Massachusetts Institute of Technology
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

The selection of the FY14 baseline coincided with the release of MIT's Plan for Action on Climate Chage, which was published in October 2015. The Plan calls for reducing campus greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 32% by 2030 from a 2014 baseline. Since the Plan’s publication, Vice President for Research Maria Zuber has underscored that the 32% reduction target is a floor, not a ceiling, and that the campus aspires to carbon neutrality as soon as possible. To achieve or exceed this goal, MIT will need to lower annual GHG emissions to a yearly level of 145,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e) or less by 2030. MIT’s reduction must also accommodate a projected estimate of 10 percent growth in campus energy use during this timeframe.

The MIT Sustainable Workplace Certification Program is meant to drive a sustainable transformation across the campus workplace culture at MIT. The program is designed to empower staff, faculty, and student workers to take a leadership role in implementing strategies and practices that will make their workplace a healthy, resource-efficient, proactive steward of the Institute and our planet. Workplaces can achieve certification based on the score they receive on a checklist of sustainability criteria.

At MIT, we host over 10,000 events per year. The many choices we make across campus as we plan each one of these events add up to our campus’ event footprint. Our events have a cumulative impact on the health of the community, the local economy, and the natural environment. This Certification will help guide planners toward making smart choices about food, energy, transportation, and materials when planning an event. Help the Office of Sustainability (MITOS) pilot the first version of this tool and take a leadership role in shaping the future of sustainability at MIT.

The aim of the Sustainable Events Certification is to:

Empower staff, faculty, and student event planners to take a leadership role in catalyzing a sustainable transformation across the event culture at MIT.
Reduce the environmental impact of event planning choices and boost the health and enjoyment of event attendees.
Gain recognition for commitment and become a model for the Institute.

Green Labs Certification
The goal of the Green Labs initiative is to reduce wastefulness of energy and resources in MIT labs and to promote innovative ways to manage resources in the most efficient way.

The MIT Sustainable Design Standards are based on LEED v.4 and require a minimum of Gold Certification for all new construction and major renovation projects. The MIT Design Standards include strategies for controls to optimize energy efficiency, including temperature set points for each space type and specifications for occupancy and vacancy sensors.

MIT and Eversource Energy have an ongoing and long standing relationship to endeavor toward energy savings through a program called Efficiency Forward. Eversource provides incentives to enable MIT to make large purchases for energy efficient equipment, including efficient lighting fixtures and controls. To date, MIT has completed over 130 lighting upgrade projects covering approximately 4 million square feet of the campus, and has saved over 21,500,000 kWh/year from lighting projects alone.

MIT has produced its own power through cogeneration since 1995, using a 21-megawatt natural gas turbine. Compared with the option of purchasing all of its electricity from the grid and generating steam using natural gas boilers, cogeneration enables MIT to reduce emissions, conserve energy, and operate more efficiently at a reduced cost. Cogeneration is a key component of MIT’s Plan for Action on Climate Change, which outlines the commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 32% by 2030. MIT is currently updating its cogeneration system to increase efficiency and enhance campus resiliency. The new turbines are projected to be in service by 2020.

The MIT Sustainable Design Standards are based on LEED v.4 and require a minimum of Gold Certification for all new construction and major renovation projects. The MIT Design Standards encourage selection of energy-efficient equipment, systems and appliances in support of energy use reduction strategies for all projects. In addition, MIT and Eversource Energy have an ongoing and long standing relationship to endeavor toward energy savings through a program called Efficiency Forward. The next agreement period covers FY18-FY20 with reduction goals of 13.5 million kWh and 1.05 million Therms. Through the Efficiency Forward program, Eversource provides incentives to enable MIT to make large purchases for energy efficient equipment such as domestic water booster pump skids, variable frequency drives (VFDs), and efficient lighting fixtures and controls. Also through Efficiency Forward, MIT is incentivized to upgrade and improve other operational efficiencies.