A few years ago the city passed a law that makes stores close their doors when they have the air conditioning on. Leaving the doors open wastes energy and puts the city at higher risk for a blackout. But stores leave their doors open anyway, and there is almost no enforcement.

Since enforcement began in 2010, the Department of Consumer Affairs has issued 348 warnings and 25 violations. After a first warning, violations cost stores $200, and then $400 the next time. Not everyone is legally obligated to close their doors — only stores that are larger than 4,000 square feet or that are part of a chain with at least five NYC outlets fall under the law.

As much as leaving the doors open hurts the city, it also hurts the business itself:

“An analysis commissioned by the NRDC found that a business with a typical 6 foot by 7 foot doorway in New York City wastes up to $1,000 dollars and about a ton of CO2 in a summer if it leaves it’s door open with the air conditioning on.”

But it’s clear that big stores on the Upper West Side aren’t following the law, as cool air is constantly pumping out of retailers like American Apparel and Loehmann’s. Local filmmaker Phil Vasquez has been calling out some of the offenders, which he says include Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Irving Farm and the Kangol store. To be fair, the stores around Times square and Herald Square appear to be worse.

Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who introduced the initial bill, asked the Department of Consumer Affairs in May to add “more education or more enforcement” but still hasn’t heard back.

To report a store for blasting the AC with the doors open, click here.

.@CoffeeBeanNY Blasting huge AC AND fans with doors open isn’t cool. You don’t care about the neighborhood power grid? twitter.com/tinpanalleypic…

— Phil Vasquez (@tinpanalleypics) July 21, 2012