Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.13
Liaison John Alejandro
Submission Date March 24, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of San Diego
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.64 / 6.00 Trey McDonald
Director of Sustainability and Energy Manager
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 22,885,145.40 Kilowatt-hours 78,084.12 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 1,547,883.05 Kilowatt-hours 5,281.38 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 64,314.33 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
147,679.82 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
3,330,288 Gross square feet

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 23,769 Square feet
Healthcare space 4,528 Square feet
Other energy intensive space 5,218 Square feet

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
3,392,100 Gross square feet

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 828 Degree-Days (°F)
Cooling degree days 1,219 Degree-Days (°F)

Total degree days, performance year:
2,047 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, 2018 June 30, 2019

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
21.27 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 32,570,962 Kilowatt-hours 111,132.12 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 97,885.50 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
209,017.62 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
2,835,336 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, 2009 June 30, 2010

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
The energy baseline is consistent with USD'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 0.04 MMBtu per square foot 0.09 MMBtu per square foot
Baseline year 0.07 MMBtu per square foot 0.15 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:
40.02

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:
Since 2010, the University has implemented a number of programs to help educate the community on energy consumption as part of the partnership with our local utility, SDG&E. Intentional outreach activities, including USD's Green Office Certification program, Vampire Energy Slayers initiative, and campus workshops about reducing energy consumption, contribute to this effort. USD also maintains a small program focused on reporting energy use at a room level to students living in one set of residence halls in the Alcala Vistas (the only individually metered units on campus). Efforts in this program have seen consumption drop by as much as 33% in the past competitions.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
More than 50% of the buildings on campus have HVAC services controlled by the Siemens building management system, which is currently being upgraded to the Desigo system. The chillers, and other plant can be controlled with time schedules, enabling AC and cooling/ heating to be turned down/ off outside hours. In 2018,the university created and implemented Temperature Standards that established temperature ranges and occupancy hours for campus buildings. Please see: https://www.sandiego.edu/sustainability/documents/USD%20Temperature%20Standards.pdf

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
LED lights are used for many outdoor safety and landscaping lights. They have also been deployed in newly-constructed buildings, including Mother Rosalie Hall (SOLES). Retrofits of older buildings have also begun, including in the Facilities Management complex, Copley Library, the Legal Research Center, and the SOLES parking garage. A comprehensive list of buildings, fixtures and potential savings from LED upgrades was compiled in 2018 as part of a Level 1 energy audit. This information will be used to inform the energy master plan that USD is creating to achieve climate neutrality by 2035.

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

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

A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace energy-consuming appliances, equipment, and systems with high efficiency alternatives:
As part of the SDG&E Partnership Program the university prioritizes this work. Since FY2010, USD has seen overall electrical consumption drop more than 8,700,000 kWh annually, in part due to retrocommissioning and efficiency programs. Specific tactics that have been deployed include HVAC tune-ups, installation of variable frequency drives, and replacement of pneumatic actuators with electric versions.

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:
Note - Case study date is 2013 (the date of the original completion of that document).

Degree days calculated from NOAA website information.

NOTE that part of the electrical production is from an on-site fuel cell controlled by a third party. This fuel cell utilizes natural gas as its fuel source.

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.