Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.23
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date June 14, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Texas at Austin
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.96 / 6.00 Tejas Pevakar
Associate Director of Support Services
Utilities and Energy Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

This credit is based on energy inputs from offsite sources and electricity produced by onsite renewables. When the institution purchases one fuel and uses it to produce heat and/or power, you should enter only what is purchased. For example, if the institution purchases natural gas to fuel a CHP system and produce steam and electricity, only the purchased natural gas should be reported.

Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Grid-purchased electricity 975,139 MMBtu 794,689 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site renewables 0 MMBtu 0 MMBtu
District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) 762,318 MMBtu 905,767 MMBtu
Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) 3,332,131 MMBtu 3,286,482 MMBtu
Total 5,069,588 MMBtu 4,986,938 MMBtu

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year Sept. 1, 2016 Aug. 31, 2017
Baseline Year Sept. 1, 2014 Aug. 31, 2015

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):
In 2009, the President Sustainability Steering Committee outlined the Natural Resource Conservation Plan and set the baseline year of 2009 for energy and water conservation. The goal is to reduce energy and water by 20% by the year 2020. All Campus Planning and Facilities Services operational units contribute to these reductions.

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area of building space 22,637,536 Gross square feet 18,825,862 Gross square feet

Source-site ratio for grid-purchased electricity:
2.18

Total building energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Site energy 0.22 MMBtu per square foot 0.26 MMBtu per square foot
Source energy 0.28 MMBtu per square foot 0.32 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
13.20

Part 2 

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 980 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 3,488 Degree-Days (°F)

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 1,830,440 Square feet
Healthcare space 72,535.80 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
26,899,072.60 Gross square feet

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

Optional Fields 

Documentation (e.g. spreadsheet or utility records) to support the performance year energy consumption figures reported above:
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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):
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A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
The university implements a standards of temperature in digitally controlled buildings based on building use. Typically, the office/academic buildings operate at a 72 +/- 2 degrees setting for lab and collection spaces the standards are 70 +/- 2 degrees. This also varies based on the HVAC systems and thermal controls. The majority of buildings on campus with BAS controls have a setback schedule implemented during unoccupied times, resulting in drastic energy reductions.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lighting is used for a large display case in Butler Hall, an academic building. 15-4 foot and 11-2 foot LED sections were installed.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Currently UT has one solar thermal system. The NHB solar thermal system is the Apricus AP-30 evacuated tube system and consists of 36 5-panel banks. The heated water goes to the reheat coils in the VAV terminal units.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
The 140-megawatt Hal C. Weaver Power Plant (.mov*) meets the university’s needs 24 hours a day, every day of the year with the following services: • Electricity—we generate electrical power at 12,000 volts and 4,160 volts for distribution throughout the campus. • Steam—we generate steam at 425 psi and 710 F for use in the plant, as well as at 160 psi for distribution throughout the campus to provide building heat, heat for hot water, and auxiliary services. • Compressed Air—we provide air for use in campus buildings and laboratories. • Demineralized Water—we provide about 8 million gallons of demineralized water to the campus for laboratory use. • Chilled Water—we distribute about 140,000,000 ton-hours of chilled water through more than 6 miles of chilled water lines to provide air conditioning to the campus.

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):
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
No performance year data for Dell Medical School buildings as they came online after the performance year listed above - square footage does not reflect Dell Medical School buildings for this reason.

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.