University of Virginia
OP-3: Building Operations and Maintenance

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UVA's Building Services, the custodial team that is responsible for the majority of UVA's buildings (over 80% by square footage), has achieved Green Seal GS-42 certification. The Custodial Services custodial staff at UVA must learn over 50 procedures that set forth the what, when, why and how of cleaning for health. Each staff member takes pride in knowing that their services contribute to the health and well-being of themselves, the environment and all customers. The most important benefit to our frontline staff is that they are performing their work in a safe environment using products and procedures that minimize any harmful effects from chemicals. We also hope that as UVA’s custodial staff demonstrate doing everything possible to support the health of our faculty, staff and students, they receive the professional recognition and respect that they deserve.

The UVA Metering & Billing team measures and collects energy management data and maintains the utility metering systems throughout the University. The team works closely with the Automation Services team that maintains the building automation systems (BAS). Energy management and sustainability goals are supported through the use of 1,118 physical meters that measure and record commodity consumption. Nearly 76 percent of meters are connected to the BAS allowing continuous reading and trend recording without the need to physically visit and read each month. The collected data is used for profiling loads, identifying metering anomalies, and troubleshooting. https://www.fm.virginia.edu/depts/operations/systems.html Additionally, all of UVA's buildings are included in the DOE's Better Buildings Challenge program, with a goal to reduce building energy use intensity 20% below 2010 levels by 2020. https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/partners/university-virginia

UVA has set a goal to reduce water consumption 25% below 2010 levels by 2035. All buildings are metered for water at the building level, with some additional sub-metering for irrigation and other uses. All water consumption is actively monitored by Facilities Management, and strategies are actively deployed to reduce water use. Under the UVA Sustainability Plan, a water reduction goal has been set to reduce water consumption 25% below 2010 levels by 2035. Facilities Management has continued to strive to utilize water as efficiently as possible, actively combating the increasing water consumption due to construction of energy and water intensive research and hospital facilities. Facilities Management meters for water at all buildings and provides additional sub-metering for irrigation and other uses. By metering water at the building level, UVA data specialists can monitor trends and identify irregularities in UVA’s water system. Additionally, the Office for Sustainability is developing a Water Action Plan to identify key strategies to meet the University’s sustainability goal. By tracking and analyzing trends over time, UVA has identified the most intensive water use activities on campus and have developed strategies to reduce consumption. UVA also uses advanced technologies to assess water performance including conducting an ultrasonic survey of the underground water distribution system. By surveying the water distribution system, UVA was able to identify and repair all leaks and update piping to ensure more efficient distribution of water. Other water conservation initiatives include identifying potential ways to recapture water, revising UVA Building Design Guidelines to include low-flow fixtures and plumbing systems, implementing LEED water conservation standards in all new buildings, and encouraging faculty, staff, and students to reduce water usage through outreach efforts.

https://sustainability.virginia.edu/topics/buildings/index.html