| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 63.89 |
| Liaison | Christa Rieck |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
University of Houston
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
5.81 / 6.00 |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 258,090,954 Kilowatt-hours | 880,606.34 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 26,800 Kilowatt-hours | 91.44 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 1,100.30 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 2,636 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 | 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:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 1,308 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 3,076 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 | Sept. 1, 2020 | Aug. 31, 2021 |
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 | 219,510,524.63 Kilowatt-hours | 748,969.91 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 | 443,584.81 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 375,935 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, 2011 | Dec. 31, 2011 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
2011 is when the Energy manager for the university was hired and began capturing accurate energy information for the campus.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.05 MMBtu per square foot | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.23 MMBtu per square foot | 0.46 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:
UH is presently drafting an Energy Master Plan to determine these practices for coming years.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
As of 2016 all new buildings will be LEED certified Silver as a matter of design standards.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
The University of Houston has an active LED transition program. Projects are evaluated on their potential for savings within two years of installing new LEDs. All outdoor lighting has transitioned to LED, the underground tunnel system, and major lecture halls. Further more all new buildings will be LEED certified silver and must comply with related mercury lamp reduction credits.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
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:
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 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.