California State University, Channel Islands
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) employs several strategies to influence shifts in individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency. The university uses social media accounts, primarily on Instagram, to share useful tips and strategies to reduce energy consumption. These tips and other posts about the value of saving energy are shared across several profiles to reach a broad audience of students, employees, and other campus stakeholders. The university also has two greenscreens that are used to post energy efficiency tips. Additionally, the sustainability office hosts regular workshops, meetings, and other training opportunities where participants learn about energy efficiency and discuss strategies.

CSUCI uses virtual timers in the Building Automation System (BAS) to control hours of operation. A BAS is a computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices, designed to monitor and control mechanical and lighting systems in a building. The timer can schedule normally occupied time periods, temporary occupancy periods and also “off-schedule” time periods for holidays.

The university has also retrofitted most buildings to have occupancy sensors for lighting. Additionally, newer buildings with operable windows have control settings to turn off HVAC to rooms that have open windows to reduce energy use.

CSUCI has LED light fixtures that illuminate the exterior columns along Santa Cruz Village that face the South Quad, and light the signature Bell Tower. We have started to add LED in parking lot lights and have installed LED wall packs on most of campus proper. We are systematically retrofitting existing fluorescent lighting with LED lighting. The campus recently completed lighting retrofits in the Grand Salon (event space) and Arroyo Gym (recreation center). There is also LED lighting throughout the LEED Gold Certified Santa Rosa Village housing complex. In the next several years, the university will be upgrading to LED lights in several campus buildings.

The university no longer relies on cogeneration for the majority of the university's energy supply. However, the CI Power Plant located on campus property is still in operation as a peaker plant to supply electricity to the regional grid during electrcity shortages. CSUCI does not receive any electricity directly from CI Power, though the university does take waste steam from the Plant when it is operating.

The CI Power Plant Facility is a combined cycle co-generation plant. The Facility consists of an aircraft derivative gas turbine generator (the General Electric LM-2500), an unfired heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), an extraction/condensing steam turbine generator, and auxiliary equipment.

The LM-2500 gas turbine is equipped with an evaporative cooler to reduce inlet air temperature and increase plant electrical output. It normally operates at maximum continuous rated power, burning 215.2 to 223.8 million Btu per hour (lower heating value (LHV)) of natural gas to drive a generator which produces 21,489 to 22,381 KW of electric power during the six Time Of Use periods established by Southern California Edison (SCE). Water injection is used to reduce NOx emissions to 42 parts per million dry volume-referenced at 15% 02 (ppmdv).

The system is currently dispatched under a Resource Adequacy Contract with SCE. Annual fired hours are anticipated to be less than 200 hours with an availability of 98%. The system is forecasted to be available for dispatch for 8520 hours per year with 120 hours of scheduled maintenance and 120 hours of unscheduled outages.

CSUCI controls its use of energy in buildings with a web-based building management system. It is comprised of a network of communication devices and building controllers located throughout each building and mechanical space. The function of these controls is to schedule the occupied times, operational set points, and temperatures for the lighting and ventilation systems. The campus is able to coordinate the time of use (schedule) of the buildings with our customers for the general class times and periods of use. This way the lights and HVAC systems will be off when nobody is around.

This system uses some of the latest technology using a centralized web-based server. This server is the central access to all of the buildings from anywhere there is internet access. This allows adjustment to the system from home without relying on someone driving out to the campus. This creates better customer support and uses no fuel. This system automatically collects data in the form of trend logs for system diagnostics and analysis of energy usage. This system also has built in programmable logic that responds to the ambient outside air condition to allow the use of “free cooling” when possible. This creates opportunities for the larger cooling/heating equipment to remain idle when certain conditions are met. We have currently been able to quantify electrical savings created by the energy management system by comparing one year to the next, using the data from the trend logs.

CSUCI also takes care to prioritize energy efficient appliances and equipment when replacing units on campus. Facilities Services works with the procurement department and Information Technology (IT) to ensure they are aware of the standards to purchase Energy Star Certified and EPEAT Certified equipment. They have also sent reminders out to the campus community to ensure individual purchasers are informed of the campus standards for equipment purchases.

The university transitioned from steam to natural gas as a primary heating source in April 2020, resulting in reduced EUI.

The university's on-site solar array generates more power than the campus consumes during the day. The excess energy is exported to the grid. The university retains rights to all environmental attributes. The total renewable energy reported in OP-5 differs from OP-6 because the energy in OP-5 is the actual renewable energy consumed on site, while OP-6 reflects the total energy generated by the university's solar array.