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
Ten Years and Counting: Navigating the First Decade of Utility-Scale Campus Wind Turbine Operation
- Carleton College (MN)
- St. Olaf College (MN)
For a town of just over 20,000 people, it's thrilling to see three utility-scale wind turbines on the Northfield, MN horizon. Carleton College installed its first wind turbine - a …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Reimagining the 21st Century Research Library
- BNIM Architects (MO)
- Introba (CA)
The university is transforming; the ivory tower is shifting towards a porous campus. How do you transform a library of books into a trans-disciplinary hub for collaboration and innovation? As …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engaging Students in Energy Reduction - on and off campus
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
At CU boulder, Residence Life and the Environmental Center are working together to provide all our students with what that they need to practice energy efficiency at home – whether …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Setting Building Energy Use Goals: Tracking Climate Action Plan targets and successes
- Ball State University (IN)
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
- Stanford University (CA)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (TN)
This panel discussion will share the experience of three campuses in setting energy use goals for campus facilities. As energy and sustainability managers, the presenters will share their approaches to …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Educating Energy Professionals of the Future
- The Ohio State University (OH)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Xcel Energy
What's needed in our programs to educate future energy leaders? How will the gap of 50% of the utility workforce retiring in the next decade be filled? How can women …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Measuring and Addressing Impacts of Campus Oil and Gas Consumption
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
- Equitable Origin (NY)
Calculation and offsetting of campus carbon emissions are valuable tools to educate students about their contributions to GHG emissions and climate change. However, the external costs of oil and gas …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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How an ESCO Brought a 'Just in Time' Sustainability Teaching Opportunity to NMSU's 'Conservation and Modernization' project
- New Mexico State University (NM)
- Ameresco, Inc. (MA)
The 'Conservation and Modernization' project at New Mexico State University is about sustainability education on all levels for campus occupants while doing the tough work of mechanical upgrades and lighting …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Net Zero Energy: The Growing National Landscape + Profiles from Three Institutions
- Cornell University (NY)
- Washington University in St. Louis (MO)
- Sasaki Associates, Inc. (MA)
Net zero energy (NZE) buildings are becoming more prevalent through advancements in design, construction, technology, and building operations. The last five years have been a significant period of growth, with …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Renewable and Carbon Free: Aiming for net zero energy and net zero greenhouse gas
- University of California, Merced (CA)
Since Campus opened in 2005, UC Merced has demonstrated success in everything from green building to energy efficiency to waste diversion. These successes combined with what we have learned has …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Tools for Sustainability Master Plans: Key Performance Indicators & Campus Investments
- Kirksey Architecture (TX)
A rapid growth of STARS in last decade has established Sustainability Master Plans (SMPs) at over 300 universities nationwide. SMPs are using metrics like 'Energy Use Intensity', '% total expenditures' …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond Boundaries in Oberlin, Ohio: College and Community Collaboration for Developing Sustainable and Resilient Energy Systems
- Oberlin College (OH)
What does it mean to be a leader and create transformational change in a community and beyond? This is the profound experiment happening in Oberlin, Ohio. Here, we are daring …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Driving Energy Efficiency through Higher Education Collaboration
- Heartland Community College (IL)
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
- Rocky Mountain Institute (CO)
- APTIM (IL)
Alliance to Retrofit Chicago Higher Ed (ARCH) brings together higher education institutions in the Chicago area to share best practices and lessons learned around expanding efficiency in existing buildings and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Zero Net Energy Tiny Houses: A Campus Sustainable Housing Solution
- University of California, Berkeley (CA)
The THIMBY (Tiny House in My Backyard) Student Group from UC Berkeley will be presenting on the design process of building a pilot, zero net energy tiny house on a …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Green and Sustainable Energy Systems
- Kent State University (OH)
A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power system technology is one of the greenest and sustainable energy technologies that tackle the global energy-environmental challenges. In the U.S., approximately 70% of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Combined Heat and Power: Bridge to a Carbon Neutral Future
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Universities and colleges often use district energy systems to supply heat to campus buildings. Most of these systems are fossil fueled and comprise a significant percentage of an institution's carbon …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Strategic Energy & Utility Strategies
- Saint Louis University (MO)
Saint Louis University (SLU) is motivated to work towards sustainable energy solutions and committed to the reduction of energy consumption. The Division of Facilities Services has recognized this need and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The Solar Endowment: A PV Investment Roadmap for US Universities
- Illinois State University (IL)
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
- Missouri University of Science and Technology (MO)
- Purdue University (IN)
