Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 75.41
Liaison Marianne Martin
Submission Date March 23, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Colorado Boulder
OP-5: Building Energy Consumption

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.17 / 6.00 Ellen Edwards
Energy Manager
Facilities Management and Energy
"---" 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 517,670 MMBtu 447,923 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site renewables 5,115 MMBtu 0 MMBtu
District steam/hot water (sourced from offsite) 389,214 MMBtu 578,657 MMBtu
Energy from all other sources (e.g., natural gas, fuel oil, propane/LPG, district chilled water, coal/coke, biomass) 154,910 MMBtu 102,658 MMBtu
Total 1,066,909 MMBtu 1,129,238 MMBtu

Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or 3-year periods):
Start Date End Date
Performance Year July 1, 2015 June 30, 2016
Baseline Year July 1, 2005 June 30, 2006

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):
The baseline year was chosen to be consistent with the Governor's Executive Orders in 2006.

Gross floor area of building space:
Performance Year Baseline Year
Gross floor area of building space 11,824,622 Gross square feet 9,007,607 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 0.09 MMBtu per square foot 0.13 MMBtu per square foot
Source energy 0.19 MMBtu per square foot 0.24 MMBtu per square foot

Percentage reduction in total building energy consumption (source energy) per unit of floor area from baseline:
22.13

Part 2 

Degree days, performance year (base 65 °F / 18 °C):
Degree days (see help icon above)
Heating degree days 5,548 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 1,063 Degree-Days (°F)

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor Area
Laboratory space 2,332,798 Square feet
Healthcare space 55,738 Square feet
Other energy intensive space

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
16,688,015 Gross square feet

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

Optional Fields 

Documentation (e.g. spreadsheet or utility records) 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 (e.g. outreach and education efforts):
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A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution (e.g. building temperature standards, occupancy and vacancy sensors):
Our Building Automation System (BAS) closely matches our buildings' operational schedule with HVAC operation, activating temperature setbacks after hours. Some buildings, for example our ARCE office tower building, goes beyond temperature setbacks to completely turn off chiller during unoccupied hours.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
We have been using LED technology for underground parking illumination as well outdoor lighting with solar-powered LED. Some new renovations are incorporating LED luminaires in office and workspace settings. For example, the new Center for Community building utilizes LED lights in the entire underground parking structure as well as many of the fixtures in the building.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
Daylighting and passive solar heating are design elements employed in appropriate facilities.

A brief description of co-generation employed by the institution, e.g. combined heat and power (CHP):
The UCB campus benefits from an on-site natural gas fired co-generation of electricity, steam, and chilled water. Currently 100% of the steam and chilled water generated on campus is by Cogen. Prior to 2005, Cogen produced a significant amount of electricity for the campus. Increases in natural gas prices led to the reduction in electricity production by Cogen.

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):
http://www.colorado.edu/sustainability

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.