In 2008, New York City (NYC) adopted a policy which requires businesses to shut their exterior doors and windows to prevent air conditioning from escaping and in 2015 adopted amendments to that policy. This policy is one of many that hope to aid the city in reaching its goal of reducing its emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The original policy required chain stores with five or more locations or businesses with a 4,000 square feet or larger footprint to close their door when they were running their air conditioning. The original policy required a business to receive a warning for their first violation, fines starting at $200 for the second violation, and fines up to $400 for any additional fines. The current policy eliminated the size requirement and increased the fines for non-compliance. There is an exemption for doors and windows that are used to serve food and beverages to outdoor spaces. In addition, stores that are part of a chain must post a notice on each of their exterior doors stating that violations may be reported to a hotline number (311). Their fine schedule is as follows: $250 per open door or window for the first offense, and $500 per open door or window for the second and subsequent offenses within an 18-month period. For a store that is part of a chain, the fine schedule is: $500 per open door or window for the first offense, and $1,000 per open door or window for the second and subsequent offenses within an 18-month period.
The benefits of such a policy are difficult to quantify but according to the utility provider, Con Edison, if a NYC business of at least 1,000 square feet closes its doors during the summer months, then it can save more than $1,000 on its electric bills and reduce electricity consumption by 4,300 kWh (kilowatt hours) in total over that time. According to New York City’s Energy and Water Use 2014 and 2015 Report, air conditioning is responsible for nine percent of large buildings’ source of energy use. This number is expected to grow as more buildings are installing air conditioning. The largest source of energy use in large buildings is space heating. Buildings account for about 70% of NYC’s GHG emissions and approximately 47% of emissions from buildings are from electricity consumption.
Washington D.C. has adopted a similar policy; commercial properties must keep their exterior doors and windows closed when running their air conditioner. There is an exemption for restaurants that have connected indoor and outdoor seating areas. Their fine schedule is as follows: $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense, $400 for the third offense, and $800 for the fourth and subsequent offenses. The Department of Energy & Environment enforces the policy through tips and regularly scheduled compliance audits during the summer months.
The energy savings of closing doors when air conditioning is running has not been studied extensively so it is difficult to estimate the possible emission reductions and cost savings linked to this practice. The Energy Star Building Manual recommends a staged integrated approach when considering upgrades to a building to improve its energy efficiency. The five stages are: retrocommissioning, lighting upgrades, supplemental load reductions, air distribution systems upgrades, and heating and cooling systems upgrades.