| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.00 |
| Liaison | Ciannat Howett |
| Submission Date | March 5, 2021 |
Emory University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.90 / 6.00 |
Kelly
Weisinger Director Office of Sustainability Initiatives |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 271,091,616 Kilowatt-hours | 924,964.59 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 440,263 Kilowatt-hours | 1,502.18 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 819,843 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 2,678,208 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 2,229,724 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 1,121,081 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 2,152 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 2,673 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | Sept. 1, 2018 | Aug. 31, 2019 |
Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 280,802,026 Kilowatt-hours | 958,096.51 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 225,513 Kilowatt-hours | 769.45 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, baseline year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 792,965 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
| Start date | End date | |
| Baseline period | Sept. 1, 2014 | Aug. 31, 2015 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
Emory's original baseline year was FY2005, but the updated Sustainability Vision calls for a new baseline of 2015 to be measured in the new decade through 2025. This new baseline is consistent with all other sustainability metric baselines, with the exception of GHG emissions, which aligns with the global baseline of 2010.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.10 MMBtu per square foot | 0.22 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot | 0.34 MMBtu per square foot |
Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
Documentation 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:
Emory’s $1.5 million Sustainability Revolving Fund supports energy efficiency projects.
During the reporting period, Emory University and Emory Healthcare participated in the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, a national competition to reduce energy and water consumption by 20 percent by 2020. Each year, Emory buildings are recognized as Top Performers.
Emory’s annual Energy Competition awards buildings that reduce the most energy throughout the month.
Emory's voluntary Green Offices and Green Labs programs educate and reward behavior change toward energy use reduction.
Emory's Office of Sustainability Initiatives conducts ongoing educational and awareness campaigns on behavior change and energy conservation. https://sustainability.emory.edu/programs/energy-awareness/
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
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.In 2019, HVAC systems in 28 buildings on Emory’s Atlanta campus were turned back, which resulted in a 19% reduction in energy use during the month of December.
Emory is a participant in the DOE's Smart Labs Accelerator program, working directly with the DOE and other participating institutions nationwide to advance strategies that rapidly improve energy efficiency in laboratory buildings to achieve an overall 20% reduction. During the reporting period, Emory focused on HVAC optimization and utilized occupancy sensors to turn down and turn off select equipment in several lab buildings. In 2019, Emory won the DOE’s Accelerating Smart Labs Award for Program Development and Implementation, presented at the International Institute for Sustainability Laboratories (I2SL) conference.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Emory has taken steps to reduce lighting’s energy use, including using more energy efficient LED bulbs and timing light use with room occupancy. All new buildings now use LED lighting from inception; the first building to do so was Eleanore Raoul Hall, which opened in 2014.
https://sustainability.emory.edu/interview-with-kevin-keefe-electrical-engineer-at-emory-university/
Transportation & Parking Services continues its LED lighting conversion and as of 2019 the total savings for 8 parking deck lighting retrofits is over $665,000 and 9,100,000 kWh. In 2019, the Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies Building, Math & Sciences Building, and 1462 Clifton Road all received LED retrofits that collectively reduced energy used for lighting in those fixtures by 41% across the buildings. In 2019, Emory approved plans to upgrade 160 pedestrian light poles and 7 streetlight poles with LED technology, which is projected to reduce the energy used by these lights by 77%. This project is slated to start mid-2020.
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.
Vegetated roof coverings are installed on various Emory buildings – including residence halls, campus maintenance buildings, pedestrian plazas, and a hospital – in place of tiles or shingles. These green roofs help absorb summer heat and absorb stormwater run-off.
A system of 400-foot deep geothermal wells dug into nearby McDonough Field that provide some 700 tons of heating/cooling capacity to the Emory Student Center.
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
A 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 system provides 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:
Emory continues to support in-house commissioning of campus projects, as well as recommissioning of existing buildings. Recommissioning is a strategic process that optimizes existing building systems to return them to their originally commissioned state where possible. Recommissioning is the major driver to the EUI reductions for the University. Emory is using Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) to identify anomalies in equipment and system operation that in most cases can be corrected remotely through the building controls system or in some cases results in required field corrections.
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.
https://sustainability.emory.edu/programs/energy-efficiency/
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:
Data reported for 2018-2019 fiscal year.
Data reported for 2018-2019 fiscal year.
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.