University of Montana
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.66 / 6.00 |
Eva
Rocke Sustainability Director Office of Sustainability |
Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area
Performance year energy consumption
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 33,630,735 Kilowatt-hours | 114,748.07 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 1,091,829 Kilowatt-hours | 3,725.32 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 250,629 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Performance year building space
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 109,911 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 21,110 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 80,230 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Performance year heating and cooling degree days
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 7,417 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 886.50 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Performance period
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
Metric used in scoring for Part 1
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.
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 38,675,671 Kilowatt-hours | 131,961.39 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 | 286,906 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
Baseline year building space
Baseline period
| Start date | End date | |
| Baseline period | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
UM has consistently been recording and monitoring its energy consumption since 2011 when we hired an energy manager to work alongside our other facilities engineers and track all of our building performance and utilities. The position has been found to pay for itself beyond what we anticipated and our emissions footprint has been reduced as a bonus. There is no specific document or policy that inspired this tracking and record-keeping, but tracking our natural gas and electricity consumption is standard practice now.
Source energy
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.10 MMBtu per square foot | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.14 MMBtu per square foot | 0.23 MMBtu per square foot |
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
Optional Fields
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency:
The most impactful strategy that has positively impacted our energy use on campus is the State of Montana-wide policy mandating LEED Silver certification for any new construction or major renovation over $3M. This has meant that all of our construction has been designed and built to a higher standard than in prior years. We also have worked hard over the last 7-8 years to invest more funds each year into energy conservation. Rather than being a campus-wide energy and behavior change campaign, this has been the effort of several budget managers and facilities engineers in the facilities services department.
We have also used our employee sustainability ambassadors as energy conservation ambassadors in their areas, though the impacts of their influence are not quantifiable at this time.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Ambient building temperatures are modulated by a programmable computer system which is set to reduce heating temperatures and raise cooling temperatures during unoccupied hours. UM facilities regularly installs occupancy and vacancy sensors around campus as funding permits.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED upgrades have happened piecemeal around campus over the last 7 years. Updating lighting has been at the top of the priority list as rooms, labs, and entire buildings have been renovated. In 2023, 2 additional buildings received lighting upgrades. In 2024, all of our exterior lighting has been upgraded.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Several of our newer buildings utilize ground source heating and cooling systems, including the Davidson Honors College and the Payne Native American Center. More of these geothermal systems continue to be added across campus to save energy and reduce heating and cooling costs to the institution.
UM currently has small-scale rooftop solar on the Todd Building, Fitness & Recreation Center, and Eck Hall. We are working on adding solar to the Mansfield Library roof next year (2025).
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
The co-generation system was implemented in 2005 and is composed of a 440kW steam powered turbine, which runs off waste steam from a natural gas fired boiler system. In fall 2020, UM Facilities Services enlisted the help of McKinstry to design a 2-turbine CHP that will come online in fall 2024.
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 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.