| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 77.56 |
| Liaison | John Pumilio |
| Submission Date | Oct. 11, 2022 |
Colgate University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.82 / 6.00 |
John
Pumilio Director of Sustainability Sustainability Office |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 26,521,037 Kilowatt-hours | 90,489.78 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 | 235,156.46 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 | 121,012 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 2,202 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 58,742 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 6,884 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 577 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 | July 1, 2020 | June 30, 2021 |
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 | 31,571,030 Kilowatt-hours | 107,720.35 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 | 272,885.73 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 | June 1, 2009 | May 31, 2010 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The fiscal year 2009 was the first year we conducted a comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory after signing the American College and University's Presidents' Climate Commitment (e.g., Second Nature's Carbon Commitment). As a result of this effort, we began keeping careful records of our energy consumption on campus.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.13 MMBtu per square foot | 0.20 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot | 0.26 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:
The Office of Sustainability initiates behavior change and educational programs throughout the year to raise awareness of energy conservation. Each year, we undertake an energy reduction competitions that extend for several weeks. We also offer courses in energy, carbon, and sustainability for faculty, staff, and students. These are six-week programs entitled Foundations of Sustainability where participants read articles and we discuss there implications and how that can be translated into action. We also use prompts, signage, social media, newsletters/articles, videos, tabling, and other means to keep energy conservation in the mindset of our community.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
We have an ongoing program utilizing data from the campus energy management and utility data acquisition systems to reduce energy demand through modification and optimization of control schemes, occupancy control schedules, temperature setback, and outdoor air ventilation systems management
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Colgate recently completed a number of lighting upgrades installing high-efficiency, long-lasting LED's. Buildings over the past few years where we have done a complete lighting retrofit include Andrews Hall, Stillman Hall, Chapel House, Memorial Chapel, Drake Hall, Curtis Hall, Cooley Library, Stanford Field House, Cotterall Court (home of Varsity basketball), and numerous other smaller-scale projects.
Another example includes the replacement of sixty 250-watt and eighteen 100-watt incandescent bulbs in Olin Hall's Love Auditorium by replacing them with seventy-eight 20-watt energy-efficient LED lights. The LED lights cost about $3,500. The project was refunded $2,000 from the Hamilton Coop Electric. So, overall the project cost Colgate about $1,500 plus the cost of labor. This lighting upgrade will reduce energy consumption by about 420,000 kWh a year. At $0.041 per kWh this will save Colgate approximately $17,500 a year in electricity costs and reduce our campus carbon footprint by 25 tons.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Colgate installed a solar thermal array (12 panels) at the Creative Arts House (100 Broad Street) that uses the sun's energy to produce hot water for over 30 students that live in the building. The project saves about $2,600 per year in fuel costs and has reduced our carbon footprint by about 10 tons.
During the summer of 2016, Colgate installed a geothermal heat exchange system at the Chapel House, helping the university to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and achieve carbon neutrality by 2019. The system is expected to save over $20,000 per year in energy costs and reduce Colgate’s greenhouse gas emissions by about 50 tons.
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:
We recently completed recommissioning of our Ho Science Center. The project has saved over $100K per year in energy costs and has reduced our campus carbon footprint by about 100 tons. This is part of a much broader energy management program where we are upgrading lighting to LED fixtures and implementing energy conservation measures systematically throughout our building portfolio (based on potential energy savings).
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.