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Manhattan
201 East 79th Street Upper East Side
Queens
75–23 113th Street The Oakcrest Forest Hills
Efficiency
Betting on a better Building Management System
An automated program to monitor building systems helps Manhattan co-op inch toward Local Law 97 compliance
Profile
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
Clean Energy
Out of the china cabinet and onto the façade
Cutting-edge porcelain tiles offer durability and low maintenance for Manhattan co-op
Case Study
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
Manhattan
111 4th Avenue The International Tailoring Building East Village
Brooklyn
430 Clinton Avenue Clinton Hill
Case Study
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
Explainer
Installing heat pumps in a fully-occupied co-op
How this Manhattan building completed a major energy upgrade without disrupting residents’ lives
Efficiency
Hybrid heating, modern solutions
Ecosystem engineers utilize both heat pumps and a gas boiler to heat Manhattan co-op
Profile
From nightclubs to boiler rooms
Get to know Eric Einstein, the co-op member behind the International Tailoring Building’s HVAC revamp
Ask a Cooperator
“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
Brooklyn
205 Hicks Street Brooklyn Heights
Case Study
How a Queens multifamily rental building turned roof repairs into energy gains
When it came time for routine repairs, the Bluestone group upgraded to solar
Clean Energy
Simple installations and a financial ‘no-brainer’
Solar panels on the roof of Forest Hills rental carve a pathway toward clean energy via net metering
Profile
Eric Bluestone talks solar strategy
Bluestone, president at the Bluestone Organization, is putting solar anywhere he can
Financing
Renewable energy, sustainable financing
NYCEEC worked with the Bluestone Organization for its first loan to a multifamily rental unit for solar installation
Case Study
What are we going to do with this roof?
The story of how one Brooklyn condo board bonded together over solar energy — after much deliberation
Clean Energy
How this Brooklyn condo ensures its solar panels work at max efficiency
Once solar panels are installed, engineers utilize energy “clipping” to ensure peak performance, even on the cloudiest days
Financing
Making it make cents
A Q&A with Jay Merves on green financing options for different types of homeowners
Ask a Cooperator
“Read the F*cking Manual!”
A Q&A with Chris McGinnis, a former IBM worker and longtime co-op resident who made it his mission to learn how buildings work so he could make his own more efficient
Manhattan
2 Charlton Street Two Charlton Owners Corp SoHo
Brooklyn
637–661 41st Street Sun Garden Homes Sunset Park
Explainer
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.
Manhattan
212 West 105th Street Upper West Side
Case Study
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
Efficiency
Sealing in the benefits of energy efficiency
Project designers explain why air sealing is a crucial component of any energy efficiency project
Cool Tech
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
Tips and Tricks
Tips from Tom Sahagian
An energy aficionado offers advice on how to make the switch to more renewable technology
Ask a Cooperator
“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
Bronx
1010 Sherman Avenue Sherman Terrace South Bronx
Case Study
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
Efficiency
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
Profile
Getting under the hood with Derek K. Jones
What drove this South Bronx cooperator to lead his building toward solar and more
Financing
“We have to be very smart with how we are using money.”
How this South Bronx co-op maximized impact without sacrificing budget
Manhattan
616 West 137th Street Residencia Esperanza Hamilton Heights
Brooklyn
792 Sterling Place Crown Heights
Brooklyn
306 Gold Street Downtown Brooklyn
Case Study
Rent-stabilized tenants fight for an energy efficient retrofit — and win
Demands for efficiency pay off for tenants in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights in the form of brand-new heat pumps
Clean Energy
All-electrics aren’t all created equal
What’s right for your building — heat pumps, or electric resistance heaters?
How-To
Tenant power heats up
How one rent-stabilized building organized to demand heating upgrades
Ask an Expert
“You have to break it down so that it can be understood by a third grader”
A Q&A with Martin Robertson, a Brooklyn-based facilities manager, on how to push for progress in a big building
Queens
31–47 49th Street NYCHA Woodside Housing Woodside
Case Study
A clean energy future for this Queens public development is… hanging out the window?
NYCHA, the city’s largest residential landlord, has set ambitious goals to reduce the carbon emissions of its buildings. Its test run of window-unit heat pumps in one Queens development offers a promising pathway
Cool Tech
How do window-unit heat pumps work?
