Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.84
Liaison Noah Upchurch
Submission Date March 1, 2024

STARS v2.2

Catawba College
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.52 / 6.00 Noah Upchurch
Senior Sustainability Specialist
Center for the Environment
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area

Performance year energy consumption

Electricity use, performance year (report kilowatt-hours):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 8,516,414.22 Kilowatt-hours 29,058.01 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 20,131.50 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
49,189.51 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
697,724 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 1,176 Square feet
Healthcare space 2,570 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 112,040 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
817,256 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 3,369.70 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 1,504.40 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
4,874.10 Degree-Days (°F)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period June 1, 2022 May 31, 2023

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

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

Part 2. Reduction in source energy use per unit of floor area

Baseline year energy consumption

STARS 2.2 requires electricity data in kilowatt-hours (kWh). If a baseline has already been established in a previous version of STARS and the institution wishes to continue using it, the electricity data must be re-entered in kWh. To convert existing electricity figures from MMBtu to kWh, simply multiply by 293.07107 MMBtu/kWh.

Electricity use, baseline year (report kWh):
kWh MMBtu
Imported electricity 9,579,860 Kilowatt-hours 32,686.48 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 19,253 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
51,939.48 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
659,174 Gross square feet

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period June 1, 2009 May 31, 2010

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The baseline year of Fiscal Year 2010 was chosen because of the quality of data available, combined with the historical greenhouse gas calculator estimate of campus emissions. 2010 is one year after the most recent large campus construction of new dormitories in 2009 and precedes the College's solar and LED installations.

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.07 MMBtu per square foot 0.15 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.08 MMBtu per square foot 0.18 MMBtu per square foot

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
13.58

Optional Fields 

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:
---

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Catawba College recommends a temperature range of 68 to 72 degrees for all HVAC systems on campus.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Catawba College has undergone several lighting conversion projects to change most lighting to LEDs. These projects have occurred over a number of years and affect nearly all buildings on campus. The College will be undergoing an assessment of remaining non-LED fixtures with the goal of converting all remaining incandescent and fluorescent fixtures to LEDs.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Beginning in 2000, Catawba College installed geothermal heating and cooling systems for a number of campus buildings. The system now serves twelve campus buildings. The campus also has five buildings with solar thermal systems. Three dormitories, the fieldhouse, and the gymnasium have solar thermal systems for producing hot water. These systems were installed in 2015 as part of a larger project that also added photovoltaic systems to seven buildings and one parking lot on campus. All of these systems are designed to reduce the College's dependence on natural gas-fired boilers on campus and on electricity generated from hydrocarbon fuels off campus.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
None.

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
The College's Center for the Environment finished a renovation which was projected to lower the building's energy consumption by approximately 50%. The main changes include new HVAC systems, additional insulation to exterior walls and the roof of the building, and other improvements in the building envelope.

The College is in the process of eliminating gas dryers used across campus, mostly in residence halls.

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.