Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.94
Liaison John Alejandro
Submission Date Oct. 13, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of San Diego
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.27 / 6.00 Michael Catanzaro
Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Grid-purchased electricity 85,509 MMBtu 111,164 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site renewables 6,503 MMBtu 0 MMBtu
District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) 0 MMBtu 0 MMBtu
Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) 58,641 MMBtu 110,184 MMBtu
Total 150,653 MMBtu 221,348 MMBtu

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2014 June 30, 2015
Baseline Year July 1, 2009 June 30, 2010

A brief description of when and why the building energy consumption baseline was adopted (e.g. in sustainability plans and policies or in the context of other reporting obligations):
The energy baseline is consistent with USD's Climate Action Plan.

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area of building space 3,226,969 Gross square feet 2,835,336 Gross square feet

Source-site ratio for grid-purchased electricity:
3.14

Total building energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Site energy 0.05 MMBtu per square foot 0.08 MMBtu per square foot
Source energy 0.10 MMBtu per square foot 0.16 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
36.17

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 430 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 1,470 Degree-Days (°F)

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 22,889 Square feet
Healthcare space 4,528 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
3,286,975 Gross square feet

Building energy consumption (site energy) per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
24.12 Btu / GSF / Degree-Day (°F)

Documentation (e.g. spreadsheet or utility records) 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 (e.g. outreach and education efforts):
Since 2010, the University has implemented a number of programs to help educate the community on energy consumption as part of our on-going partnership with our local utility, SDG&E. Intentional outreach activities, including USD's Green Office Certification and campus workshops about reducing energy consumption, contribute to this effort. Intentional training for Resident Assistants and student who lead orientation activities aim to educate students about the impacts of energy consumption. USD also has a small program focused on reporting energy use at a room level to students living in the Alcala Vistas. Efforts in this program have shown to reduce consumption by as much as 33% in the past.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
More than 50% of the buildings on campus have HVAC services controlled by a Siemens building management system. The chillers, and other plant can be controlled with time schedules, enabling AC and cooling/ heating to be turned down/ off outside hours.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lights are used for outdoor lights and landscaping lights. They are also used in several buildings, examples being Mother Roselie Hall (SOLES), and the Facilities Management office.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
N/A

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
N/A

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment and systems with high efficiency alternatives (e.g. building re-commissioning or retrofit programs):
As part of the SDG&E Partnership Program the university prioritizes this work. Since 2009, USD has over 10,000,000 kWh in annual savings from retrocommissioning and efficiency programs.

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:
Note - Case study date is 2013 (the date of the original completion of that document), but the total savings number is accurate through 2015. Degree days calculated from NOAA website information.

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.