Is Your Building Gobbling Energy? January 31, 2012, 3:11 pm Want to know who's an energy hog? A new interactive map prepared by Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science allows New York City residents to compare estimates of their use of electricity and heat by neighborhood and by building. Posted online on Tuesday, it offers statistics on energy consumption by ZIP code in all five boroughs of the city. The map indicates the type, quantity and purpose of the energy used - whether it is powering lighting or heating water, for example. "This map will enable New York City building owners to see whether their own building consumes more or less than what an average building with similar function and size would," said Vijay Modi, a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia and a co-author of the study that yielded the map. The map seems particularly apt for New York City, where buildings are overwhelmingly responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers said the information could be used by residents to explore what kind of changes might lead to the biggest improvement in energy efficiency - like converting to solar hot water heaters - and even to combine resources with residents of other buildings in the neighborhood.