Commercial & Mixed-Use Buildings
Mixed-use building owners rely on energy to meet the diverse needs of their commercial and residential tenants.
Many buildings in New York serve multiple purposes. As a building owner, you might have a retail store or restaurant leasing your ground floor unit, professional offices occupying your middle floors, and apartments or condos on your top floors.
Discover opportunities to save energy that can work for all your building’s uses while driving tenant satisfaction and profitability of your building portfolio.
How You Benefit
- Increase profitability through long-term, reduced energy costs and improved tenant relations
- Create comfortable and productive environments for your employees and/or tenants
- Enhance your reputation as a committed sustainability leader who exceeds compliance standards
- Invest in your building’s value and extend the useful life of critical building systems with in-demand technologies and features
- Reduce your carbon footprint and contribute to a cleaner and healthier community
Key Energy Saving Opportunities
1. Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech)
Complete an energy study to identify and evaluate opportunities to reduce energy costs and incorporate clean energy into capital planning. The study can evaluate what building performance and clean energy systems may be right for your business and the estimated payback for upgrades. Participants can work with a FlexTech consultant and receive cost-share support from NYSERDA for studies with potential for energy savings, emission reductions, and process improvements.
2. High-Efficiency Lighting Design
Energy-efficient lighting in commercial and mixed-use buildings can save money, increase productivity, and improve the tenant experience. In comparison to conventional lighting options, high-efficiency lighting uses less energy, costs less to operate, and can last much longer than traditional options—up to 25 years. Consider using daylighting to bring more natural light into your space, creating an inviting and comfortable environment.
Learn more about high-efficiency lighting
3. Clean Heating and Cooling Upgrades
Clean heating and cooling systems, including cold-climate air source heat pumps, ground source (geothermal) heat pumps, thermal energy networks, and heat pump water heaters, keep tenant spaces comfortable year-round, save energy, and reduce the building's carbon footprint. Heat pumps work by drawing heat from the environment and moving it indoors to heat or moving it outdoors to cool buildings. Compared to fossil fuel equipment, heat pumps have a longer lifespan and enable greater temperature customization and control for different zones throughout a building.
Commercial & Mixed-Use Building Programs and Resources
NYSERDA supports mixed-use building owners in improving energy efficiency through thoughtful design, proactive maintenance and operations, and actionable plans to reduce energy use over the life of a lease. Programs are available to help cover the cost of identifying energy saving opportunities and developing a plan to implement energy efficiency upgrades.
- Building Operations and Maintenance Workforce Development and Training Program: Funding to develop training projects that advance the skills of building operations and maintenance workers in key areas such as energy management systems, boilers, steam systems, chillers, HVAC, lighting, and more.
- Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) Program: Complete an energy study of your building, with NYSERDA cost-share support, to identify and evaluate opportunities to reduce energy costs and incorporate clean energy into capital planning.
- Real-Time Energy Management (RTEM) + Tenants Program: Cost-share support of up to 33% for RTEM system implementation and services in leased commercial offices for up to three years.
- Strategic Energy Management Program: Fully-funded training options for businesses to develop a comprehensive approach to manage energy in a coordinated and strategic way across an organization.
You Might Also Be Interested In
Mixed-use building owners can improve their bottom line and future proof their business by reducing energy use and adopting clean technologies. Consider maximizing energy saving strategies with additional cost-effective energy investments, including:
- Electric Vehicles & Charging Stations: Converting your fleet and installing charging infrastructure can reduce costs and attract a growing customer base of EV drivers.
- Energy Storage: Use energy storage technologies to create a continuous, reliable supply of energy for your business.
- Solar: Compare options for powering your business with a clean, cost-saving energy source.
For a full list of programs, visit our energy programs and incentives page.
If you are a commercial tenant (e.g., retail or professional office) at a mixed-use building, see our dedicated page for Retail and Office information and energy saving programs.
If you are a resident of a mixed-use building, see our page for residents and homeowners.
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