Stores To Be Fined For Leaving Doors Open, Air Conditioning Blasting

Businesses in New York and other cities often leave their doors open in the summer with the air conditioning blasting. It can draw customers in out of the heat and perhaps encourage them to loiter and spend. But it also wastes an awful lot of energy.

New York's City Council is planning to pass a law forbidding the practice. The law would call for a warning at the first violation, a $200 fine at the second and $400 fine for subsequent violations. Watch the video below for more:

Comments

[RightWingMarine]

If I'm paying my electric bill what business is it of the city what I am doing with my electricty? It's mine, I bought it. If someone doesn't like what I do with my electricity they don't have to shop at my store.

Suppose I get 100% of my electricity from renewable resources with no pollution at all. Should the government still get to tell me what I can do with my electricity?

If we accept this how far does it extend? Should the government be able to remotely turn off our A/C in our homes if the temp outside is outside of a certain range? Should we not be permitted to run the A/C in our homes to reach a temp we feel to be comfortable?

[philipwitak]

re: "If I'm paying my electric bill what business is it of the city what I am doing with my electricty? It's mine..."

i don't think the concern is 'ownership' - it is 'waste.' waste is an unwarranted cost none of us can really afford. there are times when demand exceeds supply. these will probably become much more common in the future. time to give the public - and corporate america - their wake-up calls.

time to get with the program, rightwing.

[RightWingMarine]

If I own something and I choose to waste it, why is that not my business? I paid for it and if I want to continue wasting this resource and I'm paying for it then why can't I?

At what point does my consumption of the resource constitute waste? Who gets to decide that I'm wasting it? If I leave my door open with the A/C on but it's bringing in customers that are spending enough to cover the cost of the A/C and still leave me with a profit then clearly I don't view it as waste. Why should someone else get to decide that I'm wasting my money?

[MalloMel]

Now how about those gas guzzling suv's and those non business related trucks?

If we want to find out how to do things, we could take a look at how Europe does it. Right now, they are kicking our pants in so many areas. Actually, in almost all areas.

It seems that they are looking at us to find out how not to do it.

[KarateKid]

Hey, all of you, things a little tough lately? LMFAO. Police state my arse. You want police state? Go to Singapore.

[Huffingtonposter231]

Political Correctness leads to a "socially acceptable" Police State.

[dannyS]

so, you won't mind if I come dump my trash in your house?

[Tom95134]

May I make a suggestion as to the fines?

$2,000 on the first violation and a 15% special assessment to their electric bill for 6 months..

$4,000 on the 2nd violation and a 50% special assessment to their electric bill for 6 months..

[UnbiasView]

Your suggestion sucks . . .

[Krackonis]

Soon if you think about doing bad things the Police State will come and arrest you. Orwell just got the country wrong.

[TrooAmerican]

Why not just do the NORMAL thing and charge them higher rates for higher rates of electricity usage so its not worth their cost to act like that?

Besides, cant they just use those clear plastic door flaps that block commerical garage doors? only sized for a doorway?

[ohiomark]

Run, run, it's the Energy Police. It's government out of control!!!!!!

There is no shortage of resources and energy, just a shortage brains in Congress.

[Idiocracy]

I am convinced there is no intelligence in Ohio.. Just a bunch of idiots

[bluesnot]

I would never buy anything from a store that leaves its doors open. Many people probably feel the same way.

[jsarets]

I'm an energy modeler for an architectural engineering firm.

Commercial building codes have jurisdiction over many aspects of building operation. For example, ASHRAE Standard 62 dictates minimum ventilation flow rates to maintain acceptable indoor air quality for occupant health and protect the building from mold/rot.

Most commercial buildings in the United States rely entirely on mechanical systems for heating, cooling, and ventilation, and these systems are typically designed assuming a reasonably tight exterior envelope. Nobody designs an air-conditioning system assuming the front door is going to be open all day. That's why we have revolving doors!

I recently helped design a net-zero carbon office building with operable windows and an innovative multi-zone cooling system. In each room by the window is an LED indicator that lights when outdoor conditions are suitable for natural ventilation to assist the mechanical system and save energy. If the window is opened when the indicator is off and the system would fight the outside air, the chilled water supply to that room is automatically cut off.

A similar sequence can work for doors with the addition of a timer to allow the door to be open for up to a minute in adverse weather conditions before the mechanical system shuts off. But the system shouldn't shut off if the weather is not too hot or humid, because in those cases the open door could reduce the load on the system.

[UnbiasView]

So when can we start fining people that do this in their house or cars?

We need complete government control now!

[bluesnot]

I get sick of breathing the fumes from cars. They are polluting my air and they should be fined for it.

[ohiomark]

Then stay home and breathe your own gas and leave the rest of us to do the driving.

[nova07]

The same CO2 that comes out of cars also comes out of you when you exhale. Maybe you should stop breathing and do the world a favor.

[Hirnlego]

And we need more government provided wars to secure energy resources.

How's that for faith in the "free market"?

[bavb63]

As a small business retailer i'm the total opposite of these other stores . I'm often annoyed by customers who, for no apparent reason, hold the door open too long entering and exiting the store during hot hot summer days or the cold cold winter months. Now if you are elderly or have a baby carriage, i understand, i get it. But if your a teenager or grown adult, don't stand in the doorway and hold the door open on a hot day for no reason, it's probably because these other stores don't care that people don't think twice about doin it.

In my experience, people who hold the door open like this are usually low class and don't spend money anyway. But maybe that's just because I live and work in Queens and some people are real idiots over here!

[amirtalai]

NO BRAINER!!!

[mgh234]

police staaaaate

[Egalitare]

No one said that changing bad habits would be easy or convenient.

Just ask any drug addict.

[rugbymom]

Can habits change, broadly through society? It depends.

Within a very short time it has become completely unacceptable to smoke cigarettes indoors. Ditto for letting your dog poop in parks, lawns, sidewalks, etc. without cleaning up the mess.

What's needed is a widespread ethic of "we don't do it that way here," plus the threat of a fine. Signaling devices, gauges, whatever can help to remind us all.

How about a door that starts beeping annoyingly if held open more than a set number of seconds? It could even be set so if you use the automatic door-opener for wheelchair or stroller, you'd get a longer period of time. I'm not a techie but I'm sure some creative person could design this in a day. jsarets (see upthread) and crew can probably come up with some even better systems for encouraging good behavior and discouraging bad or even making it impossible.