Energy
Introduction
For most institutions, energy consumption is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global climate change. Implementing conservation measures and switching to renewable sources of energy can help institutions save money and protect them from utility rate volatility. Renewable energy may be generated locally and allow campuses to support local economic development. Furthermore, institutions can help shape markets by creating demand for cleaner, renewable sources of energy.
Featured Resources
Latest News from AASHE Bulletin
New Resources
Embracing Sustainability at Alamo Colleges
- Alamo Community College District (TX)
Alamo Colleges is a network of five community colleges serving San Antonio, TX and surrounding areas. As a signatory in one of Second Nature's three Climate Leadership Commitments, Alamo Colleges …
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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The Deceptive Metric
- Kirksey Architecture (TX)
- This presentation will outline limitations that abound metrics like Energy Use Intensity and Noise Levels.
- Audience will understand how building codes can be leveraged to inform Sustainability Master Plans.
- This …
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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INhouse : a design|build project focused on collaboration, student engagement, and situational design
- California Polytechnic State University (CA)
INhouse was a net-zero residence designed by a collaborative Cal Poly San Luis Obispo team in response to the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015.
The Solar Decathlon is …
- Posted April 24, 2017
- Case Studies
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Leveraging Sub-Meter Data as Feedback to Engage Community Members and Save Energy on Shoestring Staffing and Funding
- Macalester College (MN)
- AASHE (MA)
Macalester College has leveraged no-cost and open-source solutions to provide feedback to community members while, simultaneously, informing facilities about energy-saving opportunities to further advance its sub-metering initiatives. Whether you find …
- Posted April 20, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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LED Light Bulbs at Yukon College
- Yukon University (YT)
inCharge exists to put some power back in your hands. Yukon’s two electrical utilities have come together to create the territory-wide inCharge program, offering electricity-saving rebates and incentives, Yukon-based research, …
- Posted April 20, 2017
- Photographs
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ConnecTable Team AASHE Earth Day Photo
- Sunbolt (PA)
The ConnecTable team with their new solar charging station model the Hub in front of headquarters in Willow Grove, PA.
- Posted April 17, 2017
- Photographs
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Empowering the New Energy Workforce: Best Practices for Campus Energy Education & Internships
- California State University, Bakersfield (CA)
- College of the Desert (CA)
- Skyline College (CA)
- Strategic Energy Innovations (CA)
- University of California, Merced (CA)
- AASHE (MA)
Hear first-hand from a diverse set of California colleges that are creating student internships and work-based learning opportunities to support energy and sustainability career pathways. This webinar highlights campus outcomes, …
- Posted April 17, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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How to Reduce Your School's Carbon Footprint – For Free!
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
- AASHE (MA)
- TerraPass (CA)
UCapture offsets users’ carbon footprint, for free, when they shop with 2000+ partners. Their platform harnesses the power of consumers to build the “cost of carbon” into every transaction – …
- Posted April 3, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Quantity and Electricity Consumption of Plug Load Equipment on a University Campus
- Stanford University (CA)
The percent of energy consumed by plug load equipment in commercial buildings is on the rise. Research conducted in the past has included surveying plug load equipment, measuring plug load …
- Posted April 3, 2017
- Publications
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Green Gigawatt Partnership: Reinventing Renewable Power Purchase Agreements for Higher Education
- AASHE (MA)
- Trio (CA)
The higher education renewable energy market has grown dramatically in recent years as campus buyers have executed power purchase agreements (PPAs). But for all of the successes, two substantial obstacles …
- Posted March 30, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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From Reactive to Proactive: Findings From Analyzing 400 School Buildings
- AASHE (MA)
- CopperTree Analytics (WA)
Facility teams are extremely busy, and have a growing workload that is tackled with resources that are spread increasingly thin. Automating even a small portion of their jobs can free …
