Bill de Blasio's Park Slope Homes Aren't Energy Efficient: Report

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio laid out a sweeping plan to impose strict energy standards on the city's medium and large buildings to make them more efficient and reduce the city's output of greenhouse gasses.

He doesn't apply his own rules at buildings he owns and rents out in Park Slope though, according to a report from The New York Times.

The Times, citing Department of Buildings records, said that a hot water heater and natural gas boiler recently installed in one of the homes aren't Energy Star certified. The windows on one unit don't appear to be properly sealed and one of the front doors has a gap under it, letting drafts blow through freely.

When asked about his own homes at the press conference announcing the new buildings standards, de Blasio demurred.

"I cannot tell a lie about being an expert about whether our two very small buildings meet these standards, but I can say as we have been improving the buildings we’ve been putting energy efficiency elements into them," de Blasio said, according to a transcript from his office.

"So, I’d be happy to come back with a clearer answer, but we’ve tried to do that as we’ve gone along."

A spokesman for de Blasio told the Times that it was unfair to compare the situations.

"Comparing these two scenarios is like comparing the emissions and environmental responsibilities of a semi-truck and a bicycle," Eric Phillips said.

Read the full New York Times story here.

It's not the first time that de Blasio's personal practices have seemingly contradicted with his public stances on climate change.

Earlier in the summer, after criticizing President Trump for pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, de Blasio was ripped by some people in the city for his near-daily trips to the Park Slope YMCA from the Upper East Side. The mayor uses a motorcade of SUVs to make the journey instead of taking the subway or riding a bike.

(Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)