To understand Catholic University’s environmental impact, campus utilities should be measured continuously. From there, trends emerge, which provide a clear picture of how operational changes and campus-wide projects such as the Energy Project, have an overall impact on energy, water, and waste. 

 

With that in mind, the Facilities Maintenance and Operations (FMO) department has broken down the utility data into water, natural gas, electricity, waste (and recycling), and greenhouse gas emissions, and analyzed the data over the past four years (2016-2019). To understand and monitor the impact of the Energy Project, the department did a month-by-month study of the 2018 data, when Phase I of the Energy Project was well underway, through 2019, and its transition period into Phase II. For a refresher on the Energy Project, take a look at the earlier blog.  

 

This blog is part of a series uncovering the big picture of how energy, water, and waste is consumed on campus. Part I focused on water and waste. Part II will include a discussion on energy and greenhouse gas emissions. 

 

Data Anomalies

After some data analysis, there were some interesting peculiarities, notably in 2018. In 2018, the Energy Project led to the installation of many efficient boilers and chillers. For some time, the new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment ran concurrently with the older equipment. The stress of running these systems simultaneously has a noticeable increase in energy and water use for that year. 

Energy 

Energy use accounts for the majority of campus utility costs. The energy required to power up all heating ventilation and air-condition (HVAC) machinery within the campus’s operations is supplied either through electricity or natural gas. Natural gas is used more for powering the boilers, and other steam system components that warm buildings on campus. Electricity is used primarily for cooling, lighting, and powering general appliances and computers. The graph below shows the analysis regarding energy over time.

Figure 1 Energy Use Trends 2016-2019

Ignoring the 2018 data anomaly, there is a decrease in energy usage from 2016 to 2019.

Figure 2: 2018 vs 2019 Energy Use 

More energy was used in 2018 in comparison to 2019. 


Natural Gas

The graphic below shows a decrease in some years versus others. In general, demand was high for heating in 2016 compared to 2017. 2018’s gas usage is high due to a colder than normal winter and concurrent systems running during Phase I of the Energy Project.
Figure 3 2016-2019 Natural Gas Usage
Figure 4 2018 v 2019 Natural Gas Usage

Looking at the month-by-month data, between 2018 and 2019, the trends are fairly constant. The use rises in the colder months, to heat campus buildings, and falls in the warmer months as the demand subsides. In 2019, with new improvements from the energy project, natural gas usage significantly declined. 


Electricity

Figure 5: 2016-2019 Electricity Use

From 2016 to 2019, electricity use oscillates within a small margin. Out of the years, 2016-2019, 2019 was the hottest summer, which likely drove electricity demand in the warmer months.

Figure 6: 2018 vs 2019 Electricity Use

When 2019 is compared to 2018, 2019's extreme summer had a clear impact on summer electricity use. 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are estimated from energy data. Using the guidelines outlined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in units of metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2- eq), the GHG data illustrates the impact that campus facilities have on the environment. This data represents emissions from campus buildings, which consists of Scope 1 emissions from natural gas and Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity.
Figure 7: GHG Emissions 2016-2019

There is a continuous decline in GHG emissions since 2016. The stagnant emissions in 2018 and 2019 can be attributed to internal factors, including but not exclusively, the Energy Project and Maloney Hall coming back online.

Figure 8: 2018 vs. 2019 GHG Emissions

The GHG 2018-2019 monthly break-down is very similar to the energy one. GHG emissions decreased sharply in the last quarter of 2019. FMO hopes the trend will continue in 2020 and beyond. 



Weather Normalization 

Weather Normalization measures the impact of weather on energy consumption. Because weather patterns vary widely day-to-day and year-to-year, weather for a given season may be colder or warmer than the previous year’s. Comparing the weather or energy consumption from one year to the next would provide only the change between those years. However, when energy consumption is weather-normalized, data is normalized for variables in weather.
Figure 9: Weather Normalized EUI

The chart above measures the weather-normalized energy use intensity, or energy used divided by the total square foot of the campus, for years 2016, 2018, and 2019. From calendar year 2016 to 2019, the University reduced its energy use by 3% when weather normalized.  

Impact

With a renewed, campus-wide focus on sustainability, Catholic University has set the goal to reduce energy and GHG emissions. FY 2016 is the baseline as this was the last full year of data before the University began construction on the Energy Project. By FY 2025, the University aspires to reduce: 

  • Energy use by 20%, which is equal to 49,943 MBTUs saved, which is equal to the CO2 emissions from 760,932 gallons of gasoline consumed or the greenhouse gas emissions from 1,436 vehicles. 
  • Greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, which is equal to 5,847 MtCDE averted, which could charge 746 million smartphones or power 700 homes.

To achieve these goals and make long-lasting impactful changes, coordinated action is needed from all students, faculty, and staff. These goals are meant to challenge all Catholic University community members to take any action, whether big or small, to transform the University into an environmentally-conscious campus.