- Midwest Renewable Energy Association (WI)
US colleges and universities are currently in a position to make substantial solar project investments on their campuses and associated properties. With the near nationwide adoption of the Prudent Management …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Getting it Done - Removing Roadblocks to Renewables
- George Washington University (DC)
- Michigan State University (MI)
- Second Nature (MA)
- Coho Climate Advisors (MD)
This interactive, problem solving workshop will explore and highlight solutions to overcome bottlenecks to implementing large scale renewable projects for your university. We will delve into internal as well as …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Ramping Up Renewables in Higher Education
- Cornell University (NY)
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
- Trio (CA)
You are responsible for managing your institution's energy-related emissions and costs: You may have implemented on-campus projects or have aspirations to do so. Maybe you are buying unbundled Renewable Energy …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Institutional Performance Energy Optimization: How a Management Model and Skilled Workforce Embed Efficiency
- University of California, Irvine (CA)
- ICF International (VA)
- United States Department of Energy (DC)
University of California, Irvine has achieved 23% energy savings over 5 years, the 20% goal of U.S. Department of Energy's Better Buildings Challenge, 7 years early. The Smart Labs program …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Students Powering the Energy Transition
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
How can students make a positive impact on public policy and decision makers to help our energy system transition to a sustainable future? Ellen Anderson, former energy advisor to Governor …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Renewable Energy Workshop: Design Your Plan
- Boston University (MA)
- Trio (CA)
This is an interactive, working session that will help attendees: 1. Identify the key issues to consider re: renewable energy and their institutions, including product configurations and financing options; 2. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Developing Energy Management Programs for a More Sustainable Campus
- California State University, Dominguez Hills (CA)
- Enlighted Inc. (CA)
In 2012, California State University Dominguez Hills' Central Plant Manager, Kenny Seeton, was tasked with finding a way to limit energy expenditures on campus in order to meet the university's …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Deploying On-Site Renewable Energy Generation at Colleges and Universities: A Guide to What You Need to Know
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
- ERG Consulting Firm (MA)
Colleges and universities are increasingly deploying on-site renewable energy generation technologies to power their campuses. The drivers of this growth are the falling prices of renewable technologies and federal, state, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Achieving Ambitious Energy Goals on a University Campus
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (CO)
- Hord Coplan Macht (MD)
This session will describe the tools and process used to design a public higher education building that is modeled to save 40% over ASHRAE. The owner utilized a quasi-Performance Design …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The competition landscape: 5 years of data from Campus Conservation Nationals
- Alliance to Save Energy (CA)
- Atrius (CA)
Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) is the nation's largest electricity and water reduction competition for college campuses. It aims to engage, educate, motivate and empower students and staff to reduce resource …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Hastily Formed and Sufficiently Executed Support for a Thesis That Changed Student Energy Use
- Middlebury College (VT)
- Atrius (CA)
Using the campus as a learning laboratory is a great concept. Doing it well often means busy people from different quarters of the campus community coming together to plan and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Rice University Integrated Climate and Energy Master Plan (RICEMaP)
- Rice University (TX)
- Sebesta (MN)
Beginning in 2012, Rice University - a signatory of the American College and University President's Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) - partnered with Sebesta to develop the Rice Integrated Climate and Energy …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Achieving and Promoting a Lower Carbon Footprint on Campus - Energy Efficiency and Solar Arrays
- Spelman College (GA)
- Sterling Planet, Inc. (GA)
Visible marketing is the path to community engagement and public outreach initiatives to grow development of sustainable changes on campus and within our communities. Whether completing energy efficiency project or …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Assessing the Feasibility of a Microgrid to Reinforce Campus Climate Resiliency
- Middlebury College (VT)
Catastrophic weather events like Katrina, Irene, Sandy and others have raised concern about being prepared for the uncertainties of climate change. Students participating in the summer Middlebury School of the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable Residential Living: Energy Monitoring on a College Campus
- Macalester College (MN)
This panel presentation will analyze the unique benefits and challenges associated with the installation of an energy monitoring system on a college campus from multiple perspectives. Macalester College recently installed …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Fossil Fuel Free Fish House
- Bemidji State University (MN)
For the past year, the Bemidji State University Sustainability Office has been working with several partners to create a fossil fuel-free fish house. The house will eventually be placed on …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Greening the Sciences at Colorado College
- Colorado College (CO)
As members of the Sustainability Council at Colorado College, we learned that science buildings use far more energy for their size than other buildings on a college campus. So we …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Engineering Meetup & Mixer
- Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)
