NEW YORK—As a result of its $65 million renovation, the historic New Yorker Hotel, located in the heart of New York City, will decrease its use of energy for heating and air-conditioning by 30 to 40 percent, effectively reducing the hotel’s carbon footprint. Furthermore, the new air-conditioning system will exceed ASHRAE Standard 90.1, an internationally recognized energy conservation standard related to HVAC systems (ASHRAE is the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers).
The $65 million renovation, to be completed in September of this year, is carefully designed to recapture the style and character of the New Yorker Hotel—still one of the largest art deco structures in New York City—while adding significant modernization that includes the installation of a new state-of-the-art, four-pipe HVAC system to allow control of heating and cooling by individual guests throughout the year.
“We’re pleased that our renovations will have this type of impact on the environment,” said Thomas McCaffrey, director of sales and marketing for the New Yorker. “The added benefit is that our many environmentally friendly attributes save us money and we can pass these savings on to our guests.”
Masonry Adds Insulation
“The New Yorker’s age and size would lead one to believe that we are behind the times environmentally but that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” noted Joe Kinney, the hotel’s chief engineer. “Our masonry facade is naturally very energy efficient. Its R (insulation) value is quite high, equivalent to about nine inches of fiberglass insulation, and it provides an ancient form of climate control by absorbing heat during the daytime and radiating it into the building at night.”
In addition to its naturally environmentally friendly masonry, the New Yorker Hotel has engineered itself to be “green,” down to the most basic elements.
Nine years ago, the New Yorker became one of the first buildings in New York City to implement co-generation technology. This means that the hotel generates about 40 percent of the electrical power it consumes in-house, and the waste heat from the generators is used to produce the hotel’s hot water.
On a smaller, but very impactful scale, the hotel has virtually eliminated incandescent lighting, allowing it to use about one-half of the kWh (kilowatt hour) per square foot of energy that is expected for a building of its size, even during the days when it utilized window air-conditioning units. The hotel recycles all of its fluorescent bulbs and also takes great care to dispose of its kitchen grease properly.
“We’re using energy more efficiently, meeting and exceeding environmental guidelines, and we’re saving money,” McCaffrey said. “Our renovation will support these efforts.”
Go to the New Yorker Hotel.
