Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 70.33
Liaison Enid Cardinal
Submission Date March 3, 2022

STARS v2.2

Rochester Institute of Technology
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.19 / 6.00 Omar Aponte
Graduate Student
RIT Sustainability
"---" 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 64,711,894 Kilowatt-hours 220,796.98 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 4,831,168 Kilowatt-hours 16,483.95 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 390,476 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
627,756.93 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
6,031,204 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 728,573 Square feet
Healthcare space 0 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 123,203 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
7,611,553 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 6,292 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 737 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
7,029 Degree-Days (°F)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period July 1, 2019 June 30, 2020

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
11.73 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 80,156,799.53 Kilowatt-hours 273,495.00 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 1,937.28 Kilowatt-hours 6.61 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, baseline year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 421,298 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
694,799.61 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
5,303,530 Gross square feet

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period July 1, 2008 June 30, 2009

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
Fiscal Year 2009 was adopted as the building energy consumption baseline because that is the baseline year for RIT's Climate Action Plan

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
3

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.10 MMBtu per square foot 0.18 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.13 MMBtu per square foot 0.23 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:
24.28

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 student team has been working to build a campus wide energy dashboard that breaks out building level consumption.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
The University's energy policy sets the following standards:

Cooling- During the air-conditioning season, room temperatures will be maintained at 78+/-2F when the space is occupied and 85F during unoccupied periods. The air-conditioning system increases our electrical load, depending on the total consumption; “demand limiting” control may be introduced. Please reference the FAQ section for more detail.

Heating- During the heating season room temperatures will be maintained at 68+/-2F when the space is occupied and 55F during unoccupied periods.

Exceptions- Exceptions to this policy include special areas such as critical lab spaces or data centers that require a controlled environment with different temperature set points. Please reference a current building list in the FAQ section. For other exceptions, occupants must contact FMS and request a review of the space. The director of FMS, senior sustainability advisor to the president and the college/division administrator responsible for the space will conduct thereview and determine the outcome.

Occupant Responsibilities- Occupants should not expect space temperatures to be adjusted unless they fall outside the established ranges in this policy. Occupants are expected to dress appropriately based on the established set points and weather forecast. If the space falls outside the established temperature ranges, occupants should report the problem to FMS.

Portable Heating and Cooling Devices- Any unauthorized devices will be removed. If there are temperature problems due to an older building structure or problem systems, FMS will provide authorized devices. (Fan or heater). Please reference the FAQ section for more detail. Department heads and supervisors are expected to ensure unauthorized devices are not in use in their areas.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
RIT has relamped a significant amount of campus lighting, replacing fluorescent light with four-foot T-8 16.3 Watt LED lamps.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
---

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
---

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
---

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:
HDD and CDD obtained from: https://portfoliomanager.energystar.gov/pm/degreeDaysCalculator

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.