| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.89 |
| Liaison | Christa Rieck |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
University of Houston
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.89 / 8.00 |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 80.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 20,138.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 521.12 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 3,438.70 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 109,564.52 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 108,540.30 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 192.29 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Total | 110,358.44 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 132,117.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from on-site composting | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | --- |
| Carbon sold or transferred | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
| Net carbon sinks | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 110,358.44 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 132,117.40 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Start date | Sept. 1, 2020 | Sept. 1, 2008 |
| End date | Aug. 31, 2021 | Aug. 31, 2009 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
We chose fiscal year 2009 as our baseline year as this was our most accurately assessed analysis of the university's greenhouse gas emissions prior to the performance year.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 3,137 | 4,950 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 39,021 | 29,630 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 3,558 | 4,623 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 27,153 | 893 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 12,353.75 | 26,257.50 |
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user | 8.93 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent | 5.03 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent |
Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 1,714,964 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 64,972 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 391.64 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
UH has various initiatives that impact the reduction of Green House Gasses. At the top level, all buildings are required to be LEED silver certified or above. Facilities Planning is also rolling our an Energy Master Plan in addition to maintaining a campus tree inventory to ensure proper mitigation of any canopy loss.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The data in this section are from a COVID year so they do not represent normal emission levels.
Tree survey results: http://www.uh.edu/af-university-services/sustainability/campus-initiatives/path-to-platinum/university-of-houston-tree-report_final
The significant difference in "Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water" reported between Baseline Year and Performance Year is due to the deactivation of the University of Houston Medical Center building. This building, being separate from UH's Central Plant, required the importing of steam, hot water, and chilled water while it was operational. Since Hurricane Harvey in 2019 the building sustained significant flood damage necessitating its closure and drop in needed steam, etc. The remaining reported MMBtu are still for this building but in a deactivated capacity.
Additionally, Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy is drastically lowered from previous years due to these coming from generators that are used as part of a peak demand response program (I.E. the generators are turned on to reduce grid strain.). The mmbtu here are results from the generators being run monthly for maintenance and upkeep as opposed to full service.
The data in this section are from a COVID year so they do not represent normal emission levels.
Tree survey results: http://www.uh.edu/af-university-services/sustainability/campus-initiatives/path-to-platinum/university-of-houston-tree-report_final
The significant difference in "Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water" reported between Baseline Year and Performance Year is due to the deactivation of the University of Houston Medical Center building. This building, being separate from UH's Central Plant, required the importing of steam, hot water, and chilled water while it was operational. Since Hurricane Harvey in 2019 the building sustained significant flood damage necessitating its closure and drop in needed steam, etc. The remaining reported MMBtu are still for this building but in a deactivated capacity.
Additionally, Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy is drastically lowered from previous years due to these coming from generators that are used as part of a peak demand response program (I.E. the generators are turned on to reduce grid strain.). The mmbtu here are results from the generators being run monthly for maintenance and upkeep as opposed to full service.
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.