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During an interview on MSNBC, de Blasio underscored the contribution that New York City's buildings make to greenhouse emissions and said the new rules would ban inefficient “classic glass and steel skyscrapers.” De Blasio is also looking to owners of existing buildings to retrofit their structures and make them more environmentally friendly. If they do not comply with the mayor’s 2030 goals, they could face fines of $1 million or more. De Blasio said the city is the first major metro in the world to force owners to pursue energy efficiencies for existing buildings.

Under a measure passed April 18, New York City will require owners of existing buildings to make their systems — lighting, heating and cooling and insulation – more energy efficient. The total cost of making these changes could reach as high as $4 billion, but city officials expect building owners to recoup some of that through energy savings. Owners of large buildings — more than 25,000 square feet — must reduce their emissions by 40% by 2030 and by 80% by 2050.

So while it will be challenging — and expensive — to retrofit New York City’s high-rises for increased energy efficiency, it’s not impossible. In Chicago, for instance, the 40-year-old, 110-story Willis Tower’s green facelift is expected to reduce energy use by 30% and has qualified the building for LEED Gold certification. It also is the largest office building to earn Energy Star certification. Some of the structure's changes include: installation of high-efficiency lighting systems; improvements to the HVAC system; upgrades of all four of the building’s cooling towers; and updates to electrical infrastructure.