Nation’s Largest School Electrification Effort, “Leading the Charge” Will Be City’s Most Impactful Energy-Saving Initiative Under Local Law 97
Electrification Retrofit Projects Will Prioritize Environmental Justice Communities, Eliminating No. 4 Heating Oil by 2026 Throughout School System and Installing Upgraded, More Efficient LED Lighting at 800 Schools
Investment Will Help Develop Next Generation Green Workforce
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today launched “Leading the Charge” — a $4 billion plan to combat climate change, create healthier learning environments, improve air quality in communities disproportionately burdened by climate change and environmental injustice, and help develop the next generation’s green workforce. With this plan, the construction of all new city schools will be all-electric, and the city will complete or initiate the conversion of 100 existing schools to all-electric heating by 2030.
Under “Leading the Charge,” the Adams administration will end the city’s use of highly polluting No. 4 heating oil in schools — four years ahead of the legal mandate. The city will also install upgraded, more efficient LED lights in 800 schools by 2026 and support training and development for the students who will become the next generation of the green workforce. Mayor Adams launched the initiative at P.S 5 Dr. Ronald McNair Elementary School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, which will become the city’s first existing school to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and provide all-electric heating.
“New York City is ‘Leading the Charge’ in fighting climate change, giving our young people the tools for a great education and preparing them for the green jobs of the present and the future,” said Mayor Adams. “Under this bold plan, we will not only electrify 100 schools but also ensure that we never again build a school in New York City that runs on fossil fuels. In ‘Leading the Charge,’ we are making a $4 billion investment in the health, education, and prosperity of our young people.”
“Today’s announcement of a major investment in school electrification shows that this administration is serious about combating climate change and creating healthy learning environments for our city’s children,” said First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo. “Thanks to SCA and DCAS for leading the way on reducing carbon emissions from our schools.”
“Today’s $4 billion plan for greener, cleaner schools marks a paradigm shift in how New York City protects the air our students breathe,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “By doubling down on our efforts to decarbonize school environments — both in school buildings and for student transportation — we are making a significant motivational investment in our future climate leaders.”
“The city’s commitment to electrify schools exemplifies our all-of-government approach to combating climate change,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer Rohit T. Aggarwala. “New York City is leading by example — making tremendous investments in clean, efficient buildings and prioritizing communities that are most impacted by climate change and pollution.”
“The SCA has spearheaded the effort to reduce greenhouse emissions at our schools, becoming the first to commit to building all-electric new school buildings while working with our city partners to retrofit existing buildings,” said New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) President and Chief Executive Officer Nina Kubota. “Thanks to the mayor’s support, we’ll continue to be at the forefront of researching, developing, and providing state-of-the-art learning facilities while combating climate change.”
“‘Leading the Charge’ lays the foundation to build a greener city and secure a better future for all New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Dawn M. Pinnock. “We are excited to play a key role in this new initiative and help fund projects that will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent of removing 26,000 cars from city streets — improve learning environments with energy efficient lighting, and chart new pathways to careers in the green workforce. Coupled together, this work can make a substantial difference in our efforts to combat climate change and fortify our city’s commitment to transition to green energy.”
“Schools are the centers of our communities, and it is paramount that our buildings and facilities operate in a way that bolster healthy learning environments for our students and support a cleaner city for New Yorkers, young and old,” said New York City Department of Education Chancellor David C. Banks. “Beyond making our city a greener place, this initiative will work to provide our students with invaluable career experiences, preparing them to one day join the workforce tackling climate change. I’m proud of the strides this administration is taking towards combating climate change through this initiative.”
“Electrifying our schools is a triumphant endeavor that would have seemed infeasible in a system that only recently burned coal,” said New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Kizzy Charles-Guzman. “This commitment and investment — including removing polluting No. 4 heating oil four years ahead of the legal mandate — means that students and communities will be breathing cleaner air today, while New York City creates well-paying jobs and leads by example on how to focus our capital investments on climate-smart solutions.”
