Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.12
Liaison Ciannat Howett
Submission Date July 25, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Emory University
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.64 / 6.00 Joan Kowal
Senior Director for Energy Strategy and Utilities
Campus Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

This credit is based on energy inputs from offsite sources and electricity produced by onsite renewables. When the institution purchases one fuel and uses it to produce heat and/or power, you should enter only what is purchased. For example, if the institution purchases natural gas to fuel a CHP system and produce steam and electricity, only the purchased natural gas should be reported.

Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Grid-purchased electricity 939,707 MMBtu 988,632 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site renewables 2,525 MMBtu 0 MMBtu
District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) 929,389 MMBtu 1,042,703 MMBtu
Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) 0 MMBtu 0 MMBtu
Total 1,871,621 MMBtu 2,031,335 MMBtu

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Sept. 1, 2015 Aug. 31, 2016
Baseline Year Sept. 1, 2004 Aug. 31, 2005

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):
Emory's fiscal year 2005 was the selected baseline for many sustainability metrics. It was the first year that was considered to have all required data for the measured utility/initiative.

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area of building space 10,641,529 Gross square feet 8,639,562 Gross square feet

Source-site ratio for grid-purchased electricity:
3.14

Total building energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Site energy 0.18 MMBtu per square foot 0.24 MMBtu per square foot
Source energy 0.38 MMBtu per square foot 0.50 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
24.16

Part 2 

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 2,300 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 2,300 Degree-Days (°F)

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 1,720,176 Square feet
Healthcare space 1,893,473 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
18,186,842 Gross square feet

Building energy consumption (site energy) per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
22.37 Btu / GSF / Degree-Day (°F)

Optional Fields 

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):
Emory's temperature policy requires that all building thermostats fall within a range between 68-76 degrees Fahrenheit, and students are encouraged to follow the same guidelines in their dorm rooms. Emory uses the building automation system (BAS) to schedule automatic setbacks on a daily time schedule for weekend and evening periods when the building is not occupied. During long holidays, buildings and floors of buildings must request to opt out of a building temperature setback lasting the duration of the time the University is closed for the holiday. These programs have dramatically reduced energy consumption and saved the University millions of dollars in utility costs.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Emory University has deployed LED lighting retrofits throughout the Oxford Road Building and parking deck, including inside the campus book store and in the bookcases, throughout the School of Medicine, in the Woodruff Health Sciences Administration Building, and in various parking decks across campus. As buildings and parking decks are renovated, LED fixtures are deployed where possible.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Located in a southern, hot, humid climate, Emory's passive solar strategies focus around reducing solar heating rather than harnessing passive solar for heating.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
A new steam-turbine generator began operation in 2016. The generator is part of a cogeneration/CHP system utilizing the existing mechanical heat from the natural gas steamer. The new system is expected to provide an additional 1MW of electricity from the same level of natural gas usage.

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):
Emory uses the process of Re-Commissioning (Re-Cx) to bring a facility up to optimal performance to meet its current functional requirements. To date Emory has completed 19 Re-Cx projects. Emory's Sustainable Performance Program (SPP) utilizes the Building Automation System to monitor the buildings HVAC performance and send an alarm when operating conditions exist that lead to unnecessary energy consumption. To date Emory has 23 facilities in the SPP.

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:
Data reported for 2015-2016 fiscal year. http://sustainability.emory.edu/page/1010/energy-awareness

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.