| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.17 |
| Liaison | James Gordon |
| Submission Date | May 31, 2022 |
Thompson Rivers University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.97 / 6.00 |
James
Gordon Environmental Programs and Research Coordinator TRU Office of Environment and Sustainability |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 11,469,410.61 Kilowatt-hours | 39,133.63 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 11,286.91 Kilowatt-hours | 38.51 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 50,933.76 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 91,912 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 61,850 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 80,640 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 6,572 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 639 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | Jan. 1, 2020 | Dec. 31, 2020 |
Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 16,050,000 Kilowatt-hours | 54,762.60 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 | 63,454.78 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
| Start date | End date | |
| Baseline period | Jan. 1, 2010 | Dec. 31, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The baseline is 2010, which followed substantial energy retro-fits and energy conservation measures at TRU. As well, 2010 was used as the baseline in the TRU 2018 STARS report submission so, in order to be consistent, it should be used for this report.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.07 MMBtu per square foot | 0.09 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.15 MMBtu per square foot | 0.21 MMBtu per square foot |
Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
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:
TRU Staff/Faculty Sustainability Ambassador Program
The Sustainability Office piloted the Sustainability Ambassadors program in the 2015/2016 school year, and then rolled out the actual program the next year. Based on the success of the program, new departments were added. The program had to be paused due to Covid-19, and restarted during the 2021-2022 school year.
The program is focused on increasing participation in, and support for, sustainability practices and behaviours. The program is coordinated through the TRU Sustainability Office, which organizes quarterly meetings and offers training and on-going support. Employees from every department are encouraged to join the program. A delegate from a campus office/department steps forward to be the Sustainability Champion and identifies challenges within their work setting. They then provide solutions for improving the sustainability of their work environment. These ambassadors are integral in changing the way people view everyday situations through a sustainability lens, and help to communicate the initiatives being promoted. Participation is during paid work time and involves 4 hours/month.
As part of the program, the Sustainability Office developed four toolkits to help ambassadors in their sustainability efforts: Energy Conservation, Zero Waste, Sustainable Printing, and Paper Saving/Go Digital. Future toolkits, such as transportation and food/dining, will also be developed. The Energy Conservation toolkit guides users in simple conservation steps such as turning out unused lights, unplugging unused appliances, and installing timers to save on electricity. The Zero Waste toolkit explains how to properly use the roughly 20 waste streams on campus in order to try and keep as much out of the landfill as possible. The last two toolkits (Sustainable Printing and Paper Saving/Go Digital) suggest ways to reduce paper use, printing as efficiently as possible, and using a variety of digital ‘tips and tricks’ to avoid using any paper.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
ANSI/ASHRAE standard 55 Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy and WorksafeBC's Occupational Health and Safety(OHS) regulation are two main standards employed at TRU regarding building temperature. Heating and air conditioning for buildings at TRU are controlled by a Direct Digital Control (DDC) system. All DDC systems are programmed to operate according to these two standards. Control strategies are constantly reviewed and recommissioned to adopt building changes and current control technology regarding energy conservation by using time scheduling, set-points control, outdoor temperature
monitoring, and dual max RCx etc.).
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
All campus areas were retro-fitted to LED lighting technology, which now includes all exterior (high shop bays, sidewalk, parking and street lights)
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
A geothermal heat pump system is used to provide heating/cooling at the House of Learning building. TRU also employed solar thermal systems at three buildings (OM, CAC, CATC) to pre-heat domestic hot water.
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
n/a
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Based on the recommendations from campus wide energy audit and studies via various energy conservation programs provided by local utility providers, BC Hydro and FortisBC. More information at: https://www.bchydro.com/powersmart/business/programs/continuous-optimization.html?WT.mc_id=rd_oldcontinuousopt, https://www.fortisbc.com/rebates-and-energy-savings/rebates-and-offers/rebates-business?l=aeeec46e-9f5c-422d-9276-204f0ac1cbd4&pos=false
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:
TRU has reduced energy consumption by 45% over the past 11 years and on track to achieve carbon natural by 2030.
TRU has reduced energy consumption by 45% over the past 11 years and on track to achieve carbon natural by 2030.
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.