Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.40
Liaison Austin Sutherland
Submission Date Feb. 21, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Pennsylvania
OP-3: Building Operations and Maintenance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 5.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total floor area of building space:
15,864,661 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified at each level under a green building rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings used by an Established Green Building Council:
Certified Floor Area
LEED O+M Platinum or the highest achievable level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Gold or the 2nd highest level under another 4- or 5-tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
Certified at mid-level under a 3- or 5-tier GBC rating system (e.g. BREEAM-In Use, CASBEE for Existing Buildings, DGNB, Green Star Performance) 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Silver or at a step above minimum level under another 4 -or 5–tier GBC rating system 0 Square feet
LEED O+M Certified or certified at minimum level under another GBC rating system 0 Square feet

Floor area of building space that is certified under a non-GBC rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings, e.g. BOMA BESt, Green Globes CIEB:
0 Square feet

Percentage of building space certified under a green building rating system for the operations and maintenance of existing buildings:
0

A brief description of the green building rating system(s) used and/or a list or sample of certified buildings and ratings:
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Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a published indoor air quality (IAQ) management policy or protocol? (0-100):
100

A copy of the IAQ management policy or protocol:
---

The website URL where the IAQ policy/protocol may be found:
Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a published green cleaning policy, program or contract ? (0-100):
100

A copy or the green cleaning policy:
A brief description of how green cleaning is incorporated into cleaning contracts:

Housekeeping staff are trained in sustainable and green cleaning yearly by both Penn Housekeeping management staff and Penn's cleaning contractor, Aramark.


Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with an energy management or benchmarking program? (0-100):
100

A brief description of the energy management or benchmarking program:

The Operations Control Center in Penn's Facilities and Real Estate Services controls and monitors utilities for the entire campus, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. From this centralized location, staff regulate utility distribution and monitor environmental conditions, temperature, and energy use across campus.

Penn's SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system monitors and controls critical equipment such as HVAC systems, chiller plants, electrical substations, lighting, and space conditions throughout the campus. The system uses an alarm system that displays a text message when conditions are not within their operating conditions. The Operations Control Center can then adjust the systems accordingly.

The three main utilities for the campus are steam, chilled water, and electric power. Historical energy consumption by building is tracked and recorded monthly by Penn's Energy Management Team to identify trends and opportunities for energy reduction. Between 2012 and 2017, Penn installed steam and electricity sub-meters on buildings. Meters allow for measurement and management of energy use by building which in turn will encourage conservation measures on a building by building basis.


Of the institution's uncertified building space, what percentage of floor area is maintained in accordance with a water management or benchmarking program? (0-100):
100

A brief description of the water management or benchmarking program:

As part of City required benchmarking, Penn records total potable water usage across the university each year; using Energy Star Portfolio Manager for both tracking and reporting. In addition, water used for irrigation is monitored through sensors in selected green spaces across the campus.


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 University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to reducing emissions and energy use, as stated in the 2014 "Climate Action Plan 2.0". This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been referenced and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.


The University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to reducing emissions and energy use, as stated in the 2014 "Climate Action Plan 2.0". This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been referenced and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.

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.