| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.30 |
| Liaison | Stephen Ellis |
| Submission Date | May 31, 2024 |
Boston University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.56 / 6.00 |
Stephen
Ellis Director, Data Analytics BU Sustainability |
Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area
Performance year energy consumption
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 194,081,158 Kilowatt-hours | 662,204.91 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 867,849 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 144,511 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Performance year building space
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 657,844.05 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 79,475.10 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 239,235.20 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Performance year heating and cooling degree days
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 4,793 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 920 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Performance period
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
Metric used in scoring for Part 1
Part 2. Reduction in source energy use per unit of floor area
Baseline year energy consumption
STARS 2.2 requires electricity data in kilowatt-hours (kWh). If a baseline has already been established in a previous version of STARS and the institution wishes to continue using it, the electricity data must be re-entered in kWh. To convert existing electricity figures from MMBtu to kWh, simply multiply by 293.07107 MMBtu/kWh.
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 200,415,800 Kilowatt-hours | 683,818.71 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, baseline year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 932,112 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 178,326 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
Baseline year building space
Baseline period
| Start date | End date | |
| Baseline period | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
For consistency, Boston University uses a Fiscal Year 2006 baseline for its sustainability metrics.
Source energy
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.11 MMBtu per square foot | 0.19 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.13 MMBtu per square foot | 0.24 MMBtu per square foot |
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
Optional Fields
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency:
BU sustainability app gives incentives and tips for individuals to be more energy efficient. Users can earn achievements through logging sustainable actions or finding BU's sustainable initiatives and more. There are sustainable challenges for users to compete in, and they can socialize with others through this app's follow, post, like, and commenting functions. Users can also track their progress to show how many achievements and points they have earned in regard to energy efficiency. URL for the sustainability @ BU app: https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/howto/track-your-actions-app/
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Seven buildings employ unoccupied modes in their Building Management Systems. BU has Schneider and Siemens BAS systems. 25% of all building space (by square footage) is equipped with schedules. Campus Planning & Operations (CPO) works to achieve a balance between comfort and efficiency when installing lighting retrofits and advanced HVAC technology. The University purchases its electricity from third party suppliers and the local distribution company, Eversource Energy. Through Eversource, CPO has taken advantage of incentive programs to help fund and encourage the replacement of aging, inefficient equipment with new energy-saving technology. For example, occupancy sensors, which can potentially save about 30% of energy for lighting, were installed at 33 Harry Agganis Way, FitRec, Walter Brown Arena, Mugar Library, in the garages at both 700 and 730–750 Comm. Ave., and the College of Arts & Sciences.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lighting has been and continues to be a major part of the University's energy efficiency program with new LED fixtures being installed across campus.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
888 Commonwealth Ave uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling. Fifteen-hundred feet below the street, there are six wells which harness the Earth’s energy to warm and cool 888 Commonwealth Avenue. Instead of using fossil fuels, 888 Commonwealth Avenue taps into the constant temperature within the Earth’s surface. Ground source heating and cooling is clean, renewable, and more efficient than traditional energy sources. This building is Boston University’s first geothermal building.
The University completed its second geothermal building and first carbon free building on campus in December of 2022. At 345,000 square feet, the Center for Computing and Data Sciences at 665 Commonwealth Avenue is currently the largest fossil fuel free building in Boston. The building has 31 boreholes, at 1,500 feet deep, makign up a geothermal system that is expected to provide over 300 tons of heating/cooling capacity. Heat pumps use the temperature differential the earth provides to draw heat from the ground in the winter and to expel heat in the summer. The building's design minimizes energy consumption using energy-efficient strategies such as external sun shading devices, triple glazing on the windows, enhanced heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and dedicated outside air heat recovery systems. Exterior louvers and reflective vertical sawtooth elements provide shade to keep the Sun’s heat out during the summer. Triple-glazed windows keep the heat in the building during the winter and out of the building during the summer.
888 Commonwealth Ave URL: https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/2019/06/04/summer-2019-campaigns/
665 Commonwealth Ave URL: https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/projects/center-for-computing-data-sciences/
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
N/A
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Buildings with existing building energy management systems (EMS) undergo independent 3rd-party engineering studies to determine and quantify savings related to introducing setbacks and controls, occupancy schedules, VFDs, efficient lighting, etc. that are connected to the EMS to be monitored and controlled for optimization.
Website URL where information about the institution’s energy conservation and efficiency program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
This represents FY2023 BU Metrics. Boston University's approach and progress on energy efficiency can be found on the following websites: https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/projects/improving-energy-efficiency/ http://www.bu.edu/facilities/what-we-do/energy/ Calculating energy, water, and greenhouse gas metrics involves an ongoing process of validation. This process resulted in a refinement of our data from 2005 through the present.
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.