In our past attendance at AASHE, we have found that there was no nexus for technical faculty and students to gravitate towards. While we are strong supporters of interdisciplinary collaboration, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Lessons from Germany to the US 3: Power
- Grinnell College (IA)
Solar is much more extensively used in Germany than in the U. S., in part because of feed-in tariffs that encourage both homeowners and larger institutions to install solar panels …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Beyond Conservation-Reimagining the Purpose of Energy Education: An interactive issue of Journal of Sustainability Education
- Prescott College (AZ)
A major challenge to human quality of life in the 21st century is going to be our successful ability to shift the burden of our energy resources and the way …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainability without sacrifice: How URIs are saving money & reducing GHG emissions by investing in energy efficiency
- Sustainable Endowments Institute (MA)
Finding a way to prioritize and finance sustainability projects can be difficult for any institution, but may present a unique struggle at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and under-resourced institutions (URIs). To …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Sustainable design and construction contest
- Universidad de Monterrey
Universidad de Monterrey created a multidisciplinary contest were students must develop an alternative energy systems and sustainable building proposal on a non-profit organization that attends people in situations of vulnerability, …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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A Multi-Decadal Appraisal of the Demotechnic Index: 1980-2012
- University of Arkansas (AR)
The Demotechnic Index (D-Index) is a metric of energy efficiency calculated by summing technological energy use and metabolic energy requirements of a population then dividing by the metabolic energy requirement …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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The University of Iowa Biomass Energy Sustainability Index
- University of Iowa (IA)
The University of Iowa (UI) is working to decrease its use of fossil fuels and explore new energy alternatives to meet its goal of 40 percent renewable energy by 2020. …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Hair dryers, gaming systems, and fans: Engaging an online Social Psychology Class in an Energy Competition for Residence Halls
- University of Minnesota, Duluth (MN)
This presentation describes the development, implementation, and outcomes of an online Social Psychology class project designed to reduce energy consumption among students living in a campus residence hall. The co-curricular …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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University of Missouri Energy Strategies Student Advisory Group: What's Our Potential?
- University of Missouri (MO)
Students and staff at the University of Missouri (MU) created the Energy Strategies Student Advisory Group (ESSAG) in 2012 to explore coal-free technologies for our on-site energy management facility. Through …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Innovations in building renewable biomass energy infrastructure for effective operational and academic performance
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (WI)
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has been increasingly expanding its renewable energy infrastructure on campus during the past decade. The university's renewable energy portfolio now includes geothermal, solar thermal, solar …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Lights Out!
- Wells College (NY)
I was part of a small group of students assigned the topic of 'Energy Usage' as a project in our Psychology of Environmental Sustainability Class. We wanted to measure the …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Transforming Campus Sustainability & Education: The Student-Led Appalachian State University Renewable Energy Initiative
- Appalachian State University (NC)
The student initiated, funded, & led Renewable Energy Initiative transformed higher education at Appalachian State University. The ASUREI strives to reduce the environmental impact of ASU through the implementation of …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Energy Strategies for Climate Adaptation
- Ever-Green Energy (MN)
Communities have a growing demand for environmental solutions and partnerships with campuses can help all stakeholders realize sustainability goals that are more cost-competitive, reliable, and resilient. Essentially, merging assets and …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Data Visualization and Benchmarking Tools for Predictive Sustainable Decision-Making at Georgia Tech
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
Like many universities, we have a lot of data, but decision-makers do not always know how to interpret it or how to use it to set campus priorities. We also …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Energy Metering for Energy Management; If You Can't Measure It...
- Honeywell (NH)
Energy management requires energy information, and energy meters are a key source of energy information. Metering answers these questions: which buildings are 'energy hogs'? Where and when are utility services …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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From Pollution to Possibility: A Sustainable Solution to Biodiesel Production Wastewater
- Loyola University Chicago (IL)
Biodiesel is often seen as a potential solution to our energy crisis because of its ability to take waste products and convert them into fuel. In Loyola's biodiesel lab, waste …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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Saving energy at Macalester: Research on dormitory energy consumption displays
- Macalester College (MN)
Macalester College is committed to reducing its energy consumption and reaching carbon neutrality by 2025. With this goal in mind, the Macalester College Sustainability Office has established a partnership with …
- Posted Feb. 26, 2016
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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.