- Posted March 21, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Do Green Buildings Outperform Conventional Buildings? Indoor Environment and Energy Performance in North American Offices
A comprehensive post-occupancy investigation of the performance of ìgreenî and ìconventionalî office buildings has been completed. The study included occupant surveys and physical building and energy use data collected from …
- Posted March 20, 2017
- Publications
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Texas A&M gets ‘gold’ rating for campus sustainability
- Texas A&M University (TX)
- AASHE (MA)
- Posted March 14, 2017
- Publications
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Large-Scale Renewables: The Next Chapter in Higher Education Sustainability Leadership
- Second Nature (MA)
- Coho Climate Advisors (MD)
Higher education is uniquely positioned to both expand and benefit from climate leadership. Many universities and colleges have substantially stepped up their commitments and efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). …
- Posted March 14, 2017
- Publications
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Renewable Energy 100: The Course to a Carbon-Free Campus
- Allegheny College (PA)
- Ball State University (IN)
- Butte College (CA)
- Georgetown University (DC)
- University at Albany (NY)
- University of Delaware (DE)
- University of Louisville (KY)
America’s institutions of higher education can play a crucial role in the fight to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. Colleges and universities across the country should aggressively deploy …
- Posted March 14, 2017
- Publications
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Sharing the Load: Aggregating Renewable Energy Purchases with Others
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- AASHE (MA)
- Coho Climate Advisors (MD)
The idea of pooling resources to increase bargaining power is not new. But it is being newly applied to renewable energy purchases. Now, no matter the size or location of …
- Posted March 9, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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SAVE Sustainable Actions Visible Effects
- Pomona College (CA)
Project Overview Pomona-College is excited to present their innovative partnership with MelRok, “The Streaming Energy Innovator”. This partnership is the foundation of Pomona’s SAVE, Sustainable Actions Visible Effects initiative to …
- Posted March 9, 2017
- Case Studies
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University of Chicago New Construction Procurement Case Study: Securing Your Investment in Sustainability
- University of Chicago (IL)
- Second Nature (MA)
- AASHE (MA)
- Seventhwave (WI)
Join AASHE and Second Nature for an in-depth look under the hood of the University of Chicago’s innovative procurement approach to establish a measurable energy performance requirement in their new …
- Posted March 7, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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AASHE Award Winner Webinar - Taking Carbon Off-Setting Beyond the Campus
- Furman University (SC)
- AASHE (MA)
This webinar tells the story of the Community Conservation Corps (CCC), a community weatherization program run through the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability at Furman University. The CCC was …
- Posted Feb. 23, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Plans and Living Practices for the Green Campus of Portland State University
- Portland State University (OR)
This study aims to comprehend Portland State University (PSU)’s green campus strategies, and students’ level of knowledge and living practices relating to green campus. PSU’s sustainable campus plan has been …
- Posted Feb. 21, 2017
- Publications
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Encouraging Revolving Door Usage in a Mixed-Use Building: The Influence of Visual Prompts and Descriptive Social Norms
- Lesley University (MA)
This field experiment investigated effects of a descriptive norms-based sign combined with five footprint sticker decal prompts directing individuals to help save energy by using a revolving door, as opposed …
- Posted Feb. 20, 2017
- Publications
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AASHE Award Winner Webinar - Developing Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation Strategies Through Student Research
- University of Houston (TX)
- University of Michigan (MI)
- AASHE (MA)
Student groups at the University of Houston and University of Michigan have developed strategies for energy efficiency and water conservation on campus through research.
At the University of Michigan, a …
- Posted Feb. 16, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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The State of Sustainability in Higher Education 2016: The Life Cycle of Higher Education Facilities
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- Gordian (SC)
Over the past two decades, colleges and universities have embraced numerous programs to minimize their environmental impact.
What were the “wins” for sustainability in higher education in 2016?
