| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.26 |
| Liaison | Karen Oberer |
| Submission Date | Jan. 17, 2024 |
McGill University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.47 / 8.00 |
Josh
Huizinga Energy Manager Facilities Management and Ancillary Services |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 31,500 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 52,915 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 2,864 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,492 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 3,630 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 271 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 912 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 37,994 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 57,590 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 | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | --- |
| 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):
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 37,994 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 57,590 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 | Jan. 1, 2022 | June 1, 2002 |
| End date | Dec. 31, 2022 | May 31, 2003 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The baseline was defined by Québec's Ministry of Higher Education (MESRS) for all universities in the Province.
Note: gross floor area for baseline year was 653,809.97 sq. metres. (+49% campus growth since 2002).
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,981 | 3,034 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 32 | 14 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 22 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 31,511.40 | 24,007 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 7,779 | 4,497 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 447.60 | 20 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 29,907.35 | 22,125 |
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 | 1.27 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 2.60 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 | 83,105 Square meters |
| Healthcare space | 10,387 Square meters |
| Other energy intensive space | 59,144 Square meters |
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:
To achieve carbon neutrality, a transition in McGill’s energy systems is of critical importance. FMAS, together with the Office of Sustainability, developed a Roadmap for McGill's Energy Transition. (See https://www.mcgill.ca/facilities/files/facilities/roadmap_for_mcgills_energy_transition_eng_2.pdf)
There are several steps in our energy management approach:
- Reduce energy use
- Reuse waste energy
- Transition energy systems
- Procure renewable energy
Reduce energy use
In recent years, McGill has replaced outdated heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in many of its buildings. The new systems are more efficient and help reduce our GHG emissions. Online monitoring of the energy consumed in 70 buildings across the University and the installation of motion-activated lighting in all major buildings helped further reduce energy use. We continue to explore further potential energy reduction options.
Reuse waste energy
More recently, efforts have been made to minimize our energy requirements. Several smart energy grids, also called heat recovery loops, have been deployed across the downtown campus to optimize energy efficiency by recovering and exchanging heat between buildings.
Downtown campus map indicating the different sectors in which smart energy grids have been and will be deployed.Downtown campus map indicating the different sectors in which smart energy grids have been and will be deployed.
These loops consist of using the excess heat normally lost through air exhausts or generated by electrical or mechanical equipment to heat or cool other rooms or other buildings.
An example: the heat generated by the data centre in Burnside Hall now meets 20 to 25 percent of the heating needs of the Otto Maas building.
Over the past few years, smart energy grids have been deployed in the northeast, southwest and southeast sectors of the downtown campus. The coming years will see the deployment of smart energy grids in the north and northwest sectors and at the New Vic.
At the Macdonald campus, energy recovery loops will be implemented in the coming years as HVAC equipment is upgraded in many buildings.
Energy conversion
Converting some heat production systems to electricity is at the heart of McGill’s strategy to reduce emissions.
We are currently replacing one of our natural gas boilers at the downtown campus powerhouse with two off-peak electric boilers and installing a heat recovery unit over the remaining natural gas boilers. This will reduce natural gas consumption on the downtown campus by around 30% and result in a decrease of 25% in the campus’s energy-related emissions and 13% in McGill’s total emissions compared to 2019. The project is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2023.
Future steps
FMAS aspires to deploy geo-exchange energy systems, also called ground-source energy. This technique uses the ground to store energy that can then be used to heat or cool buildings. Heat pumps extract from or insert heat into the ground, a method that is three to four times more efficient than an electric boiler/heater.
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:
Note regarding baseline data:
Scope 1 emissions from other sources were not computed back in 2002-2003. We have estimated them based on the following assumptions:
- same livestock head count except for cows (half as many as reporting year) and same manure management;
- same fertilizer usage (agricultural fields);
- same refrigerant usage (HVAC systems);
- same fuel consumption level from fleet of vehicles.
Scope 2 emissions from other sources were not computed back in 2002-2003. We have estimated them based on the following assumptions:
- same steam usage. If anything, steam consumption has decreased since 2002-2003 due to an upgrade of the HVAC systems of the only building on campus using steam supplied by a third-party supplier. This also assumes the said supplier also had the same steam production and distribution efficiency as today, which, again, is a very conservative estimate due to the many energy conservation measures implemented by the supplier.
Note regarding baseline data:
Scope 1 emissions from other sources were not computed back in 2002-2003. We have estimated them based on the following assumptions:
- same livestock head count except for cows (half as many as reporting year) and same manure management;
- same fertilizer usage (agricultural fields);
- same refrigerant usage (HVAC systems);
- same fuel consumption level from fleet of vehicles.
Scope 2 emissions from other sources were not computed back in 2002-2003. We have estimated them based on the following assumptions:
- same steam usage. If anything, steam consumption has decreased since 2002-2003 due to an upgrade of the HVAC systems of the only building on campus using steam supplied by a third-party supplier. This also assumes the said supplier also had the same steam production and distribution efficiency as today, which, again, is a very conservative estimate due to the many energy conservation measures implemented by the supplier.
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.