New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced plans for a $30 million "Buildings of Excellence" Competition, to promote the design, construction and operation of low-carbon buildings across the state. The competition, announced yesterday morning, is part of the Governor's goal to reduce New York's greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. As building's account for 59% of statewide greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficient design solutions can be a powerful tool in helping achieve this goal.  

Previously, Governor Cuomo has put forth an initiative for New York State's own version of a Green New Deal initiative to advance a clean energy future, promising New York State to be carbon free by 2040. On how the competition will further these goals, Governor Cuomo said, "the development of low- to zero-carbon buildings will create healthier living spaces and communities for all New Yorkers, while driving down harmful emissions from one of our highest contributing sectors—our building stock—and pushing us forward on our path to carbon neutrality."

The competition will be done in three parts, with multi-family buildings—either new construction or rehab projects—as the focus for the first round. $10 million will be ready for use, with $1 million available per project. Projects can be in either the early or late design phase, under construction, or be focused on post-completion performance optimization. Either way, projects must demonstrate methods and solutions that are replicable and could be easily adopted for future projects. Applications are now open and will be accepted through June 4th, 2019.