Under “Leading the Charge,” all new schools designed and constructed by SCA will be fully electric, reducing the city’s reliance on fossil fuels. The city will also no longer initiate new projects to install fossil fuel combustion boilers in existing schools. The program is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 120,000 tons annually and remove over 20,000 pounds of harmful, disease-causing fine particulates from the air — the equivalent of removing 26,000 cars from city streets and avoiding nearly 100 respiratory incidents, saving lives and reducing hospitalizations. The city has already achieved a 27-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from government operations since 2006, and this program alone will achieve an additional three-percent reduction, making it the single most impactful energy saving initiative the city is undertaking towards the Local Law 97-mandated reduction target of 50 percent by 2030.
Electrifying school heating systems the city will eliminate the use of highly polluting No. 4 heating oil by 2026 by converting over 200 schools to ultra-low sulfur biofuel — a critical step towards electrification. The interim conversion to cleaner-burning biofuel will immediately improve neighborhood air quality by reducing disease-causing particulates from onsite combustion by 99 percent.
Mayor Adams’ investment in school electrification includes $520 million over the next two fiscal years to electrify the first 19 existing schools. These electrification projects will replace fossil fuel-burning boilers that provide heat in older schools with high-efficiency, all-electric heat pumps, leapfrogging the conventional conversion to natural gas boilers and avoiding a prolonged dependency on fossil fuels. These all-electric heating systems will also improve ventilation and provide fresh air to assembly spaces and classrooms, enhancing the learning and teaching environment. Schools located in environmental justice communities will be prioritized for these retrofits.
The “Leading the Charge” plan will also bring high-efficiency, LED lighting to 800 schools, approximately half of all DOE facilities. This $540 million, four-year retrofit initiative — a partnership with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) — will employ an accelerated “direct install” delivery model, whereby qualified contractors retrofit existing fixtures with pre-specified high-efficiency components. The lighting retrofit program represents the largest and most cost-effective opportunity to save energy and help meet the city’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from government operations by 50 percent by 2030.
The full cost of the plan is $4 billion. The city has so far committed $2 billion and will identify the remaining funds in the coming years.
To help build a pipeline for the new green workforce, Mayor Adams is launching a $13 million program to hire and train a group of skilled trades workers who will work to eliminate the No. 4 heating oil from school facilities. This centralized pool of workers — consisting of union electricians, plumbers, steam fitters, and machinists — will grow over time to support the clean energy transition and greenhouse gas reduction efforts across DOE’s portfolio of buildings.
DOE is also a key participant in the city’s recently-launched Pathways to Industrial and Construction Careers initiative, which is made possible by $18.6 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in response to New York City’s winning proposal to the Good Jobs Challenge created under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. To support this initiative, DOE and DCAS are seeking to create new opportunities for graduates of Career and Technical Education (CTE) high schools to begin their careers in city government positions, including skilled trades jobs. DOE and other city agencies can offer invaluable on-the-ground training and experience that builds upon the rigorous CTE curriculum and fosters advancement in the careers of the future.
“The Adams administration is taking actions today to help ensure a more sustainable future for all New Yorkers,” said New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Eric Ulrich. “Retrofitting our public schools is a major step forward in reducing New York’s dependence on fossil fuels. The students who gain an early appreciation for science and math at this new school will be the future designers and developers of our city for decades to come.”
“Changing our schools’ fossil fuel systems over to electric represents a massive step towards a greener, cleaner city, and I applaud the administration for starting this important transition,” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “This $4 billion plan will create a green domino effect — New Yorkers will breathe easier, our trees that help mitigate against excessive heat will be happier and healthier, and reducing our carbon emissions will have tremendous benefits our local ecosystem and ecology for years to come.”
“Equity and innovation go hand in hand. With a shift to all-electric schools, New York City is setting a national example and creating healthier environments for students and communities,” said New York City Mayor’s Office of Equity Commissioner Sideya Sherman. “By focusing on the communities most burdened by environmental injustice, this administration is continuing to ensure equity is at the forefront of how we confront climate change.”
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