| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.42 |
| Liaison | Austin Sutherland |
| Submission Date | Feb. 18, 2025 |
University of Pennsylvania
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.88 / 6.00 |
Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area
Performance year energy consumption
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 284,051,141 Kilowatt-hours | 969,182.49 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 0 Kilowatt-hours | 0 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 0 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 1,360,117.18 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
Performance year building space
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 1,223,512 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 84,371 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 1,258,114 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
Performance year heating and cooling degree days
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 3,929 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 1,608 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
Performance period
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | July 1, 2022 | June 30, 2023 |
Metric used in scoring for Part 1
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.
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 318,979,612 Kilowatt-hours | 1,088,358.44 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 | 0 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 1,152,990 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
Baseline year building space
Baseline 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:
This the first year of comprehensive GHG data collection. Additionally, this aligns with the first year of first Univeristy's Climate Action Plan (CAP).
Source energy
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.13 MMBtu per square foot | 0.25 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.17 MMBtu per square foot | 0.33 MMBtu per square foot |
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
Optional Fields
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency:
Penn's Office of Sustainability, in partnership with numerous Penn community members, runs a number of behavior change programs with the goal of shifting attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency. Programs throughout the year include: "ReThink Your Footprint," "Power Down," the "ULT Freezer Rebate," "Green Living Certification," "Green Office Certification," the "Green Labs" program, the "Penn Labs Freezer Challenge," and many others.
One initiative with a large impact is the the "Power Down" campaign. Every year, Power Down empowers members of the Penn community to reduce their energy consumption and deepen their understanding of energy issues. Penn Sustainability and campus partners join together for educational events and programs about energy consumption, reduction, and innovation.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
Buildings are managed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year from Penn's Operations Control Center using a central Building Management System (BMS) system, allowing operators to detect faults or irregularities in building energy use compared with historical building performance. The system also is used to program setbacks to specific building systems (such as air handling units) to be initiated during times of peak energy use or unoccupied periods.
The SCADA BMS system has approximately 201,500 data points across campus buildings. Newer buildings have a greater number of data points as technology has developed and made installation and monitoring of points easier. In the past few years, Penn has worked to install building level sub-meters to campus buildings and tie their energy use into the SCADA system. This tie-in will help Penn's operations and engineering team better understand building level energy use and address issues quickly.
AirCuity demand ventilation systems are standard for all laboratory and vivarium buildings at Penn, in addition to numerous public and assembly spaces across campus.
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
The Penn standard for all exterior pedestrian and security lighting, including on Penn’s primary public walkways and at city streets, is LED fixtures. Facilities and Real Estate Services installs LED technology in most buildings and exterior areas across campus as replacement lights where appropriate. Many lighting projects have been completed using rebates through the local utility company (PECO Energy), which are submitted routinely by facilities staff.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
The only geothermal system in place within the University of Pennsylvania System is located at the Morris Arboretum, which is not included in the boundary of the University, as defined by the STARS report.
The Morris Arboretum Horticulture Center, a 20,840-square foot facility that provides work space for the Arboretum’s horticulture, public programs, and facility staff, is heated and cooled using a ground source heat pump, using only about 1/4 the energy of a typical boiler/air conditioning system. Over 30 heat exchange wells are drilled under parking facilities and nearby open fields to supply the thermal source for the system. The “green” elements of the Horticulture Center provide unique opportunities to educate the public about the importance of protecting our natural resources. See http://www.morrisarboretum.org/hort_center.shtml
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:
The Penn "Century Bond" program was developed to accelerate building renovation programs. After a rigorous analysis of Penn buildings and building systems, $197M worth of funds raised through bond sales are being applied towards projects in which energy conservation and deferred maintenance converge - typically deep-energy retrofits and lighting upgrades. Energy savings from the projects are used by the school to pay back the bond interest. The funding for the projects are internally structured, to enable the use of the funds multiple times throughout the 100 year term of the bond. In the first phase, 45 buildings received new high-efficiency lighting, and 10 large buildings are being renovated. More information at: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/record-setting-century-bond
To optimize Penn's chilled water/air conditioning systems, Penn's chiller plants refrigerate the system cooling water stored in the 10+ miles of underground piping, at night when energy costs are low to provide daytime cooling capacity, reducing Penn's overall energy use and its burden on the regional electrical grid and saving money. In addition, Penn operates an ice storage tank, which freezes at night, to further reduce daytime cooling costs. In 2017, the chilled water plant capacity was expanded by 10,000 tons with the addition of two new steam-driven chillers and associated cooling towers.
Penn participates in a number of energy reduction and sustainability focuses programs. The "Ultra-Low Temperature (ULT) Freezer Efficiency Program" was established in 2015 to reduce the number of old and under-utilized freezers and incentivize the purchase of highly efficient ULT freezers, thereby reducing energy use and saving money. To date, this program has helped replace or eliminate 215 freezers on campus. This program is funded by the Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services and jointly administered by the Sustainability Office and Penn Purchasing. The ULT Freezer Efficiency Program includes incentives for both recycling existing freezers and purchasing new freezers.
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:
While stationary fuels are included in the GHG footprint, they are not used to generate electricity and/or thermal energy. It is sourced with natural gas and is only used for emergency generators, pottery kilns, remaining gas fireplaces, and Bunsen burners.
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.