Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 58.26
Liaison Caitlin McLennan
Submission Date Oct. 10, 2022

STARS v2.2

Utah State University
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.41 / 8.00 Zac Cook
Energy Manager
Facilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 41,563.95 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 30,355.64 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 5,757.83 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 7,532.32 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 11,972.13 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 27,478.36 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 59,293.91 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 65,366.32 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent ---
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
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Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 59,293.91 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 65,366.32 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date July 1, 2020 July 1, 2006
End date June 30, 2021 June 30, 2007

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
USU uses 2007, the year the university's president signed the Carbon Commitment, as a baseline for Second Nature reporting. Shifts between purchased electricity and the cogeneration plant may be present in some years, depending on gas and electricity prices, plant maintenance, etc.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 3,383 2,200
Number of employees resident on-site 100 100
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 16,770 12,649
Full-time equivalent of employees 2,774 2,603
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 4,583 193
Weighted Campus Users 12,091.50 11,869.25

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user 4.90 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 5.51 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
10.96

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
798,535.38 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 119,015.99 Square meters
Healthcare space 8,031.19 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 23,400.97 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,076,030.70 Gross square meters

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.06 MtCO2e per square meter

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
USU's energy management team has been at the center of the university's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Projects have included improving metering and monitoring, installing energy-efficient lighting, recommissioning HVAC system, and adding renewable energy when possible.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The GHG numbers (both baseline and performance) are for all of USU, meaning all the statewide campuses too. This is the way the university tracks greenhouse gases. As the largest campus, Logan is responsible for the majority of GHG. The university has electricity readings for Logan only (both baseline and performance), so the GHG inventory does not align with the Logan electricity numbers because we reported the best numbers we have for both. The space numbers in this credit are estimates for all of USU, rather than the Logan campus. Thus they do not align with PRE-4.

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.