Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.81
Liaison Christa Rieck
Submission Date Jan. 4, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Houston
OP-22: Water Use

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.67 / 5.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Level of ”Physical Risk QUANTITY” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Medium to High

Total water use (potable and non-potable combined):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use 435,833,016 Gallons 402,194,400 Gallons

Potable water use:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use 428,655,346 Gallons 391,384,400 Gallons

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Sept. 1, 2015 Aug. 31, 2017
Baseline Year Jan. 1, 2011 Dec. 31, 2011

A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:

That's when the data was first accurately captured.


Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
Performance Year Baseline Year
Number of students resident on-site 8,007 5,178
Number of employees resident on-site 15 0
Number of other individuals resident on-site and/or staffed hospital beds 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 43,774 39,554
Full-time equivalent of employees (staff + faculty) 5,239 4,845
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 2,626 1,047
Weighted campus users 36,795.75 33,808.50

Potable water use per weighted campus user:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per weighted campus user 11,649.59 Gallons 11,576.51 Gallons

Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
0

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 14,407,080 Gross square feet 6,701,000 Gross square feet

Potable water use per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Potable water use per unit of floor area 29.75 Gallons per square foot 58.41 Gallons per square foot

Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
49.06

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 3 of this credit? (reductions in total water use per acre/hectare of vegetated grounds):
Yes

Area of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Vegetated grounds 270 Acres 422.10 Acres

Total water use (potable + non-potable) per unit of vegetated grounds:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total water use per unit of vegetated grounds 1,614,196.36 Gallons per acre 952,841.51 Gallons per acre

Percentage reduction in total water use per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
0

A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives, e.g. initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices such as signage and competitions:
---

A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:

Condensate recovery program 1,734,223
Evaporation of water through central plant (goes through several cycles of use before it's evaporated) 137,211,048
These waste water gallons are handled through the university's cooling tower. Cooling towers are used to lower the temperature of the water before it is sent out to the campus. During that process a portion of the water is evaporated and thus never makes it to the back into sewer system. This system is a lot more efficient when compared to individual chillers. We have meters that calculate amount of water going in and out of the cooling tower. This allows us to calculate the amount of water that has been evaporated and not deposited back into the sewer system.


A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives (e.g. building retrofits):
---

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:
---

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.