| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.91 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth MacKenzie |
| Submission Date | June 25, 2024 |
University of Iowa
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.07 / 6.00 |
Brinda
Shetty Program Manager Office of Sustainability and the Environment |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 199,261,032 Kilowatt-hours | 679,878.64 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 110,482 Kilowatt-hours | 376.96 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 1,778,657 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 | 1,539,932 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 97,309 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 327,116 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 6,125 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 1,326 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 | June 1, 2022 | May 31, 2023 |
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 | 169,638,104.81 Kilowatt-hours | 578,805.21 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 | 1,479,586.05 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 | June 1, 2004 | May 31, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The University of Iowa joined the Chicago Climate Exchange (since disbanded) in the early 2000's and has adopted the year 2005 as a baseline year for a number of measures of sustainability.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot | 0.26 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.18 MMBtu per square foot | 0.29 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:
The University of Iowa provides students, faculty, and staff with practical knowledge and skills to reduce energy consumption in their daily activities on campus, such as regular reminders to Building Coordinators prior to breaks that encourage actions like closing doors and windows, reporting inefficiencies, and unplugging unnecessary electronics. Through these tangible initiatives and proactive communication strategies, the University of Iowa is actively fostering a culture of energy consciousness and environmental responsibility within its community.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Section 1.12 of the University Design Standards states Design Professionals shall consider energy effciency in all designs, that Energy Star rated quipement shall be utilized where available, and that climatic conditions, site configuration, building orientation, building functional arrangement, building envelope, and mecanical and lighting systems be designed to minimize the use of energy. In addition to installing energy-efficient lighting, the University has implemented HVAC scheduling across campus facilities, deployed a comprehensive energy management system, and Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) for real-time monitoring and optimization of energy usage in buildings. The Asset Optimization Services group has full time staff dedicated to reducing total cost of ownership for buildings on campus. The majority of the heating and cooling systems on campus buildings are monitored and controlled by Direct Digital Control “Building Automation Systems” (BAS). The various departments have been polled to determine when the buildings are typically considered to be “unoccupied.” The BAS is then programmed to shut key air handling systems down during the unoccupied periods. The control systems in some of the buildings have been configured to allow occupants that may choose to be in the building during unoccupied periods to turn on the air handling system that serves their particular work zone for a pre-determined period of time. Many campus buildings have been retrofitted with electronic occupancy sensors to not only shut lights off automatically but also automatically “reset” the temperature control setpoints in the unoccupied periods. When the BAS detects that the area is unoccupied, the air flow into the space is automatically reduced and the temperature setpoints are also reset (increased during the cooling season and decreased during the heating season) to reduce energy consumption during the times the spaces are unoccupied. The BAS has been programmed to make sure the spaces do not get too cool during the heating season or get too warm during the cooling season.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Section 9.1.5 of the University of Iowa Design Standards states energy effciency and lighting quality shall be equal and balanced consderations when designing lighting, and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics section 9.1.8.1 states Lamp types shall be LED. The LED lighting systems included using “screw-in” LED light bulbs that are used to replace incandescent bulbs or compact fluorescent bulbs. In other areas, linear fluorescent lighting tubes have been replaced with linear LED lighting tubes. In one particular auditorium lighting retrofit application, fifty-two (52) 250-Watt light fixtures were replaced, one for one, with 42-Watt fixtures – a power savings of 208 watts per fixture.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Geothermal systems are used on five University Buildings (Beckwith Boathouse 22,506 gross sq ft, Kirkwood Regional Center at Oakdale Campus 5,621 gross sq ft, The UI AirCare Maintenance Facility at the Iowa City Airport 6,927 gross sq ft, Gymnastics Training Center 32,600 gross sq ft, and the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center 196,767 sq ft) and a sixth is being designed (Field Hockey Building, 8,500 gross sq ft planned).
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
The University of Iowa combined Heat and Power Plant has operated since 1926, now with 755,000 lb/hour (1500 gpm) steam capacity at 500 PSI. Three turbine steam generators reduce 500 psi inlet steam to campus distribution pressures of 150 and 20 psi. The electric generation capacity from steam is 29 MW, typically the cogeneration is 1/3 total campus electrical demand, with the ability to generate more if economical. An additional 8MW is available from natural gas generators. The plant includes three Natural Gas boilers, two Solid Fuel boilers, two remote auxiliary/emergency gas boilers. The plant co-generates about 30 percent of the total electric power needs and produces all the steam energy used throughout the campus and hospital facilities. Steam produced by the plant is used for heating, production of chilled water for air conditioning, cooking, sterilizing, humidifying, and energizing other research and process equipment.Fuels burned at the Power Plant include fuel pellets, coal, natural gas, and oat hulls.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
The University uses 3 primary systems to identify and prioritize energy efficiency opportunities.FDD- Fault Detection and Diagnostics is a system that interfaces with our building automation systems (BAS). FDD monitors thousands of components and systems many times a day looking for abnormalities. Oftentimes these abnormalities are balanced or replaced with efficiency, more reliable alternatives. Energy Related Matrix- The Energy related matrix is a prioritization tool at allows all utility rate paying customers to submit energy related project ideas to be scored and prioritized. EnergyCAP – EnergyCAP is a billing software system that we use to invoice customers for utility and some maintenance services. EnergyCAP can create energy intensity reports and identifying trends we use to identify and prioritize opportunities.
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 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.