Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.50
Liaison Derek Nichols
Submission Date May 17, 2022

STARS v2.2

University at Buffalo
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.65 / 6.00 Derek Nichols
Sustainability Engagement Coordinator
UB Sustainability
"---" 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 228,909,873 Kilowatt-hours 781,040.49 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 650,527 Kilowatt-hours 2,219.60 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 618,362 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 108,282 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
1,509,904.08 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
11,893,423 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 752,267 Square feet
Healthcare space 89,035 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 0 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
13,576,027 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 6,826 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 802 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
7,628 Degree-Days (°F)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period July 1, 2018 June 30, 2019

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
14.58 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 215,642,325 Kilowatt-hours 735,771.61 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 921,932 Kilowatt-hours 3,145.63 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, baseline year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 639,429 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 71,861 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
1,450,207.24 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
11,186,689 Gross square feet

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
2013-2014 was used as the baseline year because that was the performance year for the last STARS submission.

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.13 MMBtu per square foot 0.26 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.13 MMBtu per square foot 0.26 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:
1.11

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:
One of the 10 strategies of our updated climate action plan is called "flipping the switch" and focuses on creating behavioral changes that our campus community can do to decrease energy consumption.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
UB has substantial control over building occupancy hours and temperature set points throughout all of its buildings on all three campuses.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
UB implemented the use of LED street lights in demonstration applications on campus with plans of a roll out of this technology in walkway lighting. Numerous interior LED lighting applications have been implemented and additional LED utilization will occur as suitable locations are identified. An LED task force continues to move this initiative forward.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
The University does employ passive solar technology when the site and building design allow. Greiner Hall is an excellent example where the building's solar attitude allows winter lighting from the sun to partially heat the building at the south side of wing c and b.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s energy conservation and efficiency program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.