Overall Rating Platinum
Overall Score 92.73
Liaison Emmanuelle Jodoin
Submission Date Oct. 24, 2022

STARS v2.2

Université de Sherbrooke
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.95 / 6.00 Chantal Couture
Director General
Building Services
"---" 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 70,924,516 Kilowatt-hours 241,994.45 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 1,131,990 Kilowatt-hours 3,862.35 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 96,075 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 4,754 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
346,685.80 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
361,354 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 89,248 Square meters
Healthcare space 1,229 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 63,766 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
606,073.74 Gross square meters

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 4,444 Degree-Days (°C)
Cooling degree days 324 Degree-Days (°C)

Total degree days, performance year:
4,768 Degree-Days (°C)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period May 1, 2020 April 30, 2021

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

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

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 42,317,881 Kilowatt-hours 144,388.61 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 241,874 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 28,974 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
415,236.61 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
232,147 Gross square meters

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period May 1, 2002 April 30, 2003

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The school year 2002-2003 was the moment when the first energy efficiency measures were performed, and it coincides with the hiring of a director responsible for this matter, at the Université de Sherbrooke.

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
2

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 0.96 MMBtu per square meter 1.63 MMBtu per square meter
Baseline year 1.79 MMBtu per square meter 2.41 MMBtu per square meter

Metric used in scoring for Part 2

Percentage reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline:
32.42

Optional Fields 

Documentation to support the performance year energy consumption figures reported above:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency:
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A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
As part of its Sustainable Development Plan 2018-2022, the Université de Sherbrooke has implemented actions to update its energy efficiency standards, particularly for construction projects. The university's standards aim to surpass the 2015 National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings. In addition, the University systematically integrates renewable energy sources and/or specific energy efficiency measures into its construction and renovation standards for any project exceeding CAD 2,000,000 by allocating a certain amount of the budget provided for in the University's Real Estate Master Plan.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
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A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
The geothermal installations were built using techniques employed by the Université de Sherbrooke to improve the energy efficiency of its buildings. The University also has a Solar Park resulting from a research project.

1-Solar Park

As part of a construction-research project, the University has a solar park and photovoltaic panels located in various places on the Main Campus and at the Parc innovation-ACELP. The Solar Park of the Université de Sherbrooke has a capacity of 1 MW and is the largest dedicated to applied research in Canada. At the heart of the Main Campus, an intelligent solar thermal plant has been installed, while an experimental plant with thermal storage is located at the Parc Innovation-ACELP. Solar panels have been installed on the roof of the Yvon Lamarche Sports Centre. The Innovation Park-ACELP is also equipped with 23 solar trackers, as well as 2 trackers located in the traffic circles of the Innovation Park-ACELP and the Main Campus. A solar thermal panel was also installed on the roof of the power plant to preheat the water for the boilers.

As a true technological demonstration site, the Université de Sherbrooke Solar Park reproduces the reality of isolated networks and connected microgrids. It can be used to test different configurations: energy storage, transmission to the grid, and battery mode. It features five cutting-edge solar technologies: Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, CPV, Bifacial, and Solar Thermal.

2-Geothermal Facilities

The Université de Sherbrooke Geothermal Facilities are deployed on four sites: the Longueuil Campus, the Life Sciences Pavilion on the Main Campus, the School of Music on the Main Campus, and the Gymnasium on the Health Campus. A project to deploy a geothermal plant is underway for the Health Campus.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution:
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A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
From 2002-2003 to 2020-2021, the University enjoyed a period of growth in both surface area and student numbers. The Université de Sherbrooke has taken advantage of this opportunity to deploy an ambitious energy efficiency program on its campuses aiming to reduce energy consumption while also reducing the associated GHG emissions.

Between 2002-2003 and 2020-2021, some 45-energy efficiency projects or measures were carried out on the three campuses, representing investments of some $21 million. These projects include the installation of heat recovery and optimization systems such as heat pumps, heat wheels, heat pipes, runarounds, equipment replacement (higher efficiency boilers, windows, energy-efficient lighting), control optimization and recommissioning of mechanical systems, conversion of boilers to hydro, and geothermal systems. Some examples of the projects that have been implemented are:

• The installation of a heat pump in the Office of the President and the Central Library Building, and in the Georges Cabana Building on the Main Campus
• The installation of a geothermal system at the School of Music and complete replacement of steam heating with hydroelectric heating
• The complete renovation of the Student Life Pavilion (E1)
• The addition of an electric boiler to Pavilion Z5, on the Health Campus
• The modernization of the heating system in the student residences on the main campus (G1 to G15)

Construction and major renovation projects also include high-performance energy efficiency measures. Since 2002-2003, all of these measures have reduced the energy consumption of the Université de Sherbrooke's buildings by 44.4%. Overall, it can be observed that the reduction in energy consumption has been achieved by making optimal use of hydroelectricity.

Together these projects explain the significant reduction in “Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water” and “Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy” between the performance year and the baseline year.

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:
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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.