improvements.

ASHRAE Certified

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) identifies three levels of energy audits. SEP provides different levels of detail for an energy audit, such as:

  • Walk-through Assessment: Analyze energy bills and a brief visual survey of the facility. The subsequent report identifies no-cost and low-cost opportunities.
  • Energy Survey and Analysis: A more detailed analysis is conducted, including a breakdown of how energy is used within the building. Recommendations are provided based on an owner's operations and maintenance, constraints, and economic criteria. Potential capital-intensive opportunities are identified in the final report for further research and analysis. This is the typical level of audit.
  • Detailed Analysis of Capital-Intensive Modifications (Investment-grade Audit): This analysis focuses on capital-intensive opportunities and provides a higher degree of monitoring, data collection, and engineering analysis. The report includes detailed cost and savings information with a high-level of confidence sufficient for major capital investment decisions, and may include a reasonable timeline for implementation of each recommendation.

Building Commissioning

SEP performs commissioning services to improve building integrity. Building commissioning is a quality-oriented process for achieving, verifying, and documenting that the performance of facilities, systems, and assemblies meets defined objectives and criteria.

Building commissioning is the systematic process of ensuring that a building’s complex array of systems is designed, installed, and tested to perform according to the design intent and the building owner’s operational needs. The commissioning of new buildings will be most effective when considered throughout the planning stages and as early as schematic design.

Energy Benchmarking

PlaNYC requires large buildings to conduct an annual analysis of energy consumption using a free, online tool provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

SEP provides management and training for Energy & Water Benchmarking. Comparing the energy and water usage for a portfolio of buildings can provide valuable insight for property managers. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Benchmarking provides a simple and effective tool for owners and potential purchasers alike to compare buildings’ energy consumption with similar buildings, to start to understand how efficiently it is running.

SEP uses inhouse benchmarking models to compare any types of buildings. Although the EPA's ENERGYSTAR Portfolio Manager benchmarking tool can also be used.

Portfolio Manager is an interactive energy management tool that allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption across your entire portfolio of buildings in a secure online environment. Whether you own, manage, or hold properties for investment, Portfolio Manager can help you set investment priorities, identify under-performing buildings, verify efficiency improvements, and receive EPA recognition for superior energy performance.