From The MANHATTAN CONTRARIAN
The race is on to see who hits the green energy wall of impossibility first. California, Germany and the UK (the “Poseurs”) might seem to have leapt early into the lead positions. But New York is now making a strong sprint to catch and surpass them, so it can be the first to splatter its citizens’ flesh and blood all over the impenetrable barricade.
The Poseurs accumulate vast green progressive virtue credits for ridiculous promises, but their promises all have dates so far in the future that today’s politicians will be long gone when the crash detonates. Germany promises 100% of electricity from renewables by 2035. Whoopie! Chancellor Scholz will be out tending his unfertilized Spargel gardens long before then. In California they don’t promise 100% renewable electricity until 2045, by which time Governor Newsom will likely be not just retired but dead.
Who has sufficiently pure cult adherence to set firm green energy deadlines with real consequences in the here and now? That task has fallen to the true climate heroes here in New York City.
New York City’s bid to create the first real test of an impossible green energy deadline is found in its Climate Mobilization Act of 2019, the key part of which goes by the name Local Law 97. LL97 (formal name: New York City Administrative Code Sections 28-320 and 28-321) imposes energy efficiency standards on large residential buildings starting in 2024 — next year. Buildings that fail to meet the standards are subject to large and accelerating fines starting right away.
It appears that the owners of these buildings are just now figuring out that the standards that have been set cannot be met, at least not in any remotely reasonable way. What next?
The New York Times had a big front page article on Monday about the maneuvers of one large building to try to comply with the law. The headline (online version) is “A Huge City Polluter? Buildings. Here’s a Surprising Fix.”
The building that is the subject of the profile is called The Grand Tier. It is a large (280 apartments), newish (built 2005), and very high-priced building that you may even have seen, because it sits directly across Broadway from Lincoln Center at West 64th Street. To give you an idea of the market segment the building is in, the only apartment listed at the moment on the Streeteasy website is a one bedroom for $5895 per month.
The owner of the building is Glenwood Management. Here are a few things about Glenwood that do not appear in the Times’ piece. It is one of the major apartment developers in the City, known for highest-end buildings and premium rents. The long-time head of the company was Leonard Litwin, for many years the single largest donor to New York’s Democratic Party and big backer of power broker and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Litwin died in 2017 at age 102, shortly after Silver was convicted in 2015 on corruption charges, some of which involved his relationship with Litwin. (Silver then died in 2022 while still serving his prison term.). Meanwhile, the value of Litwin’s protection money payments ran out when the radical wing of the Democrats gained full control of the State Legislature in 2019. LL97 takes direct aim at major large-building residential landlords like Glenwood, who are one of the main designated villains of the climate morality play.
Anyway, the people now running Glenwood, who are no dummies, have figured out that even in a premium building like this that is rolling in money, compliance with LL97 on its own terms is not a realistic option. The building is heated with natural gas — as are nearly all similar buildings. Being the goodie goodie Democratic Party sycophants that they are, the Glenwood people initially tried the route of compliance with the new standards on their own terms by doing all the obvious things to increase energy efficiency. But it was not nearly enough. From the Times:
Ahead of the new climate law, the company had made all the easy changes to save energy and reduce emissions: it replaced incandescent light bulbs with LEDs, upgraded old fan motors and improved insulation. But it wasn’t enough: The Grand Tier was set to face roughly $100,000 per year in fines starting in 2024, rising to $400,000 per year in 2030, because of those two giant carbon-spewing boilers in the basement.
The only route left to comply with the literal terms of the law would have been to convert the whole building to electric heat, which would mean a full re-wiring from top to bottom, at enormous expense. To avoid that, the Glenwood people are trying a different gambit: Carbon Capture! From the Times again:
[T]he hot exhaust from [the building’s natural gas] boilers [is] funneled through a duct to a small, spotless room filled with pipes, rumbling compressors and metal tanks. Inside several of those tanks [are] dry absorbent materials that look like lentils and bind to carbon dioxide, allowing the machines to filter out other gases like nitrogen and oxygen. The remaining carbon dioxide [are] then chilled to minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit and turned to liquid.
One problem: carbon capture is not a permitted option under the law for complying with its emissions standards. And the City bureaucrats are not about to stick their necks out to help the likes of Glenwood — or any of the thousands of other landlords caught in the same spot. From the Times:
For now, however, carbon capture faces an enormous hurdle: It has not been approved by the city as a solution that complies with Local Law 97, since the technology didn’t exist when the law was drafted. The Department of Buildings, which enforces the law, said it is reviewing CarbonQuest’s system but has a number of questions, such as how to verify the emission reductions claimed by the Grand Tier.
