Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 47.51
Liaison Chris Frantsvog
Submission Date May 1, 2014
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Luther College
OP-8: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.84 / 6.00 Jay Uthoff
Director of Facilities
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total building energy consumption, all sources (transportation fuels excluded):
Performance Year Baseline Year
Total building energy consumption 222,169 MMBtu 275,794.70 MMBtu

Purchased electricity and steam:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Grid-purchased electricity 116,433.30 MMBtu 163,847.60 MMBtu
District steam/hot water 105,735.70 MMBtu 111,947.10 MMBtu

Gross floor area of building space::
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area 1,474,227 Gross square feet 1,384,290 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year::
Floor Area
Laboratory space 25,000 Square feet
Healthcare space 7,537 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F)::
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 6,824
Cooling degree days 825

Source-site ratios::
Source-Site Ratio (see help icon above)
Grid-purchased electricity 3.14
District steam/hot water 1.20

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods)::
Start Date End Date
Performance Year June 1, 2012 May 31, 2013
Baseline Year June 1, 2003 May 31, 2004

A brief description of when and why the building energy consumption baseline was adopted:

This was our peak energy use year.


A brief description of any building temperature standards employed by the institution:

Yes, Luther uses software called Automated Logic to regulate temperatures based on occupancy hours in all buildings. Unoccupied building temperature increases 10 degrees during cooling months and drops 13 degrees during heating months.

The sustainability office and heating plant staff have teamed up to make energy visits to different buildings. The purpose of these visits are to identity ways to improve occupant comfort while also reducing energy use.


A brief description of any light emitting diode (LED) lighting employed by the institution:

For the performance year, Luther has started the use of some LED technologies. We anticipate the increased use as installation costs decline.


A brief description of any occupancy and/or vacancy sensors employed by the institution:

Occupancy Sensors in Sampson-Hoffland Laboratories: Ultrasonic and infrared sensors (“eyes and ears”) detect occupancy and adjust the lighting and airflow. Unoccupied rooms automatically shut the lights off and reduce the airflow for energy conservation. Lighting sensors are used in 15% of the buildings on campus, including Valders Hall of Science, Dahl Centennial Union and study lounges in residence halls.


A brief description of any passive solar heating employed by the institution:

Some of our buildings have expansive south facing windows.


A brief description of any ground-source heat pumps employed by the institution:

Baker Village, a 112 bed 33,632 sq.ft. residential facility is 100% heated and cooled by ground source heat pumps. Our Center for the Arts a 59,825 sq.ft. teaching, studio and performance space is also 100% heated and cooled via ground source heat pumps.


A brief description of any cogeneration technologies employed by the institution:

Evaluating the possibilities at this time.


A brief description of any building recommissioning or retrofit program employed by the institution:

Luther College undertook a three phase retro-commissioning study in the fall of 2012. We are in the process of implementing all the measures that had a 5 year payback or less.


A brief description of any energy metering and management systems employed by the institution:

The new energy management system, installed under Luther's 2004 PerformanceEdge energy services contract with Alliant Energy, controls the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC), as well as lighting systems for every room of every building on campus. Wireless capability is standard and allows monitoring of all building management functions from a single facility or remotely.


A brief description of the institution's program to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment and systems with high efficiency alternatives:

Luther replaces appliances with Energy Star rated equipment when possible.


A brief description of any energy-efficient landscape design initiatives employed by the institution:

Sampson Hoffland Laboratories has a partial green roof.


A brief description of any vending machine sensors, lightless machines, or LED-lit machines employed by the institution:

Typical vending machines use upwards of $300 worth of electricity per year. Luther College installed Vending Misers, which are motion sensors that "see" when and if people are around. If there is no motion activity near the machine, they power-down the compressor, reducing electricity use on average by 40%, but still keep beverages at cool temperatures. Luther used money from the vending revenue account to pay for these sensors. All Luther beverage vending machines have Vending Misers installed. In addition, in February 2010, the 32 vending machines around campus were delamped in order to reduce "phantom" energy sources.


A brief description of other energy conservation and efficiency initiatives employed by the institution:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s energy conservation and efficiency initiatives is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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