July 13, 2019 may be a date that New Yorkers will remember for a while. Of course, it was when a huge section of Midtown Manhattan went dark for several hours for 73,000 ConEdison customers. The cause of the blackout was reported to be a fire on a generator or transformer. Not surprisingly, the impact in a densely populated city such as Manhattan was huge —people trapped in elevators, the subway had to be shut down, chaotic traffic in the streets, businesses and even Broadway forced to close, and much more.

This blackout was not an isolated case. New York has a long history of blackouts. And while New York has been at the forefront of implementing energy efficiency initiatives and fighting climate change (heatwaves are amplified by climate change and a constant threat to the stability of the power grid), the reality is the city’s infrastructure is very fragile.  This latest blackout may be a not-so-gentle reminder that our power grid is in peril and we need to do something about it to avoid being left in the dark again.

What can you do about it?

As part of the Climate Mobilization Act, buildings over 25,000 sq. ft. are required to reduce 40% emissions by 2030 and more than 80% by 2050. The first step in your journey to be compliant really needs to start today with BuildingIQ’s visualization tools. Our 5i Platform provides a complete roadmap for operational and energy efficiency. BuildingIQ is working with over two dozen buildings throughout New York City providing invaluable energy monitoring insights geared towards creating energy savings and operational efficiency.  Furthermore, as a certified Vendor for NYSERDA’s  Real Time Energy Management Program (RTEM), we can work with you to have 30% of the project costs covered by the RTEM program for 3 years – creating even more value.

For years, BuildingIQ has worked with some of the most iconic buildings in New York to help them achieve their energy efficiency goals. You could be next. Let’s talk. Book a short call with me to learn how to get started.

Kevin Debasitis is Director of Sales at BuildingIQ, covering the Northeast.  Kevin has worked in commercial construction, EPC and development of renewable energy, distributed generation, and energy efficiency for over 25 years.