NYC Local Laws · Defined
Local Law 33 of 2018: Building energy efficiency grades
Requires covered NYC buildings to display energy efficiency scores and grades derived from annual benchmarking information.
New York City jurisdiction · Sources checked September 15, 2026. Law numbers repeat by year. These educational summaries are not legal advice or a complete compliance checklist. Later amendments, agency rules, building characteristics, and effective dates determine the requirements for a particular property. Use the linked City sources to confirm current obligations.
Why it matters
The public rating is a disclosure tool, not a certification of Local Law 97 compliance or a diagnosis of equipment performance. Accurate property and utility inputs matter. Read the grading framework as amended and confirm current label retrieval and posting instructions.
In practice
A project example
A building team investigates an unexpected grade by checking its benchmarking inputs before concluding that a recent mechanical upgrade failed to improve performance.
Technical references
General educational guidance from KOW Building Consultants. Examples are illustrative, not project records. The applicable contract, standard, program, and jurisdiction control the requirements for a specific assignment.