Behind the new heat pumps that are helping to decarbonize NYCHA’s Woodside housing
Clean Energy
NYCHA makes a market: Here’s how
To develop a heat pump that didn’t yet exist, New York’s public agencies put up millions in investment, then challenged the market to develop a solution — a strategy that’s seen success before
Profile
Small heat pump, big difference
Residents Maria Lopez and Tammy Reyes on the 2023 NYCHA heat pump pilot that brought more comfort and control into their homes
Queens
35–06 88th Street The Madison Jackson Heights
Case Study
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
Financing
“A nice long runway”
An energy audit sets a ten-year path for compliance and savings at a Jackson Heights co-op
Efficiency
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
Explainer
The value of a building wellness check
An energy audit team talks through the benefits of knowing where your building stands
Case Study
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?
Manhattan
420 East 51st Street 420 Beekman Hill Midtown East
Ask an Expert
“It’s a very game-like problem: You’re trying to build things, and there are obstacles”
A Q&A with Richard Reiss, developer of decarbonization board game Energetic and founder of City Atlas
Manhattan
585 West 214th Street Inwood Park Apartments Inwood
Case Study
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
Cool Tech
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
Profile
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.
Cooperation
“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
Policy
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.
Event Recap
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.
Ask an Expert
“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
Manhattan
7 East 14th Street The Victoria Union Square
Explainer
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.
Cool Tech
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
Clean Energy
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
Manhattan
231 West 151st Street Harlem River Houses Harlem
Explainer
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
Case Study
At the Harlem River Houses, HVAC gets a history lesson
A historic NYCHA development leaves behind steam heat for clean energy as part of a suite of new upgrades
Financing
How nonprofit developers financed Harlem River Houses’ major rehabilitation
To complete the multi-million-dollar retrofit, partners on the project leveraged a mix of public and private funding sources
Tips and Tricks
Tyrone Thomas: “Stay engaged, even if they’re upset”
Tenant engagement, specialized support, and independent oversight were key to managing the retrofit at Harlem River Houses, even as it remained a bustling, active community
Cool Tech
A heat pump that slots into the façade and is pack(aged) with benefits
More retrofit projects are shifting toward the use of packaged terminal heat pumps, or PTHP units, as an energy- and cost-efficient way to upgrade a property’s heating system
Brooklyn
160 Harman Street Casa Pasiva Bushwick
News
New York City’s passive house movement carries existing homes into a low energy revolution
The passive house movement is alive and well in New York City, proving that even old buildings can achieve extreme efficiency
Ask an Expert
Can New York be a passive city? We surveyed the experts
A Q&A with three passive house experts on how passive principles can be implemented in New York City
Efficiency
How Casa Pasiva recycled infrastructure for a breath of fresh air
Behind this Bushwick development’s novel ERV solution for its a passive house retrofit
Explainer
What is the passive house movement?
This set of German-originated building principles is a game-changer for energy efficiency
Manhattan
340 West 85th Street Three Arts Club Upper West Side
Efficiency
Optimizing your steam heat boiler
How to upgrade steam boiler heating systems to meet Local Law 97 emission standards
Ask an Expert
In 2025, carbon emissions reporting went well. But 2030? “It’s going to be a real scramble”
A Q&A with Mariel Hoffman, EN-POWER GROUP’s Director of Energy Engineering, on trends she saw in the first year of Local Law 97 filings
Queens
21-66 33rd Road Queensview Astoria
Case Study
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
Financing
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
Cooperation
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
Cool Tech
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
Explainer
“Does this place have good energy?”
What to ask about building emissions before you buy an apartment in New York City
Cool Tech
This battery offers New York City apartments a cleaner way to stay cool
Every Electric’s new power bank helps defray the peak demand on the city’s energy grid through efficient energy storage
Cooperation
Preparing a workforce to deliver clean energy to New York City buildings
This intensive trains NYCHA residents to install clean energy systems in their homes — and beyond.
Case Study
A symphony of energy upgrades creates harmony for this midcentury co-op
The Victoria, a large residential building in Union Square, has kept perfect time with LL97 requirements thanks to the forward thinking of its board.
Explainer
Battery systems store lots of potential for New York City. Here’s how they work.
An explainer on residential building energy storage systems (BESS) and what they can offer to NYC buildings.
Event Recap