| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.51 |
| Liaison | Aurora Sharrard |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2021 |
University of Pittsburgh
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.33 / 8.00 |
Jessica
Vaden Doctoral Student Civil and Environmental Engineering |
Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion | 32,448 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 9,200 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources | 4,233 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 1,300 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity | 73,802 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 138,700 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy | 16,892 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 55,100 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent |
| Total | 127,375 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 204,300 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):
N/A
Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Adjusted net GHG emissions | 127,375 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 204,300 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 | July 1, 2018 | July 1, 2007 |
| End date | June 30, 2019 | June 30, 2008 |
A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The University's first comprehensive GHG inventory was completed for fiscal year (FY) 2008, which was selected to capture baseline data prior to operation of Pitt's new state-of-the-art natural gas-fired Carillo Steam Plant. Prior to Carillo's construction, all of Pitt's steam supply was generated by Bellefield Boiler Plant (a much older plant that primarily burned coal at the time). Carillo Steam Plant came online in 2009 and Bellefield Boiler Plant switched all operations to natural gas starting July 1, 2009.
Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
| Performance year | Baseline year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 7,891 | 7,000 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 0 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 28,673 | 24,755 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 8,473 | 7,683 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted Campus Users | 29,832.25 | 26,078.50 |
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 | 4.27 Metric Tons of CO2 Equivalent | 7.83 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 | 2,414,722 Square Feet |
| Healthcare space | 0 Square Feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 648,676 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:
Since FY2017, the University of Pittsburgh has continued to implement a number of energy and water saving initiatives in campus buildings, including LED lighting retrofits, chilled water plant upgrades, more efficient HVAC equipment, installation of water-saving devices, retro-commissioning, etc. These efforts primarily affect electricity, steam, and natural gas consumption.
In terms of renewables (Scope 2 electirity), for FY19, Pitt had a total of 41,736 unbundled Green-e certified renewable energy credits (RECs equivalent to 41,736 MWh), equating to 19.4% of Pitt’s annual electricity consumption being attributed to renewables via RECs.
Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Pitt reports "Yes" for purchased goods and services because our GHG inventory includes purchased paper; however, no other purchased goods or services are included in our GHG inventory.
For our FY19 information provided above, we have included the following buildings in the energy intensive space calculation:
Energy Intensive Space = 648,676 ft^2
1)RIDC Computer Center
2)Benedum Hall
3)Engineering Hall
4) Thaw Hall
5) Van de Graaff Building
Laboratory Space (Officially) = 2,414,722 ft2
1) 3343 Forbes Avenue
2) Allegheny Observatory
3) Biomedical Science Tower 3
4) Center for Bioengineering
5) Chevron Science Center & Annex
7) Clapp Hall
8) Crawford Hall
10)Eberly Hall & Solvent Storage
11)GSPH ComplEx (including GSPH, Crabtree, & Annex)
12)Langley Hall
13)Life Sciences Annex
14)McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
15)Plum Research Facility
16)Salk Hall & Pavilion
17)Scaife Hall
18)Space Research Coordination Center
The weighted campus users referenced in this credit are from the most recent GHG inventory for fiscal year 2019 and differs from the weighted campus users listed in PRE-5 which represents fiscal year 2020.
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.