EYP and TWG commit to undertaking an energy efficiency benchmarking analysis of the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-B) and 12 other college and university campuses to provide them with reliable energy efficiency costs and savings data so they can reduce emissions through portfolio energy efficiency improvements.
In stage one, TWG will donate its B3 platform to CU-B in a demonstration pilot that shows the value of B3 as a tool for evaluating energy efficiency across diverse building portfolios. B3 has a database of over 12,000 buildings that creates a performance baseline for different building types. B3 compares the baseline to campus buildings by use, type, location, and climate to determine which buildings need upgrades. CU-B will collect the energy data needed for B3 analysis. B3 will identify the CU-B buildings with greatest energy savings potential to help CU-B prioritize energy efficiency in capital planning. EYP will also draft a white paper discussing how B3 improved CU-B decision-making, leveraging it to engage 12 other colleges and universities to utilize the B3 tool. EYP and partners will incentivize wider B3 implementation by sharing the case study through conferences, online platforms, and additional marketing to show their network of colleges, trade organizations, and others (Influencers) how B3 can enable easier and more impactful efficiency upgrade decision-making.
In stage two, EYP will identify financial and operational partners to create a one-stop solution (B3 One-Stop) for energy efficiency. B3 One-Stop will provide an integrated program with pre-approved financing and construction support for colleges to implement efficiency improvements recommended as a result of B3 analysis.
In stage three, EYP will partner with an online energy monitoring platform and one small and one large college to develop curriculum and co-curricular activities to teach students how reducing their energy use lowers GHG emissions.
In June, TWG will kick off the CU-B demonstration by assembling all stakeholders in the process. At this meeting TWG will confirm participants, determine the buildings to be benchmarked, and develop action items. Kick-off activities will be completed by 9/1/2015.
TWG will then benchmark the buildings identified, upload utility data and building characteristics into B3, and schedule four quarterly meetings to review the data and findings. Benchmarking will be completed by 9/1/2016. By 10/1/2016 CU-B will use the B3 data to determine the best intervention points across CU-Bs building portfolio to improve energy performance.
By 11/1/2016, EYP will have identified partners for B3-One Stop and CU-B can use those partners or identify their own providers. If CU-B or any of the other 12 colleges and universities in the B3 program use non-B3 One-Stop providers, the colleges will agree to provide access to information on energy, water, fuel and financial savings.
By 11/1/2017 the energy improvements suggested by B3 and selected for implementation by CU-B will have been installed and measurement and verification of energy improvements developed and implemented.
From 11/2015 through 11/2017, EYP will develop the B3 demonstration white paper, to be presented at industry conferences. EYP, TWG and CU-B will also use their existing networks to identify 12 other colleges and universities to use B3 for energy efficiency project selection by 6/2017 and have projects identified for implementation by 6/2018.
By 6/2018, EYP will identify an online energy monitoring platform partner and a curriculum partner at one large and one small college, to develop curriculum to teach students how energy efficiency reduces GHG and how the students behavior impacts energy use. EYP will actively engage with Influencers, both within and outside its existing networks, to deliver curriculum and co-curriculum content to students by the first semester of 2018.
According to a 2011 study in the Journal of Cleaner Production, over 40 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. are caused by energy use in buildings. Average emissions from colleges and universities are estimated to be more than 160,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, and reducing energy consumption at colleges and universities could result in a measurable reduction of about 1.8 percent of annual GHG emissions.
Competing priorities on college campuses often deflect attention from energy efficiency, even if projects may save the institution money. The Weidt Group (TWG) has developed a software platformBuildings, Benchmarks, and Beyond (B3)that helps colleges and universities prioritize energy savings in their capital planning by providing them reliable data on what projects will result in energy and dollar savings.
Determining where energy efficiency investment will be most impactful on college and university campuses is challenging because the building portfolios are large and uniquely configured. Ranking projects based on the buildings that save the most energy at an affordable cost is difficult when considering a diverse portfolio of buildings, because higher relative energy use does not mean a building is inefficient. For example, a science building with sophisticated equipment and air handling needs always uses more energy than a residence hall. Because certain buildings inherently use more energy than others, it is difficult for a college or university to know which building is efficient based solely on energy consumption. TWGs software platform, B3, helps colleges and universities obtain reliable data on what projects on a campus or in a building are likely to result in the greatest energy savings.
