| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.46 |
| Liaison | Ciannat Howett |
| Submission Date | Oct. 9, 2024 |
Emory University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.79 / 6.00 |
Cyrus
Bhedwar Director Office of Sustainability Initiatives |
Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area
Performance year energy consumption
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 283,633,111 Kilowatt-hours | 967,756.17 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 4,256,843 Kilowatt-hours | 14,524.35 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 906,782 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Performance year building space
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 2,708,667.76 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 2,226,328.55 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 918,032.26 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Performance year heating and cooling degree days
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 1,965 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 2,008 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Performance period
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | Sept. 1, 2022 | Aug. 31, 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 | 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:
Baseline year building space
Baseline 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, except for GHG emissions, which aligns with the global baseline of 2010.
Source energy
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot | 0.31 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot | 0.34 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:
Emory’s $1.5 million Sustainability Revolving Fund supports energy efficiency projects. Emory's voluntary Green Offices, Green Labs, and Sustainability Representatives 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; adjustments may be made in response to requests concerning occupant comfort. 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 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. FY23 holiday turndown saved around 104,000 kBtu which equaled roughly $2100. The savings potential was low this year due to cold weather that jeopardized our buildings of falling below minimum temperature design thresholds so heating had to remain on.
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; the most recent parking deck conversion was at 1599 Clifton Road and reduced energy consumption for lighting by 57.6%
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 on 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 turbine. The system provides an additional 1MW of electricity from the same level of natural gas usage. The system operated for the first three months of the performance period but was taken offline for repairs for the remainder of the year.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Emory continues to support the in-house commissioning of campus projects, as well as the 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 of 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 result in required field corrections. Emory's Sustainable Performance Program (SPP) utilizes the Building Automation System to monitor the building's HVAC performance and send an alarm when operating conditions exist that lead to unnecessary energy consumption. As for AY2023 the program had covered 31 buildings and achieved 694,000,000 kBtu in savings which equals roughly $6,645,000.
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:
All data reported in this section are from September 2022-August 2023.
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.