AC Business Regulations in NYC

Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a ground-breaking law in New York City today. It might not seem like a huge deal at first, but if the law ripples across the country, it could make a big difference.

The law in question prohibits businesses from wasting energy, specifically air conditioning. It is now illegal in NYC to blast AC out open doors in hopes of attracting customers inside. In addition to being, obviously, a huge waste of energy, this releases CO2 into the environment, contributing to global warming. In addition, it puts a ton of stress on power supplies in the city during the summer.

According to research done by the Long Island Power Authority and the Natural Resources Defense Council along with City Council staff, this new law, if enforced, could save $1000 per summer per business, and cut summertime energy usage for each business by up to 25%. That’s a lot of money and power business owners were literally blowing out the doors.

You can read more about this story from Sustainable Business.

Imagine the good this will do if other cities, entire states, and, eventually, the entire country outlaws this kind of wasteful power consumption. It might not seem much for each individual business, but it def starts to add up!

Picture via sxc.hu.