| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.39 |
| Liaison | Laura Draucker |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Amherst College
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.83 / 6.00 |
Laura
Draucker Director of Sustainability Office of Environmental Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Grid-purchased electricity | 42,936 MMBtu | 33,470 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site renewables | 0 MMBtu | 0 MMBtu |
| District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) | 0 MMBtu | 0 MMBtu |
| Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) | 271,863 MMBtu | 239,496 MMBtu |
| Total | 314,799 MMBtu | 272,966 MMBtu |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2017 | June 30, 2018 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2009 | June 30, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the building energy consumption baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
Our baseline was chosen as 2010 due to data availability and accuracy.
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area of building space | 203,053 Gross square meters | 173,130 Gross square meters |
Source-site ratio for grid-purchased electricity:
Total building energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Site energy | 0.14 MMBtu per square meter | 0.15 MMBtu per square meter |
| Source energy | 0.19 MMBtu per square meter | 0.18 MMBtu per square meter |
Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
| Degree days (see help icon above) | |
| Heating degree days | 6,215 Degree-Days (°C) |
| Cooling degree days | 613 Degree-Days (°C) |
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 16,435 Square meters |
| Healthcare space | 1,208 Square meters |
| Other energy intensive space |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Building energy consumption (site energy) per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
Documentation (e.g. spreadsheet or utility records) to support the performance year energy consumption figures reported above:
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency (e.g. outreach and education efforts):
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
During occupied hours the temperature shall be set at 68 F (actual temp +/- 2 degrees F) for academic and administrative buildings. During unoccupied hours the temperature shall be set back to 60 F in academic and administrative buildings while dormitories will be set back to 64 F.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lighting is used consistently across campus in academic, residential, and administrative buildings wherever feasible. When lighting is upgraded it is replaced with LED lighting.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
N/A
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
Amherst College's cogeneration system consists of a 1250-kW gas turbine generator that burns natural gas or diesel fuel. The turbine turns an electrical generator connected to the campus electrical system and send its hot exhaust to a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). A 500-kW steam turbine was also installed as part of the project, generating electricity by taking the high-pressure steam produced by the HRSG and boilers and reducing the pressure for campus distribution. The cogeneration system supplies approximately 50% of our peak electrical load, and 67% of the annual electricity usage. The steam output satisfies approximately 30% of the campus heating needs, with the existing boilers used to supply the rest. The overall reduction in source energy substantially reduces the campus carbon emissions. Other emissions, such as NOx and SO2 that cause smog and acid rain, have been greatly reduced because of the cogeneration system's cleaner fuels and state-of-the-art pollution controls. The cogeneration produces over 11 million kWh per year, enough to power 1,000 homes.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment and systems with high efficiency alternatives (e.g. building re-commissioning or retrofit programs):
N/A
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Baseline gross square meter takes the pre-science center value ( 176363) and subtracts 79 south pleasant and the field house that were built/occupied since 2010. It is assumed that the sq meter of the greenway dorm is nearly identical to that of the social dorms, which were torn down in 2016.
Baseline gross square meter takes the pre-science center value ( 176363) and subtracts 79 south pleasant and the field house that were built/occupied since 2010. It is assumed that the sq meter of the greenway dorm is nearly identical to that of the social dorms, which were torn down in 2016.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.