The annual …
- Posted Feb. 13, 2017
- Publications
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Green Gigawatt Partnership: How to Apply for AASHE's On Campus Solar Project Support
- AASHE (MA)
- Trio (CA)
- Dallas College (TX)
AASHE is offering cost-free support for up to five campuses (http://greengigawatt.org/aashe-campus-project.php) to develop and implement on-campus (or near campus) solar projects.This webinar presents how the program works and how to …
- Posted Feb. 9, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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Going green in architectural education: An urban living lab experiment for a graduation green design studio in Saint Catherine, Egypt
- Lund University
Given the current energy crises, recent efforts have been directed at bringing energy efficiency and environmental awareness across the board into architectural education in Egypt. Although interest in sustainable design …
- Posted Feb. 6, 2017
- Publications
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2015 National Solar Jobs Census
- George Washington University (DC)
The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2015 is the sixth annual update of current employment, trends, and projected growth in the U.S. solar industry. It found that the industry …
- Posted Feb. 1, 2017
- Publications
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Energy Efficiency Jobs in America
This report finds that energy efficiency is a massive employer with 1.9 million jobs nationwide and thousands of jobs in each and every state. The report, based on U.S. Bureau …
- Posted Jan. 30, 2017
- Publications
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Clean Jobs America: A comprehensive analysis of clean energy jobs in America
In this comprehensive analysis of clean energy and clean transportation jobs, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) finds that more than 2.5 million Americans now work in clean energy at businesses across all …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2017
- Publications
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The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America
- The Pew Charitable Trusts (DC)
Despite a lack of sustained policy attention and investment, the emerging clean energy economy has grown considerably - extending to all 50 states, engaging a wide variety of workers and …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2017
- Publications
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Case study for evaluating campus sustainability: nitrogen balance for the University of Minnesota
- Carleton College (MN)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
American ecologists recently began to address the ecology of cities. Concurrently, higher education institutions have developed sustainability education programs and instituted sustainability policies and projects. This paper draws together these …
- Posted Jan. 27, 2017
- Publications
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Should we quit our jobs? Challenges, barriers and recommendations for interdisciplinary energy research
- University of Southern California (CA)
- University College Dublin, National University of Ireland
Many plea for a better integration of social sciences in energy research, which would imply more comprehensive interdisciplinary energy research. We argue that in order to achieve this, institutional barriers …
- Posted Jan. 23, 2017
- Publications
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Energy challenges: isolating results due to behavior change
- Allegheny College (PA)
Purpose
Approximately 700 colleges and universities have committed to climate neutrality, which will require significant reductions in energy consumption. This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of an Annual Energy …
- Posted Jan. 18, 2017
- Publications
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1 kW Wind Turbine
- Bucknell University (PA)
In 2013, a 900 watt wind turbine was installed near the Center for Sustainability.
- Posted Jan. 11, 2017
- Green Power Projects
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Sustainability at Central Oregon Community College
- Central Oregon Community College (OR)
The paper of "Sustainable Development at Central Oregon Community College" was written to influence board members, faculty, and students who were enrolled or employed at the college to consider small …
- Posted Jan. 9, 2017
- Publications
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Colorado State University: A Midscale Market Solar Customer Case Study
- Colorado State University (CO)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (CO)
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology experienced an unprecedented level of investment and deployment between 2005 and 2015. Driven by rapidly falling module costs, high consumer demand, and targeted state and local …
- Posted Jan. 4, 2017
- Publications
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30 kW Rooftop Array: Golda Meir Library
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)
In addition to the energy conservation and green roof installation at Golda Meir, a larger solar pv system was also added into the project. Incorporating the pv panels into the …
- Posted Dec. 20, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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25 kW Rooftop Array: Accelerator Building at Innovation Campus
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)
As UW-Milwaukee expanded into Wauwatosa at Innovation Campus, the Accelerator Building, a collaborative research space, achieved LEED Silver with the solar photovoltaic system on its rooftop.
- Posted Dec. 20, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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10 kW Rooftop Array: Cambridge Commons
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (WI)
Solar panels are located on the 6-story core of the building. The installation was part of LEED Gold construction of the building.
