Addressing climate change means addressing energy use in buildings. More than two-thirds of New York City’s greenhouse gas emissions come from this sector. Reliable data on building energy use is essential to creating effective policies to reduce emissions and track our progress.

In 2010, New York became one of the first American cities to collect data about the energy and water used by large buildings. This data—referred to as benchmarking data—is released every year for most buildings over 25,000 square feet in NYC, and allows us to analyze how buildings are using energy today along with changes over time. NYC’s benchmarking dataset is the largest and most comprehensive in the country, and the city has successfully leveraged this data to implement innovative policies that promote energy efficiency and reduce emissions.