The New York City Green Codes Task Force has given Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn a checklist of 111 proposals to make Big Apple buildings more energy efficient. 

New York City has tremendous energy efficiency potential in its existing buildings.Focused primarily on renovation and new construction, the blueprint would affect the city's building codes, zoning regulations and rules affecting health, consumer affairs and environmental protection.

As Crain's New York Business reported, one proposal would set a minimum insulation standard for exterior building walls and provide a zoning bonus for buildings that exceed that standard. Another would place limits on after-hours lighting in retail establishments.  A third could end that classic rite of New York City winters - apartments with windows wide open when it's freezing outside - by adding temperature controls to individual units.

Although most of the proposals are low-cost, some could substantially increase the costs of renovation or construction. The task force said that the city must find ways of securing financing and encouraging incentives to implement the ideas, the New York Times reported.

In a related development, a New York State Assembly standing committee will hold a public hearing in Manhattan on February 11 to address "The Viability of Developing Affordable Green Housing." Click here to learn more.