- Posted Dec. 20, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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2 MW Solar Field (7 Acres)
- Weber State University (UT)
- SolarCity
Solar panels now cover nearly seven acres of land on the southeast side of the campus. The solar area is enclosed by a black mesh fence and lined with rows …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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1.3 MW Rooftop Array: West Campus
- Yale University (CT)
In partnership with a renewable energy firm, the University is installing an array of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels that will occupy over 350,000 square-feet of roof space at West Campus. …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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822 kW Arrays: Preus Library and Regents Center
- Luther College (IA)
During the fall of 2015 Luther College installed an additional 821.76 kW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power in three arrays on the main campus. The vast majority of this capacity …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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750 kW Solar Field: Long Lane
- Wesleyan University (CT)
In November 2016, Wesleyan celebrated the installation of a 750 kW-AC ground-mounted solar photovoltaic system, or solar farm, located near Physical Plant, at the corner of Long Lane and Wadsworth …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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547 kW Solar Photovoltaic Project
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
In spring and summer 2014, the university added a total of 379 kilowatts (kw) of solar on university-owned property throughout the region. Prior to this installation, the university had 33 …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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290 kW Rooftop Arrays: Coors Events Center 2
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
290 kW array installed in 2013 with an annual estimated production of 320,000 kWh
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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201 kW Ground Mount Array: West Side
- Western Nevada College (NV)
- Black Rock Solar (NV)
This 201 kW ground-mounted array was installed on the west side of the Western Nevada College campus in Carson City. The first renewable energy project for WNC is a source …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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200 kW Freeman Athletic Center
- Wesleyan University (CT)
The roof mounted array consists of 330 panels, which are capable of making 90 kW. The parking lot array has 396 panels capable of making 110 kW. In sum, the …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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180 kW Rooftop Array: Bristlecone Building
- Western Nevada College (NV)
- Black Rock Solar (NV)
Black Rock Solar has installed a fifth solar array for Western Nevada College – a 180-kW roof array on the Bristlecone Building. The latest 666 panels at the Carson City …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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143 kW Solar Farm (1.5 Acres)
- Middlebury College (VT)
At the urging of pioneering students, Middlebury has built a 143-kilowatt, 1.5-acre solar farm on Route 125, west of McCardell Bicentennial Hall. The 34 solar trackers on the farm are …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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131 kW Rooftop Array: Medical School Building
- University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (TX)
In an effort to reduce electric costs and expand ecologically-friendly practices on campus, Facilities Management installed a 131 Kw photovoltaic system on the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus …
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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106 kW Carport Arrays: Storm Nasatir Hall
- San Diego State University (CA)
- Sullivan Solar Power (CA)
The 106 kW photovoltaic canopy installation, installed by Sullivan Solar Power, generates enough energy to offset the building's utility bills to permit a savings of $28,560 a year.
- Posted Dec. 16, 2016
- Green Power Projects
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
OP 5: Building Energy Efficiency
- Total performance year site energy consumption per unit of floor area
- Total performance year source energy consumption per unit of floor area
- Percent reduction in total source energy consumption per unit of floor area from baseline
- Description of initiatives to shift individual attitudes and practices in regard to energy efficiency
- Description of energy use standards and controls employed by the institution
- Description of LED lighting and other energy-efficient lighting strategies
- Description of passive solar heating, geothermal systems, and related strategies
- Description of co-generation employed by the institution
- Description of initiatives to replace energy-consuming equipment with high efficiency alternatives
- Website URL - Energy conservation and efficiency program
OP 6: Clean and Renewable Energy
- Percent of total energy consumption from clean and renewable sources
- Website URL - Clean and renewable energy programs
- Percent of electricity from coal
- Percent of electricity from geothermal
- Percent of electricity from hydro
- Percent of electricity from natural gas
- Percent of electricity from nuclear energy
- Percent of electricity from solar photovoltaic
- Percent of electricity from wind
- Percent of electricity from wind
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.