Clean heat for New York City
Switching to cleaner heating fuels is New York's biggest step to healthy air
Soot pollution in New York City once caused more than 3,000 deaths every year from lung and heart disease.
In 2008, EDF performed a study showing that buildings burning the two dirtiest heating oils create more soot than all the City's cars and trucks combined.
Switching to cleaner heating fuels is the largest step we can take to cut this pollution.
NYC Clean Heat provided free resources to buildings to help them convert to cleaner heating fuel in the most cost-effective and efficient way. Now, the NYC Retrofit Accelerator continues that work, as well as helping buildings with energy efficiency.
The NYC Retrofit Accelerator builds on the success of NYC Clean Heat, and aims to reduce citywide carbon emissions by helping buildings become more energy efficient. Buildings contribute to nearly 70 percent of citywide carbon emissions, so supporting their efforts to reduce pollution is critical to curb greenhouse gas emissions at least 80 percent by 2050. More efficient buildings help bring about cleaner air, and a healthier city for all New Yorkers. There is a team of experts standing by to offer free, one-on-one assistance.
Our campaign for clean heat
Our campaign to phase out highly polluting heating oil in New York City reached a major milestone with Mayor Bloomberg's announcement of the clean heat rule to end use of the worst heating fuels. (Rule in brief [PDF]). Since then EDF has become a partner in the NYC Clean Heat program. In June 2012, Mayor Bloomberg $100 million in financing for buildings converting to cleaner heating fuel.
Continued progress
By 2015, NYC Clean Heat had helped over 5,000 buildings convert to cleaner fuels – half of them affordable housing – preventing 210 premature deaths and 540 hospitalizations each year. New York City is enjoying the cleanest air in fifty years. The NYC Retrofit Accelerator, launched in September 2015, is based on the successful NYC Clean Heat model, and is a key component of NYC Mayor de Blasio's aggressive plan to reduce carbon emissions in the city 80 percent by 2050.
Case studies and testimonials
Visit NYC Clean Heat for case studies and testimonials of buildings that have converted to cleaner heating fuel.
Is your building burning No. 4 or No. 6 oil?
Contact NYC Clean Heat for free resources to help your building switch to cleaner heating fuel in the most cost-effective way.