Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.90
Liaison Kathleen Crawford
Submission Date July 23, 2020

STARS v2.2

Florida Gulf Coast University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.09 / 6.00 Kathleen Crawford
Sustainability Coordinator
Environmental Health & Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 54,189,375 Kilowatt-hours 184,894.15 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 2,364,379 Kilowatt-hours 8,067.26 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 0 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
192,961.41 MMBtu

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
4,672,084.50 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 166,842.78 Square feet
Healthcare space 4,866.76 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 40,723.40 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
5,056,226.98 Gross square feet

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 246 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 3,969 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
4,215 Degree-Days (°F)

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018

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

Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 25,459,300 Kilowatt-hours 86,867.13 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 0 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
86,867.13 MMBtu

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
1,364,068 Gross square feet

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
It was adopted for our 2011 STARS submission.

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.04 MMBtu per square foot 0.12 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.06 MMBtu per square foot 0.19 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
36.95

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:
Many of our energy savings in embedded as a systems based approach which is less dependent on individual action. However we do constant messaging with orientation, training, signage, and social media to conserve energy.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
FGCU has the largest ice thermal storage plant of educational facilities in Florida and has the second largest "ice farm" of all universities in the country. The Physical Plant has 168 thermal ice storage tanks, the chiller plant produces ice during off-peak overnight hours. Ice is then melted and distributed to cool campus buildings via underground insulated water lines. FGCU saves over $400,000 per year in utility costs due to the efficiency of the chiller plant operations. Building mechanical equipment cycles off during weekends, and low occupancy periods to reduce energy consumption and save equipment wear and tear.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lighting is currently used in elevators, parking garages, warehouse facilities, maintenance shops, track lighting and the athletic arena. Academic buildings continue to be transitioned to LED lighting to help our campus increase energy efficiencies.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Geothermal energy is used to heat and cool our 3 main campus pools. Solar thermal units are on rooftops in our South Lake Village residential student housing community to provide hot water for residents. Neither of these systems are metered, but are used for a reduction on our dependence on purchased electricity.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
FGCU uses 100% electricity. From Ghg inventory On-Campus Stationary Sources: LPG (Propane) 28,181 US gallons (propane not used for electricity). FGCU does not use other types of fuels to heat or power the university.

FGCU has a 2MW solar field.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) units have been installed to capture previously cooled and dehumidified air back into to the cooling system instead of taking in new hot, humid air to process. Less energy is required to cool and dehumidify the air significantly reducing energy consumption and costs.

In August 2017, Phase 1 of Alico Arena's expansion was completed. This project incorporated several sustainability initiatives, such as utilizing all LED lighting, maximizing daylight views and maximizing insulation on the building envelope beyond code regulations. Additionally, FGCU utilizes "daylight harvesting" in its lighting system, where any of the spaces with windows have sensors that monitor light levels and automatically dim the lights as the daylight levels increase. Furthermore, sun shade devices were added to the southern facing windows to reduce the solar heat gain.

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:
67763 sq ft was not included in building totals, as two buildings have just been completed and were not in existence during the performance year FY18.

Solar production for Calendar Year 2018 was 2,364,379 kWh. We did not have the solar field our baseline 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.