Energy Team

In response to President Spina signing "We Are Still In," the Hanley Sustainability Institute created a campus energy team with a goal of identifying and implementing large-scale clean energy solutions to reduce campus scope 1 and 2 emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025. This campus energy team, made up of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and facilities management staff, is determined to demonstrate that cost-effective clean energy solutions are not only possible, but also cost-effective.

PROJECTS

Our team conducted an energy audit on a campus building every 1-2 weeks, focusing on major energy users like air handlers, cooling units, boilers, and lighting, including large academic buildings, which make up nearly 60 percent of campus electricity usage. Other efforts included dorms and apartments, as well as athletics, making up around 20 percent and 10 percent of campus electricity, respectively. We used the Green Revolving Fund to implement our recommendations, and followed up by measuring and verifying savings.

RESULTS

The team identified energy savings opportunities in four academic buildings that can reduce the buildings’ electricity by 3.61 GWh and natural gas by 8,800 mmBTU, for an overall 23 percent reduction in emissions. That correlated to 3,212 metric tons of CO2, which is equivalent to taking about 347 homes off the grid or driving 7.9 million fewer vehicle miles each year. These recommendations had an estimated total implementation cost of $1,166,322 and annual savings of $235,046 for a simple payback of 5 years, and 10-year net present value of $648,637 with a 15 percent internal rate of return.

Download the Energy Team's latest report >>