As a best practice, the University monitors its energy usage continuously through utility bills and sub-metering data. Through a practice known as energy benchmarking, the University can track energy and water use to compare current performance against past performance. These comparisons can make the case to pursue big energy efficiency projects such as the Energy Project. This blog is part of a series uncovering the big picture of how energy, water, and waste is consumed on campus. Part II will focus on energy which includes gas and electricity.

Data Anomalies

In 2018, the Energy Project was well underway. Many efficient boilers and chillers were installed that year. For a time, however, many of the old HVAC equipment were running concurrently. The stress of running these systems simultaneously was a noticeable increase in energy and water use.

In 2020, the second half of the spring semester was conducted virtually. Staff and faculty began phasing back to campus at 25%. By the year’s end, 600 students resided on campus and approximately 25% of the staff and faculty were on campus during any given workday. 2/3 of residential buildings were operational. The reduced campus population and operating buildings have a noticeable decrease in energy and water use for that year.

Energy

Energy use accounts for the majority of campus utility costs. The energy required to power all heating ventilation and air-condition (HVAC) campus equipment 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 displays energy use falling over time from 2016 to 2020. 

During the cooling season (mid-April to mid-October), energy use on campus is noticeably lower due to efficient cooling systems and lower campus population.

Natural Gas

Natural gas follows a similar trend to the overall energy consumption. Gas usage 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 heating systems running during Phase I of the Energy Project.

Similar to the seasonal energy chart, the seasonal natural gas chart marks a similar pattern of low gas usage during the cooling season. Gas usage trends higher during the colder months when the utility is used to heat boilers at the central plant and around campus.

Electricity

Electricity use was steady for years 2016 through 2019. In 2020, electricity use dropped significantly due to the substantial completion of the energy project and low campus population during the Spring, Summer and Fall semesters.

When examining the monthly electricity trends, the cooling season during the summer is when electricity use was particularly high. Electricity is heavily used for air conditioning in the summer. Take a look at the peaks in July and August. Electricity use was at its lowest in April 2020, which was the height of the District of Columbia’s Stay at Home Order.

Impact