Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.99
Liaison Mary-Lee Townsend
Submission Date Oct. 20, 2021

STARS v2.2

Western University
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.34 / 6.00 Evan Green
Energy and Carbon Manager
Office of 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 141,502,000 Kilowatt-hours 482,804.82 MMBtu
Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) 104,000 Kilowatt-hours 354.85 MMBtu

Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
MMBtu
Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy 972,165 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, performance year:
1,455,324.67 MMBtu

Performance year building space

Gross floor area of building space, performance year:
875,755.57 Gross square meters

Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
Floor area
Laboratory space 86,771 Square meters
Healthcare space 0 Square meters
Other energy intensive space 188,747.45 Square meters

EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
1,238,044.49 Gross square meters

Performance year heating and cooling degree days 

Degree days, performance year:
Degree days
Heating degree days 3,220 Degree-Days (°C)
Cooling degree days 978 Degree-Days (°C)

Total degree days, performance year:
4,198 Degree-Days (°C)

Performance period

Start and end dates of the performance year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Performance period Jan. 1, 2014 Dec. 31, 2019

Metric used in scoring for Part 1

Total site energy consumption per unit of EUI-adjusted floor area per degree day, performance year:
86.43 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 155,902,086 Kilowatt-hours 531,937.92 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 970,975 MMBtu
Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water 0 MMBtu

Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
1,502,912.92 MMBtu

Baseline year building space

Gross floor area of building space, baseline year:
652,324 Gross square meters

Baseline period

Start and end dates of the baseline year (or 3-year period):
Start date End date
Baseline period Jan. 1, 2015 Dec. 31, 2015

A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
To match federal GH reduction commitments

Source energy

Source-site ratio for imported electricity:
2

Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
Site energy Source energy
Performance year 1.66 MMBtu per square meter 2.21 MMBtu per square meter
Baseline year 2.30 MMBtu per square meter 3.12 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:
29.05

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:
Engagement campaigns to ensure the community understands the impact of their personal decisions. Student-driven competitions to reduce energy consumption in residences.

A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
New construction and renovations projects are designed to accommodate low temperature hot water to minimize GHG impact.

A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
All new/renovation projects require LEDs as part of the project specification. Large and special-use areas are targetted for lighting retrofits and smaller areas are updated with renewal.

A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
a) Passive solar heating: New constructions are designed to balance solar exposure and thermal energy performance. New buildings are also equipped with blinds, to limit the solar exposure during summer months, while still allowing light into the buildings.
b) Our newest building was designed with photosensitive windows, which will automatically adjust their tint based on date and time, as well as weather.

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:
A program was completed in 2020, which including a raffle, to replace vintage research grade ultrafreezers with high efficiency models.

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.