And to top it off, the carbon capture system that Glenwood has come up with only sequesters about 60% of the CO2 that the building’s boilers generate. No way will that satisfy the environmental zealots behind LL97, who detest half-way measures and want fossil fuels extirpated.
A few of the other wealthiest landlords will likely try something like the Glenwood gambit. But I can’t imagine any substantial number of landlords, most of whom are not remotely in Glenwood’s market niche, actually going through with full building rewirings and installation of heat pumps that will fail on the many days per year when temperatures here are in the 20s and below. We’re about to see thousands of buildings designated as law-breakers and subjected to punishing annual fines, with no realistic way to get around them. Let’s see how long this can continue.
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Bonkers on steroids. I thought Westminster was loony, but this is suicidal.
“annual fines, with no realistic way to get around them.”
You mean taxes?
I have read on WUWT many times how heat pumps dont work in cold weather.. all while sitting in my large home with two open air heat pumps and 5 remote split heads that work just fine here in Ottawa / Canada down to -25C.. so I doubt New York would have any problems. I have auxiliary heat but used it once for one morning this winter. If you want to bash heat pumps bash the installation costs but get the low operating temperatures right as it detracts from the other factual information.
I have experience of an air source heat pump/AC unit in Norway.
it had a big unit outside and a unit at ceiling height inside. It made a fair show of blowing warmish air out and kept a bit of the chll off. Thereafter resistance heaters as and when and /or log fires in the stove. In Norway 10 years ago quite sensible and affordable . Thinking of doing it in Surrey England, where we already have the stove . Cost about £1500 for a 27000 unit supplying 3 rooms with a total electricsl input about 3 KW. Maybe it will make sense
Funny you should get downvotes just for saying your own heat pumps work in friggin’ cold Ottawa, the second coldest national capital in the world. But I have to ask, are you not on municipal gas? Surely that would be cheaper, certainly is here in balmy Hamilton. I get it certainly if you are the country where your alternative would be propane or furnace oil. I’m just always curious about successful heat pump operation in Canada.
We dont have gas on my street. So Electricity it is. However my previous home of about the same size was on gas and cost only slightly less to heat. I actually live a few Km from Ottawa on the Quebec side where electricity is a bit cheaper.
Anyway most heat pumps being installed in the last year here are rated down to -25C. I was also skeptical until I bought the house and saw it first hand.
Anyway Id suggest people stop arguing they dont work and focus on other problems like the high installation costs.
Thank you, Peter.
But do you understand that the heat pump itself isn’t what is keeping you warm? Air blowing over coils that are heated by electricity running thru them (like the burners on an electric stove) is what is doing the work at -25C.
I don’t know about the new heat pumps, but mine, installed about 7 years ago, has coils that I know for sure are running in around 25F (-4C), and I’m sure even higher temperature than that. You can tell by the warmth of the air coming out of the vent.
While I understand the advance of technology, I find it hard to believe they have gotten 20C more efficient in only 7 years.
Hi Peter
There are any number of heat pumps that do function down to -15F (-25C) and even lower. Their efficiency is much diminished (Coefficient Of Performance…energy in over energy out… getting to 2 or lower). The biggest issue is that these cold climate heat pumps also have much diminished capacity as the outside temperature goes down. From various specs I have seen, you likely have approximately 1/2 the capacity at -25C that you do at 0C and above. Unless you have very large capacity systems to deal with this, you systems are likely using the built in electric resistance heater coils (COP=1). This built in backup is not apparent to the user, except that your electric bill will jump a bit when you have a number of very cold days. The comment that heat pumps don’t work in cold temperatures is no longer literally true, but it is true that even cold climate heat pumps will likely required electric heater backup when needed.
I am considering a cold climate heat pump in my house in northern Michigan…however, it will be used mostly for AC…and backup for my very cost efficient natural gas furnace. If I did not have natural gas, I would likely do as you have done, ie install a cold climate heat pump with electric backup as the overall energy cost is typically lower than propane. And much easier on the back than wood..:). If the power goes out, then I would be cold. My generator could not run the 15 kw of electric heat needed at very low temperatures…so would still have a gas fired furnace as backup (much lower electric power needed to run).
I functionally have wood, propane, natural gas and heat pump…and old fashioned electric space heaters. I use whatever is cheapest and easiest….and whatever is not broken at any given time.:)
Regards,
Ethan Brand
Another story illustrating “elections have consequences”. My bet is that the moron landlords donated heavily to the leftists elections, and will reap the rewards of being extremely stupid.
