Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.04
Liaison Richard Manton
Submission Date July 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway
OP-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.45 / 8.00 Michael Curran
Head of Building Services, Energy and Utilities
Buildings Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions

Gross GHG emissions

Gross Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from stationary combustion 3,523 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 3,508 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions from other sources 15 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported electricity 5,594 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 8,709 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions from imported thermal energy 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Total 9,132 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12,217 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Carbon sinks

Figures needed to determine net carbon sinks:
Performance year Baseline year
Third-party verified carbon offsets purchased 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Institution-catalyzed carbon offsets generated 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from on-site composting 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon storage from non-additional sequestration 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Carbon sold or transferred 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent
Net carbon sinks 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

If total performance year carbon sinks are greater than zero, provide:

A brief description of the carbon sinks, including vendor, project source, verification program and contract timeframes (as applicable):
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Adjusted net GHG emissions

Adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net GHG emissions 9,132 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 12,217 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Performance and baseline periods

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
Performance year Baseline year
Start date Jan. 1, 2019 Jan. 1, 2017
End date Dec. 31, 2019 Dec. 31, 2017

A brief description of when and why the GHG emissions baseline was adopted:
The GHG emissions baseline was formed in parallel with the STARS application process. 2019 was chosen as the performance year to avoid irregularities caused by covid-19, this being the most recent year of business as usual. It therefore made it more efficient to use the same baseline year for the GHG emissions baseline as was given for much of the STARS reporting criteria, i.e. 3 years beforehand.

Part 1. Reduction in GHG emissions per person

Weighted campus users

Figures needed to determine “Weighted Campus Users”:
Performance year Baseline year
Number of students resident on-site 1,198 764
Number of employees resident on-site 11 9
Number of other individuals resident on-site 0 0
Total full-time equivalent student enrollment 18,094 17,197
Full-time equivalent of employees 2,321 2,126
Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education 216 156
Weighted Campus Users 15,451.50 14,568.50

Metrics used in scoring for Part 1

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user:
Performance year Baseline year
Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user 0.59 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent 0.84 Metric tons of CO2 equivalent

Percentage reduction in adjusted net Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions per weighted campus user from baseline:
29.52

Part 2. GHG emissions per unit of floor area

Performance year floor area

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
155,090 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive building space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 36,973 Square meters
Healthcare space 245 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 4,036 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
233,561.90 Gross square meters

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Adjusted net Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
0.04 MtCO2e per square meter

A brief description of the institution’s GHG emissions reduction initiatives:
NUI Galway has committed to ambitiously moving towards carbon neutrality by the year 2030. In the attached energy review document pages 14 - 19 show a table of Opportunities for Energy Savings and Action Plan (2020 -21). This is a comprehensive list of the short and long term emissions reduction initiatives.

Some of the most impactful of these initiatives are listed below:

- Installation of 2 comprehensive district heating networks linked to 2 energy centres.
- Installation of heat pumps, PV & battery systems, LEDs and other more efficient technologies across campus.
- Reviewing building fabric upgrades for better thermal insulation (higher glaze windows etc).
- Deep retrofits for a number of the smaller buildings on campus.

Website URL where information about the institution's GHG emissions is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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.