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
New Resources
Earth Day 2017: Campus Program and Activities
- Bridgewater College (VA)
- Earth Day 2017 Celeberation on Campus
- Tree planting ceremony *Pictures showing is part of an effort to raise awareness on campus about the ubiquitous nature of plastic in our lives ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Earth Fest 2017 celebrates Space, Energy, and Water
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX)
EDINBURG & BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS—APRIL 19-20, 2017-- This year’s Earth Fest theme is Space, Energy, and Water, featuring three guest speakers, an Exhibitor Expo, and a Dinner & Movie ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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SMCC STEMS Club Earth Day Event
- South Mountain Community College (AZ)
This semester the STEMS club successfully built a bike charging station, built and flew racing drones, grew flowers in the greenhouse and are composting landscape waste. It was a great ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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Central Community College Hastings Wind Turbine Tour
- Central Community College (NE)
Students, staff, and community members enjoyed a presentation on the new 1.7 MW wind turbine at Central Community College Hastings from the Bluestem Energy Solutions project manager.
Also at ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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EarthTones - Earth Day events at Appalachian State University
- Appalachian State University (NC)
The Appalachian State University chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASUSES) hosted the annual "Earth Tones" event on April 21. This event uses solar energy to power a day-long ...
- Posted April 27, 2017
- Photographs
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SJSU Student Health and Wellness Center
- San Jose State University (CA)
The Student Health and Counseling facility was constructed to enhance access for students living on campus while balancing convenient care for the growing residential population through both location and features ...
- Posted April 26, 2017
- Case Studies
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Start Your Next Renewable Energy Project with Little or No Cost
- Austin Community College (TX)
- Understand stakeholders’ roles with renewable energy projects – it takes a village to raise a renewable energy project.
- Review available funding sources for renewable energy projects – Look around, you had it ...
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Energy Efficiency Assessment at Texas State University
- Texas State University, San Marcos (TX)
- How to calculate CO2 emissions from purchased electricity?
- What are the most important financial factors in energy efficiency assessment?
- How different energy efficiency plans can affect financial outcomes in a ...
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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How Campus Solar Cuts Carbon and Boosts the Bottom Line
- Edison Energy (CA)
- Dallas College (TX)
Learning Outcome 1: Learn how to assess on campus solar potential Learning Outcome 2: Understand how to compare on-site and off-site approaches Learning Outcome 3: Gain insight on how to ...
- Posted April 25, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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
- AASHE (MA)
- California State University, Bakersfield (CA)
- University of California, Merced (CA)
- Skyline College (CA)
- College of the Desert (CA)
- Strategic Energy Innovations (CA)
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 – and ...
- 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)
- Edison Energy (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)
- University at Albany (NY)
- Georgetown University (DC)
- Butte College (CA)
- Ball State University (IN)
- University of Louisville (KY)
- University of Delaware (DE)
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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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)
- Edison Energy (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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 ...
- 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 generating ...
- 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 ...
- 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.