| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.36 |
| Liaison | Marianella Franklin |
| Submission Date | Jan. 10, 2023 |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.36 / 6.00 |
David
Ortega Asst Dir Cooling Plant Facilities Management |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 96,547,695 Kilowatt-hours | 329,420.74 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 254 Kilowatt-hours | 0.87 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 66,385 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 511,690 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 33,322 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 42,310 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 304 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 61 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | Sept. 1, 2019 | Aug. 31, 2020 |
Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 85,023,773 Kilowatt-hours | 290,101.11 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 | 55,385 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
| Start date | End date | |
| Baseline period | Sept. 1, 2015 | Aug. 31, 2016 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The Energy Management Plan, used as a guide and a resource for achieving the targeted savings in the report, was originally due to the U. T. System Office of Finance by May 31, 2002, and is updated every two years. In May 2004, the EMP was amended to include the requirements of the Resource Efficiency Plan (REP). In November 2005, the EMP was further amended to include the requirements of the ECP.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.08 MMBtu per square foot | 0.23 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.09 MMBtu per square foot | 0.24 MMBtu per square foot |
Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
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:
Historically, UTRGV has been to ask for individual cooperation when announcing holiday energy conservation schedules and utility shutdowns. The Sustainability Office sponsors lunch and learn seminars to educate individuals about best practices and is collaborating with the facilities department to begin energy outreach and education through the facilities planning and operations website. Additionally, the OFS website features guides and information about best practices regarding efficiency for students, faculty, and staff.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Some examples of energy use standards and controls for energy-consuming processes and equipment are as follows:
· Building temperature standards to increase temperatures in the Summer and decrease
during the Winter.
· Building temperature standards to set back temperatures during unoccupied periods.
· Air conditioning schedules to match occupancy periods and take advantage of unoccupied periods.
· Cooling plant & campus HVAC equipment monitored and controlled with building automation systems.
· Lighting technology changes to LED with matching lighting levels.
· Occupancy sensors automatically turn off lights when a room is not in use.
· Use of the thermal storage tank for demand response.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
·Parking Lot and Pedestrian LED Lighting Upgrades (complete by end of November 2020). Intent was to improve lighting quality and decrease energy consumption and demand, if possible.
·Lighting Conservation Initiatives: Replace existing building lighting with LED technology. This is an ongoing strategy. In fiscal 2020 to the present, the Brownsville electrical department completed classroom LED upgrades at BLHS and BMAIN. They replaced approximately 1,200 40-Watt T8 fluorescent tubes with 13-Watt, 4000-5000 Kelvin LED lamps.
·Continue to upgrade lighting to LED technology.
-fiscal 2020in-house replacement: At Bronc Trail, replace 300 4-foot, 28-Watt T8 4,000K fluorescent tubes (at 2 to 3 lamps per fixture) with new 18-Watt 6,500K LEDs.
-Purchase utility/energy management software for university-wide application.
-Holiday Energy Conservation. Executive vice president for finance and administration sends a memo with energy-saving instructions for the UTRGV campus community and requests their participation. The campaign includes the following initiatives:
~Energy management, space management, health and safety and cooling plant operations prepare holiday air conditioning (AC) schedules. Cooling plant operations staff implement AC schedules. Equipment runs in unoccupied mode.
~Information Technology (IT) remotely sets computers to hibernate or sleep mode.
~Students, faculty and staff conserve energy by making sure to unplug, disconnect or turn off energy-consuming devices/lighting and, if applicable, setting their air conditioning to unoccupied mode prior to leaving for the holiday.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
The buildings on the North side of the Brownsville campus are provided district hot water for space heating by Texas Southmost College. This hot water service, however, is not metered.
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Through the CIP and deferred maintenance programs, capital equipment such as chillers and air handling units are periodically retired and replaced with higher efficiency units.
-Continue to replace outdated mechanical equipment with higher efficiency units.
-Air cooled chiller replacements at EITTB (98.5 ton) and EVABL (126.7 ton); substantial completion November 2020.
-Edinburg Boiler upgrades with higher efficiency units at ACSB, HABE, HPE1, and ASFC (fiscal 2021).
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:
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.