HVACLookout Data and Methodology

What a commercial project signal is

A commercial project signal is a public-record event that gives a contractor a reason to look at a building or a procurement. Each signal links to its source record and shows the record's dates and project stage, so you can check the evidence before you act.

Signals come in three categories:

• Building permits: recorded applications or authorizations for building work.
• Emissions filings: public building energy and compliance records, such as NYC Local Law 97 coverage.
• Public bids: purchasing notices that agencies publish.

Where the data comes from

We collect records that city, state and federal agencies publish. The table lists the official datasets behind our data pages and tools.

In New York alone, our LL97 compilation covers 28,501 tax-lot building groups from the NYC DOB covered-building records⁠↗.

Coverage differs by city and record type, so open the source before you rely on a record.

How we count records

We count one record per official identifier in each source, such as a permit number, tax lot or award ID. When two of our searches return the same record, we keep it once. A page that counts renewals separately says so in its method box.

When a source changes a record, we update it and keep the earlier version. When a source leaves a field blank, we leave it blank instead of filling it in.

Dates and amounts appear as the source publishes them. When a page derives a figure from them, such as a median or a yearly value, it states how.

How often we read sources

We read most sources daily. We reload LL97 coverage after NYC DOB publishes a new covered buildings list⁠↗. Other sources follow their agencies' release schedules.

Each signal shows its source date and our last successful check. Each data page states its data window and the date we last recomputed it.

A recent check does not make an older event new.

How we decide a signal is commercial

We classify each record from the building-use and project details it contains. For permits, that means each city's use fields and the work description.

Clear evidence of a one-, two- or three-family home keeps a record out of commercial HVAC signals. Fire-sprinkler and standpipe permits stay out too, even when their description mentions ductwork.

Multifamily or mixed-use evidence alone does not make a project commercial. When a record does not show the building's use, we leave it unclassified instead of guessing; unclassified records still count and show.

How we handle owner names

We remove individual owner names before a record is displayed. They do not appear on public pages or in the paid app.

Public sample records mask every owner name. In the paid app, an organization named as the owner in the source is shown in full.

How the Local Law 97 estimate works

For supported NYC buildings under Article 320, we compare use-specific emissions limits with emissions from reported energy use and multiply any excess by the NYC DOB rate of $268 per tonne⁠↗. Missing or unsupported inputs produce no estimate, not a zero penalty. The LL97 calculator shows every input, coefficient and exclusion reason; it is a planning estimate, not a DOB filing.

What public records can't tell you

Public records show what an agency recorded, not everything that happens on a site. Keep these limits in mind on every page.

• Unrecorded work: work done without a permit or filing does not appear.
• Stage: a permit records approved work, not an open bid.
• Timing: agencies publish on their own schedules, so recent events can appear late.
• Fields: each city names and fills its fields differently, so city figures are not a national total.
• Identity: where a page shows a company name, it follows the source's spelling, so one firm can appear under several variants.

Corrections and removal

If a record about your building or business is wrong, email contact@hvaclookout.com with the page address. We review each request and correct or remove records where appropriate.

Contact details and correction steps are on our contact page.