Relates to energy efficiency improvements and certain alterations to multiple dwellings

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic1

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Brian Kavanagh says this is needed

The Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL) was enacted in 1929 and governs various aspects of building standards for multiple dwellings, defined as build- ings "occupied as the residence or home of three or more families living independently of each other." The MDL currently applies only in New York City and the City of Newburgh. This bill addresses the allowable minimum light and ventilation require- ments of windows within various types of multiple dwellings, with the intent to update the MDL's window standards that were not designed for energy efficiency and meeting climate targets when the law was first enacted. By reducing a window's minimum glazed area (the surface area made of transparent materials that lets in light) and ventilation requirements (the openable area of a window) when a high-efficiency window or an in-window HVAC unit such as a heat pump is installed, the MDL amendments proposed under this bill would remove outdated barriers that keep a building from reaching decarbonization. One example is New York's Clean Heat For All initiative, a joint-part- nership established in 2023 between the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to install in-unit heat pumps for sustainable heating and cooling, along with new windows and heatpump-based domestic hot water systems, in NYCHA buildings and apartments. After a successful 36-unit pilot at NYCHA's Woodside Houses that saw an 87 percent reduction in energy use from units that received in-window heat pump units, and with a $38.4 million commitment by New York City announced in February 2026 that added to Clean Heat For All's initial $70 million investment by project partners in 2023, NYCHA expects to upgrade 10,000 of its public housing apartments with heat pumps and new windows by 2030. However, under current MDL requirements, for certain existing windows, installing an in-window heat pump unit, which is larger than an in-win- dow air conditioner and is not intended to be removable (heat pumps provide both heating and cooling year-round), and replacing an apart- ment's existing windows with high-efficiency windows with less glazed and ventilation areas, would result in violating the MDL's minimum lighting and ventilation requirements. This limits where NYCHA may install heat pumps in existing windows and takes away an available tool to stem energy loss with windows that offer better insulation. To facilitate NYCHA's efforts to provide reliable heating and cooling to residents and reduce carbon pollution caused by outdated and inefficient systems powered by fossil fuels, and to encourage similar efforts in other multiple dwellings, the MDL must be modernized to accommodate higher efficiency windows and HVAC equipment.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.