Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 34.87
Liaison Courtney Gallaher
Submission Date June 4, 2024

STARS v2.2

Northern Illinois University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.00 / 6.00 Alyssa Edwards
Graduate Assitant
Earth, Atmosphere and Environment
"---" 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 85,638,772 Kilowatt-hours 292,199.49 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 6,237,906 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
6,530,105.49 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
7,481,965 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 191,335 Square feet
Healthcare space 10,854 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 255,997 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
8,142,340 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 6,115 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 947 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
7,062 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. 1, 2021

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
113.56 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 93,035,841 Kilowatt-hours 317,438.29 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 6,182,955 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
6,500,393.29 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
7,758,602 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, 2017 Dec. 31, 2017

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
Cannot find this information

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.87 MMBtu per square foot 0.95 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.84 MMBtu per square foot 0.92 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:
0

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:
Energy Assessments

Nicor (natural gas provider) and ComEd (electricity provider) have performed energy assessments (as they relate to their specific commodity) on a number of university buildings. These energy assessments identify, evaluate, and prioritize potential energy-saving projects.

An outside contractor performed a facility conditions and assessment needs assessment on a subset of the campus buildings. The assessment identified various projects intended to bring the building back to peak performance based on its usage type. The assessment also included an ASHRAE Level I Audit.

The identified energy conservation measures from the various assessment have not yet been implemented; however, the intention is to compile all the opportunities and prepare an implementation schedule for the realistic projects based on available funds.



Submetering

A pilot project is underway to implement an energy management system and install utility submeters on a small subset of buildings. The meters will allow us to understand the building performance on a more granular level. The goal is to eventually install submeters on all buildings to gain a better understanding of overall campus performance.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
None

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
The university replaces existing lighting systems with LEDs and/or other energy-efficient lighting strategies when both labor and budgets are available.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
None

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
None

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
The university replaces energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high-efficiency alternatives when both labor and budgets are available.

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:
---

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.