EN-POWER GROUP was featured in Habitat Magazine for guiding the board of One Hanson Place, a landmarked 149-unit condo in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene, through a strategy that used a free cogeneration (cogen) plant to reduce carbon emissions, avoid Local Law 97 fines, and lower energy costs.

Context: Facing Local Law 97 Fines

When One Hanson Place’s board saw a projected $236,000 carbon penalty in 2030 under New York City’s Local Law 97, it launched a multi-pronged emissions-reduction effort. The goal was clear: cut emissions and avoid fines without burdening shareholders with additional costs.

EN-POWER GROUP’s Role

EN-POWER GROUP supported the board in implementing a cogeneration system under an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) agreement. Under this model, the equipment supplier installs and monitors the cogen system at no upfront cost to the co-op. In return, the supplier shares in the savings generated by the system, which converts natural gas into electricity and usable heat.

According to Kyra DiFrancesco, Senior Energy Engineer at EN-POWER GROUP, the arrangement allowed the building to host the cogen equipment without paying for its installation while still realizing energy and emissions savings.

Results: Savings and Penalty Reduction

The cogen system is expected to save the building roughly $40,000 per year, with a return on investment anticipated within three years. Over time, these savings help reduce the financial impact of carbon penalties.

In addition to cogen, the condo has pursued other efficiency improvements over the past five years, including boiler burner upgrades, building-wide lighting enhancements, and more efficient elevator braking systems — cuts that have significantly lowered heating and electricity costs while improving resilience.

Efforts also included a recalculation of gross floor area, which can lower carbon-penalty exposure under Local Law 97 when more of a building’s space is recognized in emissions calculations.

Why This Matters for Co-op and Condo Boards

This feature shows how innovative financing models such as energy-as-a-service, combined with targeted efficiency upgrades, can help boards reduce emissions, operational costs, and regulatory penalties without heavy upfront capital.

Media Attribution

This topic was originally featured in Habitat Magazine on January 20, 2026.
[Read the full article on Habitat Magazine →]

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