Steam Decarbonization Calculator
Local Law 97
To comply with New York City’s Local Law 97, large commercial and multifamily buildings in NYC that currently use onsite fossil fuels must evaluate investments in a variety of decarbonization approaches. Connecting to our steam system is a smart way to support this transition, as the district steam supply is already cleaner than fossil fuels today and is expected to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
The Steam Decarbonization Calculator is the first step in assessing your building’s eligibility and exploring the benefits of a steam connection. We’re available to discuss your steam options.
What is Clean Steam?
Clean Steam is our commitment to reducing carbon emissions from our steam operations while continuing to deliver reliable energy. Con Edison’s Steam Long-Range Plan (SLRP) was designed to align with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) goal of achieving net-zero, economy-wide emissions by 2050.
The plan outlines our commitment to lowering the carbon emissions of our steam supply through significant capital investments in a variety of decarbonization strategies. These include but are not limited to, hydrogen and other low-carbon fuels, electric boilers, industrial heat pumps, thermal energy storage, and various energy efficiency strategies at steam generation stations, throughout our distribution network, and at customer buildings.
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Challenges and Opportunities
Many large commercial and multifamily buildings, especially older buildings in dense urban areas of Manhattan, face unique electrification challenges. A fully decarbonized Con Edison steam system could provide several benefits compared to other building decarbonization strategies, such as onsite electrification retrofits. Additional opportunities and challenges include:
|
Opportunities with District Steam |
Challenges with District Steam |
|---|---|
|
Potentially lower upfront capital costs and lifecycle costs (capital cost, utility cost, maintenance costs) |
Buildings near a current district steam main (< 250 ft) are generally easier conversions. Buildings further than 250 ft from a current steam main may require a more detailed review and pipeline extension |
|
Fewer operational disruptions and tenant coordination during conversion |
Steam conversion is more applicable for buildings with centralized thermal systems (e.g., central boilers) |
|
Lower noise around tenant spaces |
Switching thermal system design and distribution during electrification projects could allow for improvements to cooling systems, heating distribution, thermal comfort, control, etc. |
|
Potential to leverage existing infrastructure in the building, reducing embodied carbon |
Additional water and sewage use |
Steam Decarbonization Calculator
The Steam Decarbonization Calculator [link TBD] is a free, easy-to-use Excel-based tool designed to help building owners, engineers, and decision-makers compare the long-term costs and benefits of connecting to our district steam system versus fully electrifying their buildings.
Its purpose is to support an initial consideration of the potential value of decarbonized district steam relative to electric decarbonization solutions. It’s also meant to encourage discussion with design engineers and Con Edison on the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of each solution for an individual site.
The tool uses a simplified set of building inputs—such as current fuel type, building size, and energy use—to estimate lifecycle costs and emissions impacts under different decarbonization scenarios. It’s built on detailed engineering and cost data from 10 real-world NYC buildings, and aligns with Local Law 97 compliance goals.
Results should be considered directional in nature and not an exact reflection of actual costs.
How to Get Started
To generate an analysis using the Calculator, users only need to provide data on the “Site Inputs” tab. A basic analysis only requires the inputs under Required Building Inputs section on the “Site Inputs” tab, specifically:
- Building Name –Name of the building
- Building Type –Function (e.g., Office Building, Elevator Apartment, Museum, Hospital, Government Facility)
- Building Size –Square footage
- Building Vintage – Year Built
- Current Fuel –Fuel used for heat and hot water(e.g., Natural Gas, No. 2 Fuel, District Steam)
- Analysis Start Year –First year the electrification or district steam solution will be fully installed
Note: You can also pull data from the Local Law 87 database by entering the building’s BBL (Borough/Block/Lot) or BIN (Building Identification Number), but the data pulled from the Local Law 87 database will not populate the six previous listed inputs. You must still enter values for those six (6) inputs to generate an analysis.
[link to calc and guide should be in this area]