| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.46 |
| Liaison | Paul Mathisen |
| Submission Date | May 22, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.74 / 6.00 |
Paul
Mathisen Dir. of Sustainability & Assoc. Prof Civil & Environmental Engineering |
"---"
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.
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Grid-purchased electricity | 85,202 MMBtu | 87,131.89 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site renewables | 0 MMBtu | 0 MMBtu |
| District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) | 0 MMBtu | 0 MMBtu |
| Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) | 152,741 MMBtu | 171,190 MMBtu |
| Total | 237,943 MMBtu | 258,321.89 MMBtu |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | July 1, 2018 | June 30, 2019 |
| Baseline Year | July 1, 2007 | June 30, 2008 |
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):
2007-08 is the earliest year for which we have good data.
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area of building space | 2,728,861 Gross square feet | 1,946,938 Gross square feet |
Source-site ratio for grid-purchased electricity:
3.14
Total building energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Site energy | 0.09 MMBtu per square foot | 0.13 MMBtu per square foot |
| Source energy | 0.15 MMBtu per square foot | 0.23 MMBtu per square foot |
Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
32.59
Part 2
| Degree days (see help icon above) | |
| Heating degree days | 6,559.10 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 684 Degree-Days (°F) |
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 178,645 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 3,630 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
3,093,411
Gross square feet
Building energy consumption (site energy) per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
10.62
Btu / GSF / Degree-Day (°F)
Optional Fields
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):
A Sustainability Plan was published in 2014 which served as a guide for operations at WPI. A GHG Emissions reduction plan was published in 2018 to detail the efforts to reduce emissions. Efforts were made by Facilities Dept. when new construction or renovations occurred, to be thoughtful about energy efficiency in equipment purchased and controls installed. Significant initiative over the past years to make reduction in energy consumption for both climate control and lighting. Institute worked with GreenerU to identify energy savings opportunities and execute them. Staff and Student Sustainability Ambassadors identify themes for each semester. Peer education is conducted in living, learning, and working spaces to build awareness about energy efficiency. A Green Revolving Fund was established to finance energy-savings projects and channel the savings back into the fund.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
the campus is currently about 80% Automated Logic and 20% Schneider. We use these systems to schedule temperature control for occupied to unoccupied space. Staff and Faculty offices are scheduled for the workday, Monday through Friday. The standard set points are 74 degrees cooling and 70 degrees with with a 2-degree adjustment. We utilize space occupancy sensors in many areas, these adjust the temperature set points after no motion is detected in a space. We have also installed Automated Logic in some office campus buildings (12-16 Einhorn and 25 Trowbridge). This lets us set schedules for snow days and normal hours of operation.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lighting has been installed in the following residential halls: Faraday Hall, Messenger Hall, East Hall, and Founders Hall. In addition, LED lighting was installed in the Campus Center, the Recreation Center, and Gateway Park in 2014, and Morgan Residence Hall in 2016. All exterior parking lot and exterior building lighting was switched to LED lighting in 2018. All WPI-owned off-campus apartments were equipped with LED light bulbs.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
South facing glass is employed in the Sports & Recreation Center and window location design was based on the sun path in East Hall. Foisie Innovation Studio, Messenger Resident Hall, and Farraday Resident hall use high Rvalue glass to reduce solar heat gain. Mullions and sunscreens are also employed in several buildings to control solar heat gain.
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
Tecogen Ultra CM-75 combined heat and power units have been installed at the Life Sciences & Bioengineering Center and the Campus Center.
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 department of Facilities is actively working to ensure that appliances and equipment are the most efficient possible. Building recommissioning occurs yearly to ensure that equipment is performing as expected. Controls are installed to maximize efficiency. LED lighting has been replaced in most buildings, and all exterior building lighting has been transitioned to LED. Set points have been established for all campus buildings for climate and are controlled by automatic monitoring systems.
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:
Annual sustainability reports in website detail energy efficiency initiatives.
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.