Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.22
Liaison Jay Price
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.63 / 6.00 Daniel Covington
Data Analyst and Office Administrator
Facilities Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area

Performance year energy consumption

Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 234,777,330 Kilowatt-hours 801,060.25 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 58,978 Kilowatt-hours 201.23 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 1,473,643 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 2,271,885 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
4,546,789.48 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
14,526,905.18 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 987,667.93 Square feet
Healthcare space 35,308.04 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 49,004.91 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
16,621,862.03 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 3,388.20 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 1,807.10 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
5,195.30 Degree-Days (°F)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period July 1, 2021 June 30, 2022

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

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

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.

Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 231,045,990 Kilowatt-hours 788,328.92 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 84,215 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 2,061,459 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
2,934,002.92 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
15,150,497 Gross square feet

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period July 1, 2014 June 30, 2015

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
N/A

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.31 MMBtu per square foot 0.42 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.19 MMBtu per square foot 0.30 MMBtu per square foot

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
0

Optional Fields 

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 Power (Programs of Water Energy & Recycling) Challenge is an annual competition between residence halls on the UT campus to see which hall can reduce its energy and water usage and increase recycling the most over the course of a month. This event promotes a conservation ethic in campus residence halls through sustainability-themed programming throughout the month. At the end of the competition, the winning hall is awarded a trophy and a prize related to sustainability, such as a water bottle refill station.

Thousands of “Make Orange Green” switch plates have been distributed on campus to encourage building occupants to conserve energy by switching off overhead lights. Launched the ‘Switch Your Thinking’ campaign to reduce energy use on campus.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
All new buildings have occupancy sensors installed that will only allow lights to turn on while the room is occupied. These sensors or slowly being installed in older buildings.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
---

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

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
UT has four steam boilers. These boilers produce steam, which is primarily used to provide hot water and passive heating in buildings across campus, but it is also used to generate electricity.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
The Green Office Program was developed to help offices personally contribute to the University of Tennessee’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2061. It is a 5-tiered ranking system designed to reward offices' with exemplary sustainable practices and provide support to those at the beginning of their path to sustainability.
Green Office partners receive an initial ranking (PARTICIPANT, BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, PLATINUM) based partially on self-reported information and partially on a brief assessment by the Office of Sustainability. Our office will then work with partners to develop a personalized roadmap for meeting sustainability objectives. The Office of Sustainability will provide both material and advisory support to Green Office partners throughout the year, working closely with an Office Liaison to identify potential avenues for improvement.

UT has undertaken several retrofitting and upgrading projects to increase energy efficiency, including lighting system upgrades, window replacements and replacing building transformers.

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:
https://sustainability.utk.edu/events-and-campaigns/power-challenge/

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.