Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.28
Liaison Michelle Seppala Gibbs
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Hope College
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.46 / 6.00 Michelle Gibbs
Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area

Performance year energy consumption

Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 24,387,184 Kilowatt-hours 83,209.07 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 0 Kilowatt-hours 0 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 23,336.84 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
106,545.91 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
1,984,235 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 371,333 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 21,921 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
2,748,822 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 5,983 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 860 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
6,843 Degree-Days (°F)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period Jan. 1, 2021 Dec. 31, 2021

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

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

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.

Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 24,437,151 Kilowatt-hours 83,379.56 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 45,361.70 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
128,741.26 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
1,625,506 Gross square feet

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period Jan. 1, 2005 Dec. 31, 2005

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
2005 is the recommended baseline year.

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.05 MMBtu per square foot 0.14 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.08 MMBtu per square foot 0.18 MMBtu per square foot

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
24.33

Optional Fields 

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:
Projects across campus included new windows, water aerators, lighting upgrades, and more.

Larger Projects included:
New Cottages Summer 2022:
-Installed new more efficient controller for campus irrigation.
-Although the (4) new residentials homes that we built weren't LEED certified, we made them as efficient as possible, adding over R-30 in the wall cavities, caulking all wall stud joints to seal out any potential outside air infiltration.

Engineering Project (Kleinhecksel): Engineering students helped select an existing 100 year old home for redesign with the goal of transforming it to be as carbon neutral as possible. The projects being performed on this home include adding insulation to all exterior wall and attic, installing an air source heat pump and hybrid hot water heater for maximum efficiency, and adding solar panels to the south side of the house.

HBPW Program for Audits: We have participated in a housing energy audit program through our local Board of Public Works (Local Water and Electric Utility). We have performed these audits on nearly 20 Hope owned residential homes and plan to use the reports and their findings to prioritize the completion of projects that provide the greatest impact. Over the course of the year we plan to audit the remaining 60 campus owned homes.

Boerigter: Rather than building a new 10,000 sq foot building, the college committed to renovating an existing space on campus for our Career Center, Leadership Program, and Alumni Engagement groups. Through the course of the project we were able to upgrade elements of our HVAC system to make them much more efficient and reduce our energy consumption for this part of the building. As part of this project we implemented a centralized waste and recycling program to reduce the number of individual office containers and increase the recycling opportunities. We will now be implementing this pilot program throughout campus to help us achieve our goals of reducing waste.

CIT: Rather than building a new 4000 sq foot space for our IT department we have committed to renovating the existing space. We will be taking advantage of this renovation to make the space more efficient from an HVAC perspective as well as abatement of hazardous materials rather than leaving them in place. As part of the project we have chosen to reutilize existing furniture for another department on campus rather than buying new.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Hope College uses set points of 72 degrees in the winter and 75 degrees in the summer. The buildings are also controlled by occupancy sensors or occupancy schedules.

Some practices shared by our CIT Team:
Local virtualized server environment that consolidates data center functionality onto a minimum number of devices and allows for lower HVAC load.
Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions are the default for new projects, moving load from local data centers to highly-efficient facilities.
Automatic shutoff for projectors in classrooms.
Solid state storage in all new PC purchases reduces cooling needs and lowers electrical consumption.
Robust learning management system that allows for electronic distribution of content in lieu of printing
Recycling of all campus electronics as well as employee/student personal equipment through Michigan EGLE registered facility.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Hope College utilizes LED technology in all new and renovated construction projects.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts and Kruizenga Art Museum utilize a passive solar heat technology in the lobby area.

Local virtualized server environment that consolidates data center functionality onto a minimum number of devices and allows for lower HVAC load.

Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions are the default for new projects, moving load from local data centers to highly-efficient facilities.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
n/a

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Major projects include:
DeVos Field House - replaced sport compact fluorescents with LED fixtures over its entire three basketball court system.
DeWitt Tennis Center - replaced lights with LEDs

In 2022 a consultant was tasked with completing an energy audit and report to review the existing design, efficiency, and functionality of the natural gas systems at Hope College DeVos Fieldhouse. In addition to the gas audit, they also completed a thermal imaging study to help better understand areas for improvement in the central boiler plant on campus.

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:
https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pm/degreeDaysCalculator
Weather Station ID: 726360
Weather Station Name: MUSKEGON
Time Period: January 01, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Annual HDD: 5717 °F
Annual CDD: 847 °F

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.