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09/05/2008 08:09 AM

New York City Forces Businesses to Close Doors on AC

SustainableBusiness.com News

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg today signed a first-of-its-kind law prohibiting businesses from wasting energy by blasting air conditioning out open doors and onto city sidewalks to attract customers.

This new energy conservation measure could become a model for municipalities across the country that are seeking to conserve energy, reduce local global warming pollution, and relieve summer peak demands on their power supplies.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) assisted City Council staff on technical aspects of this legislation (Intro. 264). An analysis commissioned by the NRDC found that a business with a typical 6 foot by 7 foot doorway in New York City wastes up to $1,000 dollars and about a ton of CO2 in a summer if it leaves it's door open with the air conditioning on.

The Long Island Power Authority has estimated that stores engaging in this practice waste 20-25% of the air-conditioning they use.

"This new law will help businesses do the right thing for New York City, for energy costs, and for the environment," said Eric A. Goldstein, Director of the New York Urban Program at NRDC. "This is one more example of New York City's leadership in the energy efficiency arena, and one that will hopefully be imitated by other cities across the nation.