| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.88 |
| Liaison | Audrey McSain |
| Submission Date | March 20, 2023 |
Lehigh University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.49 / 8.00 |
Douglas
Spengel Associate Director Utilities and Engineering Facilities Services |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 21,193.98 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 26,327 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 1,407.86 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 1,275.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 31,511 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 22,601.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 59,113.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration | --- | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Lehigh did not purchase any offsets during the baseline year or the performance year. Lehigh has forest land that may serve as a carbon sink but the quantity of this sink has not recently been determined.
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 22,601.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 59,113.50 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | July 1, 2021 | Jan. 1, 2007 |
| End date | June 30, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
Lehigh created an independent Climate Commitment document in April 2008. The baseline established at that time was with calendar year 2007 data. For the 2007 calendar year baseline, only Scope 1 and 2 emissions had been calculated whereas now Lehigh calculates Scope 3 emissions annually. When Lehigh began calculating Scope 3 emissions the baseline emissions were increased by the amount of the Scope 3 emissions computed that particular year.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,386 | 4,608 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 1 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 6,678 | 7,577.33 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 1,789 | 1,654 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 234.22 | 234.33 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 7,021.34 | 7,899.75 |
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user | 3.22 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 7.48 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 211,717 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 6,101 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 367,496 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
Recent initiatives include relamping and installation of new variable speed drives in several buildings. As fluorescent lights burn out or fail, they are being replaced with light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Several buildings and outdoor areas have been relamped with LEDs, including many street lights on each campus. HVAC staff have been installing new variable speed drives on existing motors to extend motor life and to reduce energy. An HVAC renovation of the STEPS Laboratory building was completed, including replacement of two heat wheels, and this saved a lot of energy. An electric-powered bus is part of the bus fleet, and more electric vehicles will be added soon. Similar types of projects are planned for the coming year.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Greenhouse gas emissions were impacted by COVID-19. To represent a normal year, we used FY 19 with reductions from our addition of renewable energy from a virtual power purchase agreement (68,738,657.53 kwh of RECs).
[The RECs for Lehigh began accruing on February 20, 2020. By December 31, 2020 Lehigh had accrued a total of 57,847,000 kWh of RECs. Last year, 22,333,000 kWh of RECs were reported to SIMAP, accrued from February 20, 2020 through June 30, 2020. The remaining RECs are accounted for in this report, accruing between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 to comply with the reporting period. Subtracting the RECs reported last year from the total accrued yields 35,514,000 kWh of RECs for this reporting period. In addition, Lehigh received 67,000,000 kWh of RECs for calendar year 2021, so the approximate RECs/day earned from this settlement were calculated and summed for the remainder of the reporting period (January 1, 2021 - June 30,2021). This yielded 33,224,660 kwh of RECs, for a total of 68,738,657.53 kWh of RECs for the reporting period.]
Greenhouse gas emissions were impacted by COVID-19. To represent a normal year, we used FY 19 with reductions from our addition of renewable energy from a virtual power purchase agreement (68,738,657.53 kwh of RECs).
[The RECs for Lehigh began accruing on February 20, 2020. By December 31, 2020 Lehigh had accrued a total of 57,847,000 kWh of RECs. Last year, 22,333,000 kWh of RECs were reported to SIMAP, accrued from February 20, 2020 through June 30, 2020. The remaining RECs are accounted for in this report, accruing between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 to comply with the reporting period. Subtracting the RECs reported last year from the total accrued yields 35,514,000 kWh of RECs for this reporting period. In addition, Lehigh received 67,000,000 kWh of RECs for calendar year 2021, so the approximate RECs/day earned from this settlement were calculated and summed for the remainder of the reporting period (January 1, 2021 - June 30,2021). This yielded 33,224,660 kwh of RECs, for a total of 68,738,657.53 kWh of RECs for the reporting period.]
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.