Dive Summary:
- The Durst Organization, which owns the Bank of America Tower, is asking New York's Public Service Commission to stop Con Edison from increasing its annual gas bill by over $85,000 in the wake of last year's successful appeal for $290,000 in overbilled charge for the building, which has its own cogeneration system to power it.
- The current dispute centers around natural gas the tower uses to fire the power plant, the exhaust of which is used to produce steam for the tower's heating and cooling system; when this is not enough, discounted gas fires up a backup system.
- Con Edison argues that the gas for the backup system should not get the discount for citywide load relief as it does not produce electricity, only steam; the Durst organization argues that the tower serves as a "demonstration project" and the increased charges will have a "chilling impact" on future implementations of self-powered buildings.
From the article:
"It is not easy being green and trying to keep the electric company from raising your rates.
The owner of the Bank of America Tower in Midtown Manhattan is learning that lesson. For the second time in less than a year, it has accused Consolidated Edison of trying to overcharge for the sophisticated power plant in the building, which it has heralded as the most environmentally advanced skyscraper in the country. ..."