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.

2541 resources

UVA Clark Hall Delta Force Renovations

  • University of Virginia (VA)

The University of Virginia's Office of Sustainability within the Facilities Management department developed and currently runs the Delta Force Initiative, an internal performance contracting program. that increases energy efficiency ...


Creating a Culture of Sustainability Through Energy Conservation at Abilene Christian University

  • Abilene Christian University (TX)

Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a diverse, welcoming, academically rigorous community redefining what it means to be a Christian university in the 21st century. Our faith-based education goes beyond academics ...


Generating Positive Community Energy with Millersville University's Zero Energy Lombardo Welcome Center

  • Millersville University (PA)

Millersville University leveraged the positive energy performance, utility rebates and cost savings associated with its new zero energy Lombardo Welcome Center to establish a fund that supports community engagement related ...


Starting a Sustainable Revolution in Campus Laboratories

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham (AL)

UAB Green Labs Program is an institution-wide, voluntary program designed to reduce the university’s environmental footprint while simultaneously reducing operating costs of research buildings. The program accomplishes its goals ...


Reducing Energy Waste via Occupant Behavior: The Role of the Individual in Climate Change Solutions

  • University of Colorado Boulder (CO)

This study aims to achieve energy waste reductions via the rewiring of human habits as opposed to using technology. In public spaces like university campuses, individuals often remove themselves from ...


An Economic Perspective on a Carbon Management Program at the University of Michigan

  • University of Michigan (MI)

The recent UN IPCC special report stated that, in order to stay at or below 1.5 degrees of warming, greenhouse gas emissions will need to be reduced by 45 ...


Solar PV as a mitigation strategy for the US education sector

  • Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (CA)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) is an important strategy to de-carbonize the energy sector in the United States and to reduce the health, environmental, and climate change damages associated with the production ...


A High Performance Campus Building at Ozyegin University

  • Ozyegin University
  • Fiba Holding
  • Fundacion Circe Centro De Investigacion De Recursos Y Consumos Energeticos (CIRCE)
  • DIRCO S.R.L.
  • SP Sveriges Tekniska Forskningsinstitut Ab (SP)
  • Vue Sur Mons S.A (VSM)
  • D´appolonia Spa (Dappo)
  • Acciona Infraestructuras S.A. (Acciona)
  • Université de Mons
  • Imprima Costruzioni Srl (Imprima)
  • Derome Hus Ab (Derome)
  • M5
  • Ingenieria Y Control Electronico, S.A. (Ingecon)
  • Bureau D'architectes Format D2 Sprl (FD2)
  • Intesasanpaolo Eurodesk S.P.R.L. (ISPE)
  • University of Zaragoza
  • Bg Mi̇marlik Müşavi̇rli̇k Li̇mi̇ted Şi̇rketi̇ (BDesign)

This AASHE application is about a high-performance energy-efficient sustainable building of The School of Foreign Languages (SCOLA) at the Ozyegin University (OzU) Campus as a sustainability initiative OzU has constructed ...


Founder, Students on Sustainability

  • University of Calgary (AB)

I founded Students on Sustainability, a student society at the University of Calgary that educates grade school students on sustainability topics linked to climate change, and supports student action projects ...


British Columbia (BC) Cool Campus Challenge

  • British Columbia Institute of Technology (BC)
  • University of British Columbia (BC)
  • Selkirk College (BC)
  • Thompson Rivers University (BC)
  • Simon Fraser University (BC)
  • University of British Columbia Okanagan (BC)

The BC Cool Campus Challenge (the Challenge) was launched in 2019 as a province-wide energy conservation challenge led by five post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, Canada. This was the first ...


San Bernardino Community College’s Journey to sustainability and achieving Zero Net Energy

  • Arup (NY)
  • San Bernardino Community College District (CA)

In San Bernardino Community College District (SBCC) pursuit to lead the journey in sustainability, SBCC committed itself back in 2010 to a “Sustainability Plan”. This commitment started at its Crafton ...


Mail and Courier Sustainability Project

  • University of Rochester (NY)

Patricia Van Valkenburgh, University of Rochester Class of 2019, developed, implemented, and completed an initiative to reduce gas emissions from the University Mail Services (UMS) mail fleet, which had recently ...


The Carleton Utility Master Plan: Transitioning a 100-year Legacy of Campus Steam to 21st Century Geothermal

  • Carleton College (MN)

The last time Carleton College made a major shift in its campus utilities was over 100 years ago with construction of the central plant in 1910. Before that, each building ...


Public Policy and Energy Resources (MPP/MS or MPP/MA)

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) offer a concurrent degree program that integrates the strengths of public policy analytical tools with the interdisciplinary ...

  • Posted May 13, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Energy and Resources (MA/MS)

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

The purpose of the ERG Master’s program is to educate the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders. Specifically, students are taught the range of methods and subjects they should be ...

  • Posted May 13, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Energy and Resources (PhD)

  • University of California, Berkeley (CA)

Energy and Resources Group (ERG) doctoral students work across disciplines and departments to create transformative knowledge for the planet and its people. As one of the first interdisciplinary programs in ...

