Mayor Bloomberg’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability has long been toiling away at its benchmark report on the city’s building energy use, and now the results are finally in. After analyzing over 1.8 billion square feet of properties, the mayor and officials have found that the biggest opportunities to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be found in the city’s biggest buildings (which actually makes a lot of sense). As part of the mayor’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, more of the city’s largest buildings will soon follow in the steps of the Empire State, the World Trade Center, and the Hearst Tower to become eco-friendly and energy-efficient beacons in the city.

“Buildings account for 75 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in New York City, yet many property owners and managers do not know they can be a part of the solution and save money by making their buildings more energy efficient,” Mayor Bloomberg said last week. The new benchmark report found three incredible reasons to zero in on large buildings. First, 75% of greenhouse gas emissions come from building energy. Secondly, almost half of New York’s greenhouse emissions come from its largest buildings, which take up only 2% of the city’s properties but half of the built space. Lastly, the report estimated 85% of the buildings that will exist in 2030 (the year Bloomberg’s green goals are set to be met) are already built. This means New York City has some big future planning in store!

Mayor Bloomberg has long been at the forefront of groundbreaking green legislation. The Greener, Greater Buildings Plan is expecting to reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 5%, saving $7 billion and creating over 17,500 construction-related jobs by 2030.

via the real deal