New city regulations announced in April require that by 2015, about 10,000 buildings switch from No. 6 heating oil, the cheapest but also the dirtiest fuel available, to No. 4 heating oil and some buildings need to make the change as early as next July, according to an article in yesterday's edition of The New York Times by Vivan S.Toy.
But, the article continued, "since buildings will be required to use either No. 2 oil or natural gas by 2030, many building owners are contemplating making the larger change now to avoid two separate conversions."
The article noted that "city officials say that the soot pollution created by the 10,000 buildings that use No. 6 oil exceeds the amount created by all the cars and trucks in the city."
"It was the sight of apartment buildings in New York City belching plumes of black smoke into the sky that spurred Diane Nardone into action. As board president of the Brevoort, a 1955 co-op tower in Greenwich Village, Ms. Nardone started her campaign to turn the building green about three years ago. Since then, the building has spent nearly $6 million. The projects ranged from the prosaic, like new windows and light bulbs, to the ambitious, like green roofs, converting from heating oil to natural gas, and installing a $3.2 million cogeneration plant capable of powering the 20-story building in a citywide blackout....The switch from No. 6 oil to natural gas cost the Brevoort apartment building $225,000. It involved replacing the burner on the boiler, removing two 20,000-gallon oil tanks, and installing equipment to draw gas from the available Consolidated Edison pipeline. The board expects to save as much as $70,000 a year in fuel costs," the article said.
"Property managers and environmental experts say that gaining access to gas pipelines maintained by a utility like Con Ed or National Grid could be a huge hurdle for some buildings....City officials say that is why the imminent rule change is for No. 4 oil and the natural gas requirement does not kick in for 20 years," the article said.
But, the article continued, "since buildings will be required to use either No. 2 oil or natural gas by 2030, many building owners are contemplating making the larger change now to avoid two separate conversions."
The article noted that "city officials say that the soot pollution created by the 10,000 buildings that use No. 6 oil exceeds the amount created by all the cars and trucks in the city."
"It was the sight of apartment buildings in New York City belching plumes of black smoke into the sky that spurred Diane Nardone into action. As board president of the Brevoort, a 1955 co-op tower in Greenwich Village, Ms. Nardone started her campaign to turn the building green about three years ago. Since then, the building has spent nearly $6 million. The projects ranged from the prosaic, like new windows and light bulbs, to the ambitious, like green roofs, converting from heating oil to natural gas, and installing a $3.2 million cogeneration plant capable of powering the 20-story building in a citywide blackout....The switch from No. 6 oil to natural gas cost the Brevoort apartment building $225,000. It involved replacing the burner on the boiler, removing two 20,000-gallon oil tanks, and installing equipment to draw gas from the available Consolidated Edison pipeline. The board expects to save as much as $70,000 a year in fuel costs," the article said.
"Property managers and environmental experts say that gaining access to gas pipelines maintained by a utility like Con Ed or National Grid could be a huge hurdle for some buildings....City officials say that is why the imminent rule change is for No. 4 oil and the natural gas requirement does not kick in for 20 years," the article said.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