  • Posted May 13, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Design and Life Cycle Cost of a Vertical Ground Source Heat Exchange System for the Smith College Field House

  • Smith College (MA)

Committed to becoming a carbon neutral campus by 2030, Smith College is transitioning towards geothermal energy for campus heating and cooling. Energy consultants have been hired to conduct an economic ...


Sustainability Demonstration House Project

  • Michigan Technological University (MI)

The goal of the Sustainability Demonstration House (SDH) project is to retrofit the former president’s residence, built in 1953, titled the Kettle-Gundlach Building, into a sustainability demonstration house. The ...


Development and evaluation of a method to estimate the potential of decarbonisation technologies deployment at higher education campuses

  • University of Limerick

This paper describes a method for the quantitative estimation of the potential of decarbonisation technologies deployed on Higher Education Campuses (HEC). This was developed to fill the need for a ...


Earth Day Fair at Northwestern University

  • Northwestern University (IL)

At the inaugural Earth Day Fair, the sustainNU team celebrated their ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award and shared how they conserve energy. Over 200 people attended the fair ...


Sustainable Energy (MEngSc)

  • University College Cork - National University of Ireland, Cork (Co. Cork)

UCC have developed a Masters in Engineering Science in Sustainable Energy, in recognition of the growing international market for sustainable energy systems and the shortage of qualified engineers. This programme ...

  • Posted May 5, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Financing and Deploying Clean Energy Certificate

  • Yale University (CT)

This online certificate aims to build students capacity in the areas of policy, finance, and clean technology.

The world urgently needs leaders with this combination of skills; in 2017, the ...

  • Posted May 5, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Energy and its Impacts (BA)

  • Syracuse University (NY)

Many of the issues facing humanity today center on energy: its supply, use, and impact on our environment. Energy and its Impacts is a 25-credit Integrated Learning Major that provides ...

  • Posted May 5, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Sustainable Energy Systems (SES) Certificate

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

Today, we face the grand challenge of meeting the energy needs of a growing population while minimizing the adverse effects of these technologies on the environment. The Sustainable Energy Systems ...

  • Posted May 5, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Ireland’s Transition towards a Low Carbon Society: The Leadership Role of Higher Education Institutions in Solar Photovoltaic Niche Development

  • University of Limerick

Ireland is currently considered a laggard within Europe in relation to decarbonisation of its society, with future projections estimating increases in greenhouse gas emissions up to and beyond 2030. To ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
  • Publications
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Piloting Sustainability in UVA Research Labs

  • University of Virginia (VA)

A one-year, comprehensive study in three campus research labs illustrates the benefits of small-scale infrastructural improvements paired with occupant engagement techniques . Lighting upgrades, equipment timers, and freezer set-points were targeted ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
  • Publications
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Sustainability Quest

  • University of Illinois Chicago (IL)

Students Hula hooped 64 rotations for the 64 geothermal wells on University of Illinois at Chicago's campus! This was one of four stops on the Sustainability Quest to spread ...

  • Posted April 29, 2019
  • Photographs
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Getting to Climate Neutrality: Does Bioenergy from Wood Help or Hurt?

  • Tufts University (MA)
  • University of Massachusetts Lowell (MA)
  • AASHE (PA)

Bioenergy has been declared a carbon neutral energy source by the US, EU, China, and other governments around the world. In alignment with these national policies, AASHE-STARS and other sustainability ...

  • Posted April 11, 2019
  • Videos & Webinars
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Aggregating Higher Education Demand for Renewables

  • APPA: Leadership in Educational Facilities (VA)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Coho Climate Advisors (MD)

Cohorts of colleges and universities are aggregating energy loads to achieve economies of scale when sourcing renewable energy. This article highlights the benefits of this aggregated approach by examining several ...

  • Posted April 4, 2019
  • Publications
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Parametric analysis for cost-optimal renewable energy integration into residential buildings: Techno-economic model

  • Illinois State University (IL)
  • Hanyang University

Determining the optimum penetration of renewable energy systems and their associated aggregated technical and economic benefits is a growing concern for both researchers and policy makers. The purpose of this ...

  • Posted March 31, 2019
  • Publications
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Examining the effect of an environmental social marketing intervention among university employees

  • University of Birmingham
  • Queen Mary University of London
  • University of Sheffield
  • Global Action Plan

This paper examines the impact of an environmental social marketing intervention on employees’ energy saving intentions in a higher education institution (HEI) in the UK. The study examines the influence ...

  • Posted March 30, 2019
  • Publications
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Potential of integrating power generation with solar thermal cooling to improve the energy efficiency in a university campus in Saudi Arabia

  • King Abdulaziz University

Along with the rapid ongoing developments and expansions of the King Abdulaziz University campus, it is sensible to rethink the way electrical and cooling energy is generated and to explore ...

  • Posted March 30, 2019
  • Publications
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Competing priorities: lessons in engaging students to achieve energy savings in universities

  • De Montfort University
  • Imperial College London
  • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

This paper aims to present findings from an EU-funded international student-led energy saving competition (SAVES) on a scale previously unseen. There are multiple accounts of short-term projects and energy saving ...

