Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.81
Liaison Kathleen Crawford
Submission Date July 28, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Florida Gulf Coast University
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 5.13 / 6.00 Katie Leone
Sustainability Coordinator
Environmental Health & Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Grid-purchased electricity 169,293 MMBtu 86,867 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site renewables 9,525 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) 0 MMBtu
+ Date Revised: Sept. 10, 2018
+ Date Revised: June 29, 2020
0 MMBtu
Total 178,818 MMBtu 86,867 MMBtu

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2004 June 30, 2005

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):

It was adopted for our 2011 STARS submission.


Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area of building space 4,338,010 Gross square feet 1,364,068 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 0.04 MMBtu per square foot 0.06 MMBtu per square foot
Source energy 0.12 MMBtu per square foot 0.20 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
37.62

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 178 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 4,168 Degree-Days (°F)

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 25,878 Square feet
Healthcare space 3,988 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
4,569,490 Gross square feet

Building energy consumption (site energy) per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
9.00 Btu / GSF / Degree-Day (°F)

Documentation (e.g. spreadsheet or utility records) to support the performance year energy consumption figures reported above:
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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 brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):

FGCU has the largest ice thermal storage plant of educational facilities in Florida and has the second largest "ice farm" of all universities in the country. The Physical Plant has 168 thermal ice storage tanks, the chiller plant produces ice during off-peak overnight hours. Ice is then melted and distributed to cool campus buildings via underground insulated water lines. FGCU saves over $400,000 per year in utility costs due to the efficiency of the chiller plant operations. Building mechanical equipment cycles off during weekends, and low occupancy periods to reduce energy consumption and save equipment wear and tear.


A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:

LED lighting is currently used in elevators, parking garages, warehouse facilities, maintenance shops, track lighting and the athletic arena. FGCU's Foundation recently provided seed money for a new Green Revolving Fund. This money will be used to transition three academic buildings to LED lighting this summer and will continue to help our campus increase energy efficiencies.


A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:

None - Heating is not an issue in our subtropical climate.


A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):

N/A


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):

Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) units have been installed on three buildings during the 2013-2014 fiscal year, bringing our total to six buildings with ERVs. The units capture previously cooled and dehumidified air back into to the cooling system instead of taking in new hot, humid air to process. Less energy is required to cool and dehumidify the air significantly reducing energy consumption and costs.

The athletic arena was retrofit in May 2014 with Musco athletic LED lighting to significantly reduce energy consumption, the investment is expected to provide pay back in seven years.


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:
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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.