Co-ops

Keeping Queensview affordable

How life­long afford­able housing cham­pion Alicia Fernandez has ensured that her Astoria co-op stays within reach for first-time home buyers

Submetering for savings at Queensview

Behind the metering strategy that shifts the onus for elec­tricity use onto the indi­vidual — making users more aware of their own waste

Taking advantage of tax breaks gave this co-op a bigger budget for energy efficiency work

At the Queensview co-op, the J‑51 tax break secured almost $3 million in abate­ments over a nine-year period

The Queens co-op that built a foundation for Local Law 97 compliance, brick by brick

At a middle-income co-op in western Queens, a series of smaller projects over a longer period do the same work as a single big-ticket upgrade to reduce carbon emissions

Breaking down the J-51 tax abatement: Who is it for, and how can it help?

Skylight explains the tax break that helps New York City apart­ments recoup costs for building upgrades

It’s hard — and it’s happening

One year in, Skylight has docu­mented real progress towards a clean energy tran­si­tion in New York City’s apart­ment buildings

Steam heat systems learning new tricks

A legacy boiler company is pioneering boiler replace­ment with a steam-gener­ating heat pump powerful enough to heat New York’s biggest apart­ment buildings

How steam heat boilers work

Boilers have warmed New York build­ings for decades. But to prepare them to meet the city’s new climate stan­dards, we must first under­stand how they function.

“If you have a pulse on what’s going on, you don’t lose a building”

A Q&A with prop­erty manager Desi Ndreu on the value of commu­ni­ca­tion, and how prop­erty manage­ment is responding to the need to decarbonize

Skylight offers a peek inside Two Charlton Owner Corp.’s energy efficiency transformation

The Charlton House has been prep­ping for Local Law 97 since before the law even existed. See what upgrades they’ve embraced.

What the candidates for mayor have to say about New York’s landmark climate housing law

Local Law 97 has been up for discus­sion at the past few mayoral debates. Who we elect on November 4 will decide the poli­cy’s fate.

After an eye-popping quote for gas, an Inwood building cozied up to an alternative

A $3 million quote for infra­struc­ture upgrades from Con Edison sent the Inwood Park Apartments co-op searching for another solution

How a dyed-in-the-wool cooperator led his building through change

Hal Fuchsman is a life­long believer in the co-op model of home­own­er­ship, but leading his building through an energy effi­ciency upgrade chal­lenged even him.

What is a “Radiator Cozy” and how does it work?

Inwood Park Apartments was able to save money on fuel and reduce carbon emis­sions — all by insu­lating their in-unit radiators

“Every win comes with a concession”: The ups and downs of navigating energy efficiency collectively

A change of plan at Inwood Park Apartments required commu­ni­ca­tion, educa­tion, and more oppor­tu­ni­ties for feedback

Early adapters: The Manhattan co-op that went all-in on all-electric

Beekman Hill was among the first build­ings in NYC to fully elec­trify heating and cooling, resulting in increased resi­dent comfort and thou­sands in monthly savings. Can others repli­cate its success?

How do you replace 400 windows? One step at a time.

Behind the scenes in one co-op’s plan­ning process for a major façade upgrade

In Queens, a culture-driven approach to energy efficiency changed everything

How a historic Jackson Heights co-op secured its grade A energy rating through incre­mental upgrades and consis­tent share­holder discourse

The value of a building wellness check

An energy audit team talks through the bene­fits of knowing where your building stands

“A nice long runway”

An energy audit sets a ten-year path for compli­ance and savings at a Jackson Heights co-op

“We have to be very smart with how we are using money.”

How this South Bronx co-op maxi­mized impact without sacri­ficing budget

Getting under the hood with Derek K. Jones

What drove this South Bronx coop­er­ator to lead his building toward solar and more

In the South Bronx, this co-op sets a high standard

How one working-class coop­er­a­tive took an incre­mental approach to improving effi­ciency, and found savings along the way

Real Time Energy Management (RTEM) tech offers real savings opportunities

Meet the NYSERDA-backed tech that saved Sherman Terrace more than $53,000 on energy in one year

“If we could do it, anyone could”

A Q&A with two coop­er­a­tors from one of New York City’s orig­inal self-managed Finnish co-ops, who coor­di­nated efforts to tune up their ancient boiler and patch up leaks in the walls

Controlling for comfort — and for cost

New air-source heat pumps offer resi­dents an increased level of control, but also shift who’s paying for the heat

Pilot light: HDFC co-op pioneers a new strategy for air-source heat pumps

Inside the pilot program that helped this LMI Manhattan co-op lean less heavily on #2 heating oil

Sealing in the benefits of energy efficiency

Project designers explain why air sealing is a crucial compo­nent of any energy effi­ciency project

Tips from Tom Sahagian

An energy aficionado offers advice on how to make the switch to more renew­able technology

What is Local Law 97?

Skylight’s all-in-one explainer of New York City’s land­mark building decar­boniza­tion law — and what it means for the city’s resi­den­tial buildings.

From nightclubs to boiler rooms

Get to know Eric Einstein, the co-op member behind the International Tailoring Building’s HVAC revamp

Heat pumps transform former factory lofts into a temperature-controlled oasis

The International Tailoring Building set out to make their spaces more comfort­able, and met LL97 regu­la­tions along the way

Hybrid heating, modern solutions

Ecosystem engi­neers utilize both heat pumps and a gas boiler to heat Manhattan co-op

Installing heat pumps in a fully-occupied co-op

How this Manhattan building completed a major energy upgrade without disrupting resi­dents’ lives

“Everyone’s sick of hearing about heat pumps from me!”

A Q&A with Kathryn DeFehr, Brooklyn archi­tect and co-op resi­dent, on how to sway a co-op board

A facelift into an energy efficient future

An Upper East Side co-op replaces white-brick façade with porce­lain tile, fixing leaks and improving insulation

Betting on a better Building Management System

An auto­mated program to monitor building systems helps Manhattan co-op inch toward Local Law 97 compliance

How Stefan Unger got “married to the project”

This co-op member became an expert in rain­screen cladding by leading his build­ing’s reno­va­tion project

Out of the china cabinet and onto the façade

Cutting-edge porce­lain tiles offer dura­bility and low main­te­nance for Manhattan co-op

Welcome to Skylight

Or: Why create a magazine?

1010 Sherman Avenue
Sherman Terrace
South Bronx

111 4th Avenue
The International Tailoring Building
East Village

150 West End Avenue
One50
Upper West Side

2 Charlton Street
Two Charlton Owners Corp
SoHo

201 East 79th Street
Upper East Side

205 Hicks Street
Brooklyn Heights

21-66 33rd Road
Queensview
Astoria

212 West 105th Street
Upper West Side

35–06 88th Street
The Madison
Jackson Heights

420 East 51st Street
420 Beekman Hill
Midtown East

585 West 214th Street
Inwood Park Apartments
Inwood

616 West 137th Street
Residencia Esperanza
Hamilton Heights

637–661 41st Street
Sun Garden Homes
Sunset Park

7 East 14th Street
The Victoria
Union Square