| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.44 |
| Liaison | Bradley Flamm |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2022 |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
OP-5: Building Energy Efficiency
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
4.57 / 6.00 |
Bradley
Flamm Director of Sustainability Office of the President |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1. Site energy use per unit of floor area
Performance year energy consumption
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 36,086,800 Kilowatt-hours | 123,128.16 MMBtu |
| Electricity from on-site, non-combustion facilities/devices (e.g., renewable energy systems) | 25,441 Kilowatt-hours | 86.80 MMBtu |
Stationary fuels and thermal energy, performance year (report MMBtu):
| MMBtu | |
| Stationary fuels used on-site to generate electricity and/or thermal energy | 89,005 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, performance year:
212,219.97
MMBtu
Performance year building space
3,984,618
Gross square feet
Floor area of energy intensive space, performance year:
| Floor area | |
| Laboratory space | 79,201 Square feet |
| Healthcare space | 13,193 Square feet |
| Other energy intensive space | 21,667 Square feet |
EUI-adjusted floor area, performance year:
4,191,073
Gross square feet
Performance year heating and cooling degree days
| Degree days | |
| Heating degree days | 5,352 Degree-Days (°F) |
| Cooling degree days | 1,106 Degree-Days (°F) |
Total degree days, performance year:
6,458
Degree-Days (°F)
Performance period
| Start date | End date | |
| Performance period | July 1, 2020 | June 30, 2021 |
Metric used in scoring for Part 1
7.84
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.
| kWh | MMBtu | |
| Imported electricity | 35,061,801 Kilowatt-hours | 119,630.87 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 | 178,663 MMBtu |
| Imported steam, hot water, and/or chilled water | 0 MMBtu |
Total site energy consumption, baseline year:
298,293.87
MMBtu
Baseline year building space
3,398,494
Gross square feet
Baseline period
| Start date | End date | |
| Baseline period | July 1, 2011 | June 30, 2012 |
A brief description of when and why the energy consumption baseline was adopted:
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Source energy
3
Total energy consumption per unit of floor area:
| Site energy | Source energy | |
| Performance year | 0.05 MMBtu per square foot | 0.12 MMBtu per square foot |
| Baseline year | 0.09 MMBtu per square foot | 0.16 MMBtu per square foot |
Metric used in scoring for Part 2
27.26
Optional Fields
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency:
The university's voluntary Green Office Program (https://www.wcupa.edu/Sustainability/greenoffice.aspx) provides information to staff members on energy efficiency practices. The Sustainability Peer Educators program (https://www.wcupa.edu/Sustainability/spe.aspx) in Spring 2022 is for the first time at WCU initiating an inter-residence hall energy conservation competition.
A brief description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution:
WCU uses a web based digital control HVAC management system. Room climate is determined by room schedules and occupancy. There is a night set-back for all the buildings that are digitally controlled
A brief description of Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies employed by the institution:
WCU uses LED lighting in fixtures. We have eliminated all of the inefficient old T-12 fluorescent lamps and standard ballasts. These have been replaced with T-8 lamps and in some cases T-5 lamps. We use energy efficient electronic ballasts.
A brief description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies employed by the institution:
In Spring 2022 52% of campus building space is heated and cooled via geo-exchange heating and cooling systems. The campus geo-exchange system was initially proposed in 2007 as a means of replacing the coal-fired steam plant and electric chillers on-campus. The district geothermal system currently involves 12 buildings:
Francis Harvey Green Library
Business and Public Management Center
Mitchell Hall
Student Recreation Center
Recitation
Ruby Jones
Anderson Hall
Hollinger Field House
Wayne Hall
and the residence halls Allegheny, Commonwealth, and Brandywine.
The President's House (Tanglewood), 25 University, the E.O. Bull Center, and the Village and Village East Apartments use individual geothermal systems separate from the main district geothermal connections. There are 887 wells (as of 2/29/20) with an anticipated total of over 1,000.
The geothermal system runs by removing excess heat from inside buildings, accumulated by body mass and solar energy, and storing it in below-ground water wells. Due to the high specific heat of water, this heat can be stored as energy so that when heating needs are required on cooler days the automatic, remote computer system will pump the stored heat back into the building.
Francis Harvey Green Library
Business and Public Management Center
Mitchell Hall
Student Recreation Center
Recitation
Ruby Jones
Anderson Hall
Hollinger Field House
Wayne Hall
and the residence halls Allegheny, Commonwealth, and Brandywine.
The President's House (Tanglewood), 25 University, the E.O. Bull Center, and the Village and Village East Apartments use individual geothermal systems separate from the main district geothermal connections. There are 887 wells (as of 2/29/20) with an anticipated total of over 1,000.
The geothermal system runs by removing excess heat from inside buildings, accumulated by body mass and solar energy, and storing it in below-ground water wells. Due to the high specific heat of water, this heat can be stored as energy so that when heating needs are required on cooler days the automatic, remote computer system will pump the stored heat back into the building.
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:
West Chester University completed an initial 15-year guaranteed energy savings agreement in 2019 and is considering the development of a second to extend into the future. These agreements have involved lighting improvements, controls upgrades, water conservation, HVAC system improvements, and other measures.
Website URL where information about the institution’s energy conservation and efficiency program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data provided by WCU Energy Manager, John Lattanze (jlattanze@wcupa.edu), and WCU Exec Dir of Facilities Design and Construction, Patrick Brunner, in 2018. Updated with current energy data for FY 2021 in February 2022 by Bradley Flamm.
NOTE: Fiscal Year 2021 was an extraordinary year in terms of energy use because of the COVID-19 pandemic campus closure. Only essential staff worked on campus during the entire fiscal year and building temperatures and lighting were adjusted for the very low occupancy. Though we expect energy consumption to rise again in Fiscal Year 2022 to accommodate the Fall 2021 return to campus of students and employees, we want to document the changes occasioned by the very out-of-the-ordinary year of July 2020 to June 2021.
NOTE: Fiscal Year 2021 was an extraordinary year in terms of energy use because of the COVID-19 pandemic campus closure. Only essential staff worked on campus during the entire fiscal year and building temperatures and lighting were adjusted for the very low occupancy. Though we expect energy consumption to rise again in Fiscal Year 2022 to accommodate the Fall 2021 return to campus of students and employees, we want to document the changes occasioned by the very out-of-the-ordinary year of July 2020 to June 2021.
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.