Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 66.40
Liaison C Jane Hagen
Submission Date Aug. 27, 2021

STARS v2.2

Virginia Commonwealth University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.68 / 6.00 Wyatt Carpenter
Sustainability Projects and Programs Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" 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 146,919,168 Kilowatt-hours 501,288.20 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 0 Kilowatt-hours 0 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 401,643.42 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
902,931.62 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
10,992,570 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 281,267 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 56,524 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
11,611,628 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 3,438 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 2,218 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
5,656 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, 2018 June 30, 2019

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
13.75 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 132,085,904 Kilowatt-hours 450,677.10 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 413,827 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
864,504.10 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
6,703,532 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, 2007 June 30, 2008

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
We are using a baseline for the fiscal year 7/1/07-6/30/08. This fiscal year is from before we started making ghg reduction goals.

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3.14

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.08 MMBtu per square foot 0.18 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.13 MMBtu per square foot 0.27 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:
34.13

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:
---

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
We encourage our buildings managers to keep thermostat settings between 68-72 F in the winter and 72-76 F in the summer months to reduce heaing and coolling loads to our HVAC systems.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED's lighting is routinely being utilized as we replace old fixtures such as T12 and T8 fluorescent bulbs and ballasts in renovation project through the campus. We have upgraded most of the fixtures in the Parking Decks to LED's since this lighting is on 24/7.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
We utilize large glass windows to take in natural light and to heat spaces in many of our newer buildings. Ex. McGlothin Medical Education Center uses automatice shades to let in light and also shade interior spaces based temperature and the occupancy of the space.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
We are not utilizing any cogeneration technologies at this time. We have conducted some feasibioty studies at our main Steam Plan for the use of a combined steam and electric generation.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
We currently do have a a formal building recommisioning program in place, we are looking into making this a priority item and have requested funding to support in our next fiscal year. 2016.

Website URL where information about the institution’s energy conservation and efficiency program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.