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MARKET SECTORS > Colleges and Universities > Events > Webinars > Archive
Sustainable Energy Management in Colleges and Universities
Originally broadcast Tuesday, March 6, 2007 | 9:00AM—11:00AM (CST)
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Answers to the questions posted below are not direct transcriptions from the webinar. Additional information and resources are included.
I want to know more about the campus building mix, energy use by building type and energy use by campus. Do you have a reference where that information comes from?
Lee: The campus building mix is data from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. It is my personal data from when I worked there. The energy use by building type is from the University of Minnesota, from a presentation at the Big 10 and Friends Utility Conference 2004. The campus energy use is from a State of Illinois Report (PDF).
Where can the Presidents Climate Commitment document be found?
Tom: There are two places to view the Presidential Climate Commitment: www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org and www.aashe.org
How do I know whether my college or university has signed the Presidents Climate Commitment?
Tom: The American College and University Presidents Climate Control organization has an updated list on their web site listing all college and university presidents that have signed the Presidents Climate Commitment. To view the Presidents Climate Commitment document and to know whether your college or university has signed the document, please visit: www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/html/signatories.php
What information can be found on the AASHE web site and how do I access this information?
Tom: On the AASHE web site there are many available resources targeting energy conservation on college and university campuses. Some of the information is available to everyone, while other information is available to members only. If your college or university is an AASHE member, then anyone from that college or university has access to the resources on the AASHE web site at www.aashe.org, provided that their email address originates from that college or university's domain.
If a department generates savings for their college or university, how easy is it to keep the savings within that particular department, rather than have the savings enter the general coffers of the college or university?
Lee: It's not easy, it is the bane of energy efficiency in large organizations. Departments or individuals are often fighting a trenched organization that has been around for decades with personalities that are not interested in the concept of change. This concept requires a commitment from the top down, as fighting from the bottom up will often result in little or no change. Unfortunately, there is no generalized solution; they are all specific to the particular organization.
State universities are primarily funded with non-state funds. Research professors make their buying decisions (airfare, lab equipment, etc.) out of "their" grants that they have won through competitive processes or that were awarded by private companies. How much control does a university have over the spending of a professor's grants? How does one direct these grants to spending that is responsible from an energy point of view?
Lee: It is possible to affect some of the purchasing, in particular, standardized equipment. It is difficult though to regulate the purchasing of unusual laboratory equipment. At a campus I previously worked on, there was a change to the Campus Administrative Manual that made it possible to set up facilities standards for laboratory equipment purchased by professors, just as if they applied to building a new building. There were some regulations to that purchased equipment, but it is difficult to make generalized statements towards unusual equipment. Energy consumption from this type of equipment, while somewhat significant, should not be of great concern during the first round or two. These savings would be dwarfed by energy consumption of equipment that one could impact which is typically managed centrally by facilities personnel and others. Again, savings through unusual types of equipment should not be of great concern unless the college or university has become so efficient that there are no other opportunities.
Tom: It is important to recognize that professors who receive grants must pay a portion of their grant funds into the university's overhead. The percentage that is paid out of the grant is negotiated typically between the university and federal granting agencies. At most universities, the overhead rate is typically determined through negotiations between the National Institutes of Health and the university. I don't see a reason why universities can not allocate some money to energy conservation projects, especially to laboratories, which are huge energy consumers. These decisions are made at the highest level of a university and have to be negotiated with the federal granting agencies.
Could an example of an incentive program for O&M staff be provided?
Lee: One example of an incentive program for O&M staff is the US Army and their Rewarding Ideas Program at Army facilities.
A second example is in Mericopa County, Arizona, and their Facilities Management Department. O&M personnel would submit ideas in a standard format and if their ideas were feasible and generated savings, those personnel would receive a certain percentage of the first year's savings, typically 10-20% in a cash award. Many good ideas were generated and many staff members received cash awards. The O&M personnel were in competition with each other to find the best ideas.
When investigating incentive programs for O&M staff, look at existing programs. If you implement such a program, make sure the program is implemented and followed through. When offering incentives and/or awards, it tends to generate excitement within the O&M staff very quickly.
Will the presentations be available online?
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Is the lecture available for an iPod?
Yes, log into the registered area of this site to retrieve an MP3 for each presentation. (Note: New users need to register before accessing this area of the site.)
Are there mechanisms for redistributing energy savings back to users when budget allocations are at the state level?
Lee: That's a very difficult question because there is quite a gulf between the savings and the saver; it's actually split by organization. The only solution that I've seen at some campuses is advocating to move the energy budget from the state down to the campus level.
Tom: There is a problem for state universities when they have to go to the legislature for capital budgets for new construction or major retrofits. If the extra upfront costs are added in for energy conservation programs (i.e. LEED building), it may be difficult to persuade the legislature to provide the extra funding in the capital budgets, even though the savings and operating budget could be proven to pay back very quickly. This is due to the fact the money is allocated from different sources, representing an institutional challenge for state universities.
Will the Midwest Buildings Technology Application Center (MBTAC) provide case studies of applications that worked as well as those that have failed?
John: Yes, this web site will feature case studies for projects that have been both successful and those with lessons learned. These case studies can be found in the online library section of this site.
On a companion web site, the Midwest CHP Application Center (DOE program also managed by UIC) hosts 40+ two page project profiles on CHP installations. These project profiles can be viewed at www.chpcentermw.org/15-00_profiles.html#colleges. Similar Project Profiles will be developed for the MBTAC web site on energy efficiency technologies and practices in commercial and institutional facilities.
Can you provide any recommendations on software packages to track accountability for energy savings?
Lee: These are not recommendations, but a list of four enterprise energy management (EEM) software systems that I am aware of. For more EEM software systems, Google "enterprise energy management systems."
What is Enterprise Energy Management?
An EEM system can be thought of as a layer of energy I.T. (information technology) that rides atop a company's entire collection of energy assets. It is a permanently installed system, running 24 hours a day, that provides all the information and control capabilities necessary to enable management, accounting, engineering, and maintenance personnel to make the best decisions, and to take proactive control of energy assets, throughout their entire enterprise. (See National Energy Consultants)
What are 10 ways to Reduce Energy Costs by using an EEM?
- Catch utility billing errors.
- Ensure adequate compensation for tenant energy use.
- Allocate costs to cost centers or activities.
- Aggregate enterprise-wide energy use to help negotiate bulk purchases.
- Manage loads or processes to reduce overall energy consumption.
- Enable involvement in demand response or load curtailment programs.
- Avoid utility penalties on your energy bill.
- Optimize asset use to reduce maintenance and extend equipment life.
- Manage on-site generation.
- Leverage the Internet and wireless to meter key points and keep informed.
(See Buildings - The Source for Facilities Decision-Makers magazine)
Additional resources:
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Tom Kimmerer, Ph.D.