Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.47
Liaison Daryl Pierson
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Portland State University
OP-3: Building Operations and Maintenance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.60 / 5.00 Amanda Wolf
Program + Assessment Coordinator
Campus Sustainability Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total floor area of building space:
5,161,397 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a green building rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings used by an Established Green Building Council:
Certified Floor Area
LEED O+M Platinum or the highest achievable level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Gold or the 2nd highest level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier GBC rating system (e.g. BREEAM-In Use, CASBEE for Existing Buildings, DGNB, Green Star Performance) 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Silver or at a step above minimum level under another 4 -or 5–tier GBC rating system 138,124 Square feet
LEED O+M Certified or certified at minimum level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified under a non-GBC rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings, e.g. BOMA BESt, Green Globes CIEB:
0 Square feet

Percentage of building space certified under a green building rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings:
2.68

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list or sample of certified buildings and ratings:

In February 2018 PSU's Urban Center Building received LEED O+M Silver certification. PSU is also working on LEED O+M certification in three additional buildings (Joseph C. Blumel Residence Hall, Market Center Building, and University Services Building) and anticipates having these buildings certified next year.

News story: https://www.pdx.edu/cupa/news/urban-center-certified-under-leed-operations-maintenance-program


Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a published indoor air quality (IAQ) management policy or protocol? (0-100):
12

A copy of the IAQ management policy or protocol:
The website URL where the IAQ policy/protocol may be found:
---

Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a published green cleaning policy, program or contract ? (0-100):
100

A copy or the green cleaning policy:
---

A brief description of how green cleaning is incorporated into cleaning contracts:

PSU's custodial contract mandates purchased cleaning products be in accordance with LEED for Existing buildings operations & maintenance standards. Also the custodial contractor must provide quarterly reports to PSU documenting the types and cost of chemicals purchased to demonstrate compliance with the 30% by cost requirement. Reports shall be delivered to PSU's Custodial Coordinator with a copy to PSU's Sustainability Coordinator.


Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with an energy management or benchmarking program? (0-100):
100

A brief description of the energy management or benchmarking program:

In 2012, PSU hired a Utilities and Energy Manager. Part of this position was to develop a benchmarking system to measure energy performances of our buildings and to motivate performance improvements. As part of the Energy management strategy, the Utilities and Energy Manger created a spreadsheet to track and report monthly energy use for each of our buildings to compare energy use overtime to effectively manage and continuously improve PSU's efforts to reduce energy consumption. This information is also used for our Green Revolving Fund, identifying buildings that could benefit from energy saving upgrades.

PSU also uses Energy Star Portfolio Manager for all of our buildings over 20,000sf (69% of our buildings), as part of a city of Portland benchmarking requirement. This online tool measures and tracks energy use intensity (EUI) and carbon emissions and is also used to motivate performance improvements.

PSU also partnered with Siemens to create an energy and water use dashboard for our Smith Memorial Student Union. This "green screen" is located in the lobby our student union and is interactive, allowing visitors to see real-time water and energy use for the building, as well as seeing use over time.

Energy Management Plan:
The purpose of Portland State University’s Energy Management Plan is to provide a framework for reducing energy consumption on campus through a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach involving numerous administrative departments. The plan will aid in the implementation of best practices, thoughtful design of new construction and renovations, verification and tracking of energy consumption against historical usage and established goals, and engagement of all categories of building occupants.
These strategies will provide the framework for PSU to not only reduce operational costs, but be good stewards of natural resources and minimize the impact of providing a well-rounded educational experience.

PSU Energy Management Plan Objectives
Objective #1: Gain and maintain the organizational commitment needed to successfully apply best practices in managing our energy consumption to reach our energy reduction goal(s).

Objective #2: Identify and apply best practices in facility operations to minimize energy related operating costs and enhance the reliability and longevity of building systems, equipment and infrastructure.
Objective #3: Identify and invest in financially attractive facility upgrades that reduce the PSU’s costs of asset ownership and contribute to reaching its energy reduction goal(s).
Objective #4: Establish and use purchasing and procurement standards that minimize PSU life cycle costs and total cost of ownership.
Objective #5: Adopt and apply new construction practices using integrated design principles to reduce the PSU’s costs of asset ownership and contribute to reaching its energy reduction goal(s).
Objective #6: Engage and empower company employees and building occupants as partners in organizational efforts to effectively manage energy use and reduce consumption.
Objective #7: Track & report on PSU performance to assure organizational accountability and continuous improvement in company efforts to effectively manage energy use and reduce consumption.