Now, they get to pay the real price of their choices in the city’s administration.
Renters will pay also.
I’m very inclined to let these dumb fukkahs fail and let the poor sumsofbitches who voted for them suffer. It could be a teachable moment for us all.
However, we live in a post-accountable world. Nobody in the ruling class has to face the consequences of their actions, no matter how foreseeable those consequences may be. People who didn’t succumb to this folly will pay for those that did.
Life’s a big shitz sandwich and we are about to take a big bite.
Cars plus Florida plus (shrinking?) COLA. They’ll be fine.
Good “Hypocrisy Index” might be extracted by feeding cost-of- real estate trends for coastal areas into a climate model? I don’t have the tools to do it. Intuitively (aka unrestrained by fact or reality) economic data would contradict ecologic data.
I’ve asked people who live in NYC why they live in NYC. It seems to be a truly unique cultural experience, and the minds who seek it out are powerful. The arguments in favor of what I would call overpriced living are strong.
Property values will soon tank, followed by tax revenues.
Anyone seriously planning to convert to electric heat might want to check with ConEd about capacity/reliability.
The idiots are in charge of the asylum .
If some sense (which is not common and is very scarce in the New York City Administration )
was applied to what these bureaucrats are demanding they would soon realize that New York is heading down hill from now on .
Carbon zero is the biggest scam ever thought up after the global warming scam .
Even if these buildings are retro fitted with electric heating and cooling what about all the food that is consumed in New York?
The so called emissions that are counted in other US states or other countries on all the food consumed in New York are not counted in New York.
Absolute bonkers .
Rules have been enacted at Kyoto accord and the Paris Agreement around emissions which these dimwits are interpreting which will cost $ billions which the residents will eventually have to pay for.
New York’s emissions would be astronomical if all emissions on food production was counted in the cities where it is consumed .
1+1 “=” 3… odd
A fair percentage of New York City apartments are either “rent controlled” or “rent stabilized”. Rent stabilized units are assigned a Maximum Base Rent (MBR) which is reviewed every two years to adjust for changes in operating costs. But tenants can challenge increases; one of the grounds is if the “building has violations”:
So if a building is fined for non-compliance with LL97, the owner has to wait for the bi-annual MBR review to hike rents, which tenants can challenge because the building is “in violation”. So the owner of a smaller building could easily be unable to make the compliance upgrades then get squeezed by fines which can’t be recovered from tenants who are rent controlled or rent stabilized, especially as those building are likely to be full of people who can’t afford the higher rents.
When are all the city-owned buildings going to be brought into full compliance?
The question becomes would they be evicted because the building is non compliant? That is essentially what is proposed in the UK for renters.
There is no problem so bad, that government intervention won’t make it worse.
This will end when the wealthy supporters of the Leftist Democrat Party realize they are cutting their own collective throat. Everything environmental and climate change action sounds good to progressive do-gooders until the unintended consequences harmful to themselves multiply.
Democrats need never fear for their own stupidity. They just need to blame Trump for all their bad decisions; thus cleansing their hands and giving them the clear conscience that can, otherwise, only be had by purchasing green tokens.
Gee, politicians should know the rule Politicians Promise Rule. Never ever promise a result or goal that must be met with a time limit of less than ten times your personal expected time in office.
Thus a US senator, who is elected for six years, should promise on things to be accomplished 6o years in the future. Even he gets three terms (18 years) he can say “We are making great progress!” — it doesn’t have to be true.
Presidents have it easier — an initial 4 year term allows the President to promise anything…and then say “I’m making progress, so elect me for another term”. After that, the ex-President doesn’t care.
Careful who you vote for … hahahaha !
The NYC council has a female majority. That explains it all.
This is just a tempest in a teapot by NYC’s standard. With crime out of control thanks in no small part to bail and discovery reform, woke DAs and cop retirements, a collapsing public transit system, office vacancies via remote work, horrible public schools, eye watering housing costs, freakish taxes and a government that thinks this is all just the most fantastic stuff, NYC is already circling the drain. That is collectively why literally hundreds of thousands of high income people have bailed out of there in the last few years. That’s just going to continue.
Well this will be “fun”. Very much like watching a self-described elephant whisperer trying to stop an elephant stamped by gentle moral persuasion followed by application of the very modest manual force at their disposal. The stampede will run its course unaffected by the eco-virtue of the whisperer and the whisperer will be no more. Unfortunately a lot of truly innocent bystanders will also be trampled.
The fine is only $360 per apartment per year, why not just pass it on?