Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.75
Liaison Josh Lasky
Submission Date Feb. 23, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

George Washington University
OP-3: Building Operations and Maintenance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.37 / 5.00 Meghan Chapple
Director & Senior Advisor
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total floor area of building space:
8,293,477 Square feet

O+M Certified Space

Building space must be certified under a rating system focusing on the operations and maintenance of existing buildings (e.g. LEED O+M) to count as certified space for this credit. Sustainability in new construction and major renovation projects (e.g. LEED BD+C certification) is covered in the Building Design and Construction credit.

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a green building rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings used by an Established Green Building Council:
Certified Floor Area
LEED O+M Platinum or the highest achievable level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Gold or the 2nd highest level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier GBC rating system (e.g. BREEAM-In Use, CASBEE for Existing Buildings, DGNB, Green Star Performance) 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Silver or at a step above minimum level under another 4 -or 5–tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Certified or certified at minimum level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified under a non-GBC rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings, e.g. BOMA BESt, Green Globes CIEB:
0 Square feet

Percentage of building space certified under a green building rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings:
0

If reporting certified space, provide:

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list or sample of certified buildings and ratings:
None at this time.

If reporting uncertified space, provide the following:

Uncertified Space 

Indoor Air Quality Management 

Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a published indoor air quality (IAQ) management policy or protocol? (0-100):
0

A copy of the IAQ management policy or protocol:
---

The website URL where the IAQ policy/protocol may be found:

Green Cleaning 

Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a published green cleaning policy, program or contract ? (0-100):
100

A copy or the green cleaning policy:
A brief description of how green cleaning is incorporated into cleaning contracts:
Aramark provides custodial services across GW with a few minor exceptions. Through its standard business practices, the company uses green cleaning supplies and techniques across the campuses. In the rare event that extra support is needed through subcontract vendors, Aramark asks them to use green products, as well.

Energy Management and Benchmarking 

Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with an energy management or benchmarking program? (0-100):
87

A brief description of the energy management or benchmarking program:
GW participates in the "Building Energy and Water Benchmarking Reporting" program run by the DC Department of Energy and Environment, which requires all buildings over 50,000 GSF to report usage annually through Energy Star Portfolio Manager. This represents 87% of our square footage. Furthermore, our utility bills are managed by a company called Conservice, which reports our usage and cost information through EnergyCAP's dashboard -- and automatically benchmarks our properties, flagging usage outside of expected parameters and notifying us of high usage 7-9 days after a bill is generated. Between this and DC Water's "High Usage Notification Alert" system (which notifies us the next day), we are better able to monitor energy and water usage in our buildings.

Water Management and Benchmarking 

Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a water management or benchmarking program? (0-100):
87

A brief description of the water management or benchmarking program:
GW uses the EPA's Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark water consumption at most GW buildings. In addition, as a part of the GW Eco Building Program, we are systematically replacing plumbing fixtures throughout campus with ones that comply with GW Design Standards.

Optional Fields 

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:
Energy use in existing buildings comprises 80 percent of the university's GHG emissions. In the first years of implementing the Climate Action Plan, GW prioritized improving building energy efficiency and enhancing IT systems that result in energy use reductions. When managing and retrofitting its buildings for sustainability, GW deals with many complexities due to the diversity of buildings. GW owns and operates more than 150 buildings on its three campuses. Some pre-date the turn of the last century, and most require historic preservation during upgrades. The sizes range from less than 10,000 square feet (historic town houses) to more than 200,000 square feet. OP3 Total Floor Area of Building Space (8,293,477 SF) is lower than IC2 Building Floor Area (8,614,351 SF) because GW omitted partially leased space that is ineligible for green building certification in OP3.

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.