Finally, our Energy Conservation Guidelines apply to all of campus:

Energy Saving Guidelines for Portland State University:

Heating and Ventilation
- Conditioned spaces will be heated to a temperature range of 67-70 in the winter
and cooled, where applicable, to a temperature range of 72-76. Plan for the
season and dress appropriately.
- Personal or University owned space heaters will not be allowed, unless approval
from FPM has been granted for cases where spaces cannot otherwise be heated
to the appropriate range. Once approval has been granted, space heaters must
comply with fire code, be turned off when a space is not being occupied and be
selected with energy efficiency and safety as top priorities. FPM will then work to
identify a long range solution to heating the space to an appropriate level.
- Building ventilation will be based on actual use of the space, as determined by
Academic Schedules, Posted Building Occupancy, and Special Events.
- Windows in conditioned spaces are to remain closed when building conditioning
systems are operating.
- All supply and return air vents in offices, classrooms, and laboratories must be
unobstructed at all times.
- Utility Manager and Facilities staff will work with events scheduling team to
consolidate activities into energy efficient buildings on campus.
Purchasing
- When available, all electronic purchases must be Energy Star certified including
laboratory, clinical, research, or other educational equipment.
- Computer purchases, per OIT recommended configurations, should meet Energy
Star and EPEAT GOLD certification.
Technology & Other Electronics:
- All computers must comply with University Power Management Settings that
reduce electrical consumption of monitors and CPU’s unless a valid reason
exists for the CPU to always be on.
- Whenever possible, users should utilize networked printers and scanners.
Exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances, including, but not
limited to, high volume of confidential documents, lack of accessibility to
appropriate networked equipment.
- Refrigerators, microwaves and coffee makers are not authorized for use in
individual spaces on campus
Lighting:
- All spaces will be lit to an appropriate lighting level for the tasks being performed.
Unless exceptional circumstances exist, including but not limited to safety or
security concerns, lighting in unoccupied spaces will remain off.
- Building occupants are encouraged to take advantage of natural light, whenever
possible.
- New construction and renovation will incorporate daylight sensing technology,
allowing overhead fixtures to dim when outside lighting is sufficient.
- Instead of lighting an entire room, focus light where you need it with task lighting.
- Utilize energy efficient bulbs in task lighting (like compact fluorescent or LED).
Unoccupied Spaces:
- Through a combination of campus awareness and automated systems, campus
facilities should be set to minimum energy consumption standards when
unoccupied both during the day and after hours.
- Where possible, students, faculty, and staff, including custodial contractors,
should turn lights off when vacating a space.
- When leaving at the end of the day, operable window covering should be lowered
to prevent thermal losses during heating season and gains during cooling
season.
- When leaving a lab, close fume hood sashes when not in use.
- Turn off computers, monitors, printers and all other equipment at the end of each
day


Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a water management or benchmarking program? (0-100):
100

A brief description of the water management or benchmarking program:

Similar to PSU's efforts to benchmark energy use, the Utilities and Energy Manager measures water performance for all of PSU's buildings as well as our irrigation system. Tracking and reporting monthly on water use, water use is tracked overtime to effectively manage and continuously improve PSU's efforts to reduce water use. This information has been used to identify issues with irrigation systems and is also used for our Green Revolving Fund, identifying buildings that could benefit from water saving upgrades.

PSU also partnered with Siemens to create an energy and water use dashboard for our Smith Memorial Student Union. This ""green screen"" is located in the lobby our student union and is interactive, allowing visitors to see real-time water and energy use for the building, as well as seeing use over time.PSU has a water management plan:

Indoor Water Use:
● Continue to implement water conserving fixtures and appliances as noted
in the Technical Design Standards and update standards at least annually
to reflect evolving water efficient technologies.
● PSU will pursue LEED for Existing Buildings, Operations & Maintenance in
four campus buildings. Certification of first two buildings to be completed in 2017.
● The Campus Sustainability Office will work with the Utility Manager to
identify incentive opportunities to fund increased water conservation
measures (e.g. through City of Portland Water Bureau).
● Ensure that each annual round of Green Revolving Fund project selection
considers at least one water conservation project.
● Prioritize WE credits on all new LEED projects.

Outdoor Water Use:
● Enable water use reduction through improved data: PSU is entering a third
party bill pay partnership with ECOVA which will provide meter-level
detail for all water and irrigation consumption, and thus more accurate
consumption data to assist in meeting quantitative reduction goals.
● Establish a quantitative irrigation reduction goal: To be established fall
2018, after modernization of central irrigation system is complete and all
controllers are installed, ECOVA partnership is established, and accurate
baseline is determined.
● No net increase in irrigated acreage.
● Priority zoning of irrigation in drought conditions, see drought contingency
plan below.
● Increase use of native plants with low water requirements.
● Continued modernization of central irrigation system to cover over 50% of
PSU’s irrigation needs: three additional irrigation controllers and several
flow sensors will be installed.
● Pursue LEED for Existing Buildings, Operations & Maintenance in at least
two campus buildings.
● Improve soil quality as needed in irrigated areas to improve water
absorption and reduce reliance on irrigation through:
● Planning for water efficiency in new landscaped spaces: carefully consider
characteristics like sun exposure, shade, slopes, and soil types when
choosing plants for new spaces.
● Mulch landscaped areas to retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, slow
evaporation, and protect roots.
● Update the drought contingency plan to include a decorative fountain
(SHAC, Walk of Heroines, Urban Plaza) shut off schedule.
● Turf

Drought Contingency Plan:
1. Low Priority Shut-off:​ annual color beds and planters and / or
drought resistant areas coded on map as pink. These areas will not
be watered.
2. Moderate / Perceived High Priority Shut-off​: groundcover and
some plants, areas coded on map as orange. Irrigation to be
determined by Facilities Director and Landscape Supervisor on a
case by case basis according to severity of drought
3. High Priority Shut-off:​ new plantings and highly visible locations,
areas coded on map as green, including the Park Blocks which
require the largest amount of irrigation at PSU. Shut-off in Park
Blocks requires permission from the City.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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