Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.93
Liaison Christina Erickson
Submission Date May 9, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Champlain College
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.92 / 6.00 Tom Bonnette
Director
Physical Plant
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1

This credit is based on energy inputs from offsite sources and electricity produced by onsite renewables. When the institution purchases one fuel and uses it to produce heat and/or power, you should enter only what is purchased. For example, if the institution purchases natural gas to fuel a CHP system and produce steam and electricity, only the purchased natural gas should be reported.

Figures needed to determine total building energy consumption:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Grid-purchased electricity 21,315.34 MMBtu 17,638.45 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site renewables 147.91 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) 23,195.30 MMBtu 27,075.07 MMBtu
Total 44,658.55 MMBtu 44,713.52 MMBtu

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018
Baseline Year July 1, 2006 June 30, 2007

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):
First year of most accurate data collection.

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area of building space 869,342 Gross square feet 537,137 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 0.05 MMBtu per square foot 0.08 MMBtu per square foot
Source energy 0.10 MMBtu per square foot 0.15 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
32.36

Part 2 

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 6,707 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 572 Degree-Days (°F)

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 764 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
895,111 Gross square feet

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

Optional Fields 

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):
Energy conservation outreach comes in these forms: * New employee/faculty orientation - sustainability information * Student Eco-Rep outreach in the res halls * Annual Kill-A-Watt competition in the res halls * Periodic email reminders from Physical Plant staff - especially during times of extreme cold and during breaks

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
*All academic/office buildings are linked to an Energy Management system, that sets controls for temperatures during time of use and non-use *Some res halls have temperature limit controls *Approximately 1/4 of all buildings have occupancy sensors for lighting levels *Lakeside building has daylight adjusted lighting on 2 out of 3 floors * Modulation of boiler water temperatures * Regulate hot water discharge with hot water mixing valves

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
Exterior lights around Perry Hall use “Dark Sky” technology. These lights are designed to illuminate spaces below them, but radiate no ambient light upward. Their goal is to reduce light pollution in urban areas and reduce electricity usage. Additionally, the lights have multiple stages; they dim down during times of low traffic, and motion detectors return the lights to full power when people are in the area, to ensure safety. Exterior lighting is all LED, which uses less energy and lasts longer.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Several buildings at Champlain College are heated and cooled by a geothermal system, also known as groundsourced heat pumps. Current buildings include: Perry, Butler, Valcour, Juniper, Bader, Whiting and CCM. How does it work? The geothermal heat pump system uses the earth as the energy source. The earth's steady temperature provides extremely efficient heating in winter and cooling in summer. This mitigates electric costs compared to alternative electrically-based systems and is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. The geothermal system operates using interconnected systems. The first is a groundwater system, consisting of a sourcewell and injection well. The wells are connected to a natural underground aquifer that provides the thermal mass that creates the water base temperature of 50°F to 53°F for the system. The water that cycles into the pumps is on a separate closed-loop system that transfers heat directly through a highly efficient plate and frame heat exchanger. The two circulated fluids never come in contact, thus preventing aquifer contamination. Perry Hall, for example, contains 37 heat pumps to transfer energy throughout the building. One side of the building can be cooled while the other side is heated, which is relevant on a sunny winter day when one side is heated by the sun and the ambient temperature cools the other side. This ability to transfer energy throughout the building allows for an extremely efficient operation. See more at www.champlain.edu/geothermal

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
Electricity and heat for the Carriage House residence hall is produced by a small generator that runs on natural gas, called a micro combined heat and power unit (MCHP). It produces 1,200 watts of electricity.

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):
Generally speaking, when the College replaces old appliances, it does so with high efficiency equipment. There are also variable frequency drives on large mechanical systems.

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.