| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.21 |
| Liaison | Stephen Ellis |
| Submission Date | June 9, 2023 |
Boston University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.58 / 6.00 |
Stephen
Ellis Director, Data Analytics BU Sustainability |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity |
195,842,950.40
Kilowatt-hours
Date Revised: Oct. 2, 2023
|
668,216.15 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 | 850,236 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 157,555 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 | 657,812.90 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 80,053.90 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 239,760.20 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 5,086 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 899 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, 2021 | June 30, 2022 |
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 | 200,415,800 Kilowatt-hours | 683,818.71 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 | 932,112 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 178,326 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 | July 1, 2005 | June 30, 2006 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
For consistency, Boston University uses a Fiscal Year 2006 baseline for its sustainability metrics.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.11 MMBtu per square foot | 0.19 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.13 MMBtu per square foot | 0.24 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:
BU sustainability app gives incentives and tips for individuals to be more energy efficient. Users can earn achievements through logging sustainable actions or finding BU's sustainable initiatives and more. There are sustainable challenges for users to compete in, and they can socialize with others through this app's follow, post, like, and commenting functions. Users can also track their progress to show how many achievements and points they have earned in regard to energy efficiency.
URL for the sustainability @ BU app:
https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/howto/track-your-actions-app/
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Seven buildings employ unoccupied modes in their Building Management Systems. BU has Schneider and Siemens BAS systems. 25% of all building space (by square footage) is equipped with schedules.
Campus Planning & Operations (CPO) works to achieve a balance between comfort and efficiency when installing lighting retrofits and advanced HVAC technology. The University purchases its electricity from third party suppliers and the local distribution company, Eversource Energy. Through Eversource, CPO has taken advantage of incentive programs to help fund and encourage the replacement of aging, inefficient equipment with new energy-saving technology. For example, occupancy sensors, which can potentially save about 30% of energy for lighting, were installed at 33 Harry Agganis Way, FitRec, Walter Brown Arena, Mugar Library, in the garages at both 700 and 730–750 Comm. Ave., and the College of Arts & Sciences.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lighting has been and continues to be a major part of the University's energy efficiency program with new LED fixtures being installed across campus.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
888 Commonwealth Ave uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling. Fifteen-hundred feet below the street, there are six wells which harness the Earth’s energy to warm and cool 888 Commonwealth Avenue. Instead of using fossil fuels, 888 Commonwealth Avenue taps into the constant temperature within the Earth’s surface. Ground source heating and cooling is clean, renewable, and more efficient than traditional energy sources. This building is Boston University’s first geothermal building. The University is completing the second geothermal building on campus and at 345,000 square feet the largest in Boston.
888 Commonwealth Ave. URL: https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/2019/06/04/summer-2019-campaigns/
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
N/A
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
Buildings with existing building energy management systems (EMS) undergo independent 3rd-party engineering studies to determine and quantify savings related to introducing setbacks and controls, occupancy schedules, VFDs, efficient lighting, etc. that are connected to the EMS to be monitored and controlled for optimization.
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:
This represents FY2022 BU Metrics.
Boston University's approach and progress on energy efficiency can be found on the following websites:
https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/projects/improving-energy-efficiency/
http://www.bu.edu/facilities/what-we-do/energy/
Calculating energy, water, and greenhouse gas metrics involves an ongoing process of validation. This process resulted in a refinement of our data from 2005 through the present.
This represents FY2022 BU Metrics.
Boston University's approach and progress on energy efficiency can be found on the following websites:
https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/projects/improving-energy-efficiency/
http://www.bu.edu/facilities/what-we-do/energy/
Calculating energy, water, and greenhouse gas metrics involves an ongoing process of validation. This process resulted in a refinement of our data from 2005 through the present.
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.