| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.20 |
| Liaison | Tori Grant |
| Submission Date | Dec. 21, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Calgary
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.41 / 6.00 |
Adam
Stoker Sustainability Consultant Office of Sustainability |
Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Grid-purchased electricity | 316,934 MMBtu | 598,404 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site renewables | 204 MMBtu | 160 MMBtu |
| District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) | 301,061 MMBtu | 342,540 MMBtu |
| Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) | 1,491,286 MMBtu | 952,922 MMBtu |
| Total | 2,109,485 MMBtu | 1,894,026 MMBtu |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Year | April 1, 2015 | March 31, 2016 |
| Baseline Year | April 1, 2008 | March 31, 2009 |
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):
The University's 2008/2009 Fiscal Year was chosen as the Building Energy Consumption baseline to match the other utility based operations credits' baseline year. 2008/2009 was the first year that the University published a greenhouse gas inventory, so we have chosen to use this year for closely related operations credits.
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area of building space | 1,010,645 Gross square meters | 869,213 Gross square meters |
Source-site ratio for grid-purchased electricity:
Total building energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Site energy | 0.19 MMBtu per square meter | 0.20 MMBtu per square meter |
| Source energy | 0.23 MMBtu per square meter | 0.28 MMBtu per square meter |
Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
| Degree days (see help icon above) | |
| Heating degree days | 4,357 Degree-Days (°C) |
| Cooling degree days | 217 Degree-Days (°C) |
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor Area | |
| Laboratory space | 110,493 Square meters |
| Healthcare space | 5,126 Square meters |
| Other energy intensive space |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Building energy consumption (site energy) per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
Documentation (e.g. spreadsheet or utility records) 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 (e.g. outreach and education efforts):
The University of Calgary conducts an annual "PowerOFF" engagement campaign that encourages students and staff to reduce their own electricity consumption on campus. Typically the campaign encourages individuals to take the stairs instead of elevators, turn off lights in rooms if they are the last to leave, and to put computers & monitors to sleep if they will be away for extended periods of time. In addition to this campaign, in 2016 the University's IT department has implemented a campus wide programming change to all desktop computers that automatically puts idle units to sleep after regular business hours or when left idle for longer than a given period.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
The University of Calgary regulates building temperatures based on occupancy hours on Main Campus through the Building Management System (BMS). Based on an assessment of potential energy savings and in partnership with individual faculties, HVAC system operating hours have recently been optimized by better matching HVAC system operating hours with classroom and office schedules. Occupancy and daylight sensors are used in lighting control systems.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
External LED lighting upgrades across campus are approximately 90% complete. LED lighting is the design standard in all new capital projects. LED lighting retrofits in existing buildings are part of an ongoing energy reduction program.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
The Energy Environment Experiential Learning building makes use of passive solar technologies and geo-exchange systems.
There are stationary sunshades above windows on South side of the building that reduce the solar gain in the summer by blocking high-angle sun light from entering through the windows. The sunshades do not block the low-angle sunlight that occurs in the winter months, allowing for maximum solar gain in the coldest season. There are angled sunshades on the East and West sides that provide a similar function.
Before fresh air enters the building, it is drawn through concrete earth-tubes buried underground. This uses the near-constant underground temperature to precondition the air, cool it in the summer, and warming it in the winter. The primary building cooling comes from chilled water passing through radiant slabs. The chilled water is stored in a stratified underground cistern, where the ambient temperature of the soil recharges most of the chilling capacity of the water.
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
The University of Calgary's Central Heating and Cooling Plant contains a 12 megawatt gas-fired combined heat and power generator.
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 Performance Initiative – phase 4 was completed in June 2016 and encouraged retro-commissioning of 20 buildings. Through years 1 and 2 of the new Utilities Reduction Program now in progress, the university is investing $9M in retro-commissioning and a diversity of energy efficiency measures.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.