| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.12 |
| Liaison | Patrick McKee |
| Submission Date | Nov. 16, 2023 |
University of Connecticut
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.67 / 6.00 |
Patrick
McKee Senior Sustainability Program Manager Office of Sustainability |
Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 17,451,663 Kilowatt-hours | 59,545.07 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 3,711,678 Kilowatt-hours | 12,664.25 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 2,006,289 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 | 824,103.74 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 15,647.51 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 323,460.84 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Degree days, performance year:
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 5,876 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 767 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 | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 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 | 85,014 Kilowatt-hours | 290.07 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 | 2,009,042 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 | Jan. 1, 2007 | Dec. 31, 2007 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
This baseline was adopted because it is the earliest year for which accurate data is available.
Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.17 MMBtu per square foot | 0.18 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.20 MMBtu per square foot | 0.20 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:
From Building Automation Systems Standards, Section 5: Sequence of Operation VAV (variable air volume) terminal boxes are responsible for both heating and cooling in buildings on campus and have at least five temperature setpoints. The cooling setpoint for unoccupied rooms is defaulted to 82 oF; occupied rooms are set to 1.5 oF above default - 73.5 oF. The base room setpoint is defaulted to 72 oF. For heating, the occupied setpoint is 1.5 below base setpoint, 70.5 oF. Finally, for an unoccupied room, the heating setpoint is defaulted to 60 oF.
Much more information on start-up, shut-down, etc. in Building Automation System Standards (pg. 20-28, Section 5.1: VAV with/without Reheat and/or Radiation)
https://updc.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1525/2020/09/Appendix-V-Building-Automation-Design-Standards-August-2020.pdf
Lighting system upgrades to LEDs also include the installation of controls like motion and occupancy sensors, which turn off the light when they stop detecting movement; and daylight sensors, which maximize use of sunlight by turning on the lights only when natural light is insufficient for people to see inside the area. The combination of these efficient lighting systems and sensors could reduce the lighting electricity demand by up to 59% in some buildings.
Almost 6.5 million square feet (or 53% of the Storrs and Depot campuses) of building space has been re-lamped and 23 of the most energy intensive buildings have been retro-commissioned since 2010. These projects include adding motion and occupancy sensors for controlling either lighting or HVAC.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Minimum Temperature Setpoints for VAV Terminals:
All VAV terminal boxes capable of both heating and cooling shall be programmed with a minimum of 5
temperature setpoints as follows:
Unoccupied Cooling Setpoint (Default 82 °F)
Occupied Cooling Setpoint (1.5° above Default 73.5 °F)
Base Room Setpoint (Default 72 °F)
Occupied Heating Setpoint (1.5° below Room Setpoint: Default 70.5 °F)
Unoccupied Heating Setpoint (Default 60 °F)
Much more information on start-up, shut-down, etc. in Building Automation System Standards (pg. 16-23, Section 5.1: VAV with/without Reheat and/or Radiation)
http://paes.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1525/2016/04/Design-Guidelines-and-Performance-Standards-March-2016.pdf
Lighting system upgrades to LEDs also include the installation of controls like motion and occupancy sensors, which turn off the light when they stop detecting movement; and daylight sensors, which maximize use of sunlight by turning on the lights only when natural light is insufficient for people to see inside the area. The combination of these efficient lighting systems and sensors could reduce the lighting electricity demand by up to 59% in some buildings
139 buildings have been re-lamped and 26 of the most energy intensive buildings have been retro-commissioned since 2010. These projects include adding motion and occupancy sensors for controlling either lighting or HVAC.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
UConn is committed to full LED lighting retrofit, campus-wide (interior and exterior lighting). Between 2010 and 2022, there were 312 re-lamping projects to reduce emissions by 11,466 metric tons. In 2021 alone, UConn's Energy and Water Conservation Team implemented a retrofit for SLED Group 1 (a total of 33 buildings) and North and East residence halls (15 buildings). These projects saw the implementation of LED replacement or retrofit solutions for all existing lighting in the building as well as vacancy sensors to automatically shut off the lights in rooms after no sound or movement is detected for thirty minutes. The 2021 retrofits yielded energy savings of approximately 2.4 million kWh and almost 1,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Design Guidelines and Performance Standards (pg. 25, Section 4.3: Energy Conservation):
http://paes.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1525/2016/04/Design-Guidelines-and-Performance-Standards-March-2016.pdf
“Reduce Conditioning Loads:
To reduce a building's dependence on mechanical heating and cooling, the Designer should design exterior wall assemblies to be a minimum of R-19 and roof assemblies to a minimum of R-30. All glazing should incorporate double-glazed insulated glass units with a low-E coating, argon-filled with a U-factor of ≤ 0.27. Seasonal shading (e.g., deciduous trees, porches, horizontal sun shades and roof overhangs) should be provided to south facing glazing. Thermal mass should be incorporated within a building, since high mass buildings can stabilize temperature swings by storing heat during the day and releasing it during the evening, thus reducing the building’s peak cooling loads.”
A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
UConn’s 25 MW natural gas-fired cogeneration facility is classified as a Class III Renewable Energy source by the State of Connecticut and it generates Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), based on its high efficiency factor as a microgrid source of combined heat, cooling and power for nearly 90% of the main Storrs campus. In turn, UConn uses proceeds from these REC sales to finance sustainable energy and energy efficiency projects, like retro-commissioning, re-lamping and more.
The Cogeneration Facility produces 100% of the core Storrs campus's electricity needs, while the remainder of electricity for more remote portions of the main campus as well as the Depot campus is imported from the Eversource electrical grid. All purchased power is obtained through a third party renewables contract specifying a minimum of 100% of the amount purchased is to be produced from renewable sources. Currently the third party vendors are ConEdison for the Central Utility Plant and Cogeneration Facility and Direct Energy for Storrs and Depot campus buildings not receiving electricity from the Cogeneration Facility.
The University’s Cogeneration facility uses natural gas, with ultra-low sulfur distillate fuel (ULSD) as a back-up fuel source, to fire three 7.5 MW Solar Taurus 70 combustion turbine generators to produce electricity. Waste heat from the turbines is used to produce high pressure steam, which is then used in a steam turbine generator to produce an additional 4 MW of electricity. The steam turbine exhaust or reduced steam is supplied for internal plant use, to provide Chilled Water via the four York absorption chillers or to the campus steam distribution network. The network reduces the steam to low pressure 65 psig for building heating and kitchen service.
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
UConn has had a longstanding policy, in accordance with state law, that requires the purchase of only Energy Star-rated appliances and EPEAT computers. Thus, as older appliances, equipment, PCs, laptops and other devices are retired, they have been, and will continue to be, replaced by more efficient state-of-the-art models. It is estimated that approximately 10-20% of appliances, copiers, PCs and other electronic equipment are replaced each year.
UConn has also completed retro-commissioning (RCx) at 23 of the most energy intensive buildings on campus since 2010, resulting in reducing 11,800 metric tons of eCO2.
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.