  • Posted March 4, 2019
  • Publications
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Hodgdon Hall Solar Panel Project

  • Tufts University (MA)

This project, spearheaded by the Tufts Energy Group, provides a real life educational experience to the campus community to learn about and use renewable energy in an accessible fashion. The ...

  • Posted March 1, 2019
  • Green Power Projects
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Harvard's Challenge: Institutional Green Power

  • Harvard University (MA)

This case study examines the options that Harvard University has for complying with one aspect of its Climate Action Plan, which was announced in February 2018. It specifically focuses on ...

  • Posted March 1, 2019
  • Case Studies
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Offsets and RECs: What's the Difference?

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)

In encouraging organizations to choose green power for their electricity, the Green Power Partnership frequently explains renewable energy certificates (RECs) - what they are, why they are needed for green power ...

  • Posted Feb. 25, 2019
  • Publications
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Sustainable Energy Certificate Program

  • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)

The Sustainable Energy Certificate is recognition for (a) completing a course of study that prepares you to evaluate the technical, political, economic, social, and environmental dimensions of deploying sustainable energy ...

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Sustainable Energy Minor

  • University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)

The Sustainable Energy Minor is a 21 credit minor which combines a foundational knowledge of economics, social sciences, and environmental sciences with more specific topics about sustainable energy and climate ...

  • Posted Feb. 13, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Solar Power Professional Certificate

  • Loyola Marymount University (CA)

In this online program, students will learn the fundamentals of photovoltaic "PV" solar powered energy systems, gaining the knowledge you'll need for an entry level position with a dealer ...

  • Posted Jan. 25, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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Climate Change & Energy Focus (BA in Human Ecology)

  • College of the Atlantic (ME)
  • Effectively advocating for renewable energy and implementing local projects require a range of knowledge and skills. The College of the Atlantic's interdisciplinary curriculum makes it possible to gain a ...

  • Posted Jan. 25, 2019
  • Academic Programs
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How to Prove ROI and Get Funding for an Energy Management Information System (EMIS)

  • Weber State University (UT)
  • AASHE (PA)
  • Atrius (CA)

Still on the fence about purchasing an Energy Management Information System to manage your university’s resource data? The time to act is now.

According to the U.S. Department ...

  • Posted Jan. 17, 2019
  • Videos & Webinars
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Reduce Peak Demand and Increase Grid Stability with On-Site Energy Storage

  • Austin Community College (TX)

SHINES, or Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar, is a three-year project focused on making solar energy cost-competitive with traditional energy sources. The goals of this project ...

  • Posted Dec. 21, 2018
  • Conference Presentations
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Transitioning to Renewables

  • Dallas County Community College District System Office (TX)

Each year, a transition to all-renewable sources of energy seems more feasible for colleges and universities. The Texas Higher Education Renewable Energy Consortium is a coalition of colleges committed to ...

  • Posted Dec. 21, 2018
  • Conference Presentations
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UT Austin Green Labs and Green Offices

  • University of Texas at Austin (TX)

The Green Offices and Green Labs initiative at University of Texas at Austin aims to transform campus workspaces into more eco-friendly environments. Improvements include reducing overall waste, implementation of collection ...

  • Posted Dec. 21, 2018
  • Conference Presentations
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Energy Studies Minor

  • San Diego State University (CA)

The CES coordinates the minor in energy studies offered at SDSU. This is an interdisciplinary minor that exposes students to a variety of topics in energy technology and policy. It ...

  • Posted Dec. 13, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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AASHE STARS Credits through ENERGY STAR®

  • AASHE (PA)
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)

Download this five-page guide for a summary of ENERGY STAR tools and resources that could be used to earn AASHE STARS credits (version 2.1, July 2017), including credit descriptions ...


Universities as Models of Sustainable Energy-Consuming Communities? Review of Selected Literature

  • Texas State University, San Marcos (TX)

Given the prominent position of academia in sustainability studies and sustainability science, it is natural to want to look to universities as models of (or keepers of knowledge about) sustainable ...

  • Posted Dec. 11, 2018
  • Publications
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Aggregating Higher Education Demand for Renewables: A Primer

  • AASHE (PA)
  • Edison Energy (CA)

Campuses are increasingly looking to renewable energy as the most financially attractive strategy for achieving dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions while reducing long-term energy costs and minimizing energy price ...


Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems Minor

  • University of Wisconsin-Platteville (WI)

The Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems Minor is designed to be a hands-on interdisciplinary program with an emphasis on the study of the economic, social, and environmental aspects of various ...

  • Posted Nov. 20, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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Sustainable and Renewable Energy Systems (BS)

  • University of Wisconsin-Platteville (WI)

The study of sustainability and renewable energy systems (SRES) addresses the concerns of world resources, including energy and renewable energy, and their social, economic, and environmental impacts.

The sustainability and ...

  • Posted Nov. 20, 2018
  • Academic Programs
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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

OP 6: Clean and Renewable Energy

Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.

Energy Partners