Overall Sustainable Design

HVAC Design

Sacramento StateAcademic Information Resource CenterThe underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system and PLC combination gives the building owner an integrated design solution to ventilating the AIRC. The UFAD system provides a more comfortable workspace for occupants, higher indoor air quality, and energy cost-savings. The system also provides flexibility in space management at a lower life cycle cost.

CSU San Bernardino, Honorable MentionThermal Energy Storage TankA Thermal Energy Storage system has been implemented to meet an in-crease in campus loads of roughly 1,100 tons. This project will substantially increase overall system efficiency. By addressing the energy needs of the campus in an integrated fashion, CSUSB will be able to maintain the electri-cal demand savings achieved prior to the campus facilities expansion.

UC MercedClassroom and Office Building & the Central PlantThese two projects demonstrate an integrated approach to building a more sustainable campus from the bottom up. The projects meet LEED Silver and LEED Gold standards, respectively. They address complicated mechanical engineering systems and meet aggressive energy performance targets while achieving a high level of architectural design.

CSU FullertonStudent Recreation CenterThis student-funded project admirably addresses all aspects of sustainable building. Design decisions that promote the CSU policy on sustainable build-ing were made collaboratively by students, faculty, and staff. The project is pending LEED Silver certification, and the anticipated successful outcome will set LEED baseline standards for the campus to follow in the future.

UC Berkeley, Honorable MentionLeConte Hall Major RenovationsThis project exemplifies best practices with respect to the retention, reuse and recycling of building materials. A unique and successful partnership between the entire project team resulted in an unprecedented amount of material reuse and recycling. Furthermore, this green building renovation was accomplished in a designated historic structure.

Lighting Design/Retrofit

UC DavisLED Motion Sensor Bathroom Vanity LightThis project demonstrates an innovative and effective way to minimize the runtime hours of lighting in the shared bathrooms of university-owned housing. Data from light loggers shows savings of roughly 50%, which translates into 3 to 5 fewer hours of operation per day for every fixture. The project can be easily replicated statewide across all campus locations.

CSU San BernardinoHigh Efficiency Lighting RetrofitsThis project involved a campus-wide lighting survey and redesign of some critical areas including the Coussoulis Arena. It involved fairly standard retrofits, however it is unique due to the campus-wide scope of the project and the willingness to redesign lighting patterns at highly visible locations such as the Arena.

HVAC Retrofit

UC Santa CruzData Center Server VirtualizationPhysical Plant and Information Technology staff implemented virtualization software to reduce the number of computer servers on campus. The opera-tions of 38 servers were consolidated onto 8 physical servers, significantly reducing cooling requirements in several buildings. Staff are working on fur-ther consolidation and integrating energy efficiency into future IT purchases.

CSU San BernardinoDirect Digital Control UpgradesThe Coussoulis Arena was upgraded with CO2 sensors and variable fre-quency drives. This will significantly reduce the outside air conditioning re-quirements when the 4,700 seat Arena is less than fully occupied, which is most of the year. The new control system ensures that ventilation require-ments are automatically met, no matter how the occupancy pattern changes.

UC San Diego, Honorable MentionCenter for Molecular Medicine East Lab Air RebalanceThe lab was originally designed with a constant volume 100% outside air HVAC system with 15-20 air changes per hour. After a review of current thermal loads and EH&S requirements, staff determined that the ventilation rate could be lowered to 10-12 ACH. This saves significant fan power and heating/cooling energy. Occupants now enjoy a quieter, less drafty building.

UC Berkeley, Honorable MentionVariable Air Volume TuningMany UCB buildings use a conventional constant static pressure setpoint to control the speed of supply fans. The campus has adopted a new control strategy to carefully measure the flow at the AHU and supply just enough pressure to deliver that flow. The new controls, SAV with InCITe, maintain comfort levels while significantly reducing supply fan power requirements.

Water Efficiency/ Site Water Quality

UC Santa BarbaraSan Clemente Water Quality/Detention BasinThis project demonstrates excellence in using natural systems to treat 100% of a site’s stormwater runoff. The project consists of a series of detention basins and bio-swales planted with native wetland species. This system minimizes peak discharge and provides water quality treatment prior to releasing the water into adjacent wetlands or the groundwater system.

Cal Poly San Luis ObispoLow-Flow Plumbing Fixture RetrofitsCal Poly reduced its water use by 15% by upgrading old restroom fixtures with new toilets, urinals, waterless urinals, low-flow showerheads and touch-free low-flow faucet aerators. This allowed the university to add additional housing units without expanding their existing sewer system. The $2 million saved was used to fund other sustainability goals in the new housing units.

UC San Francisco, Honorable MentionReverse Osmosis Reject Water ReclamationUCSF has implemented an innovative, low-cost project that saves over 5 million gallons of water and $55,000 annually. The university accom-plished this by developing a system for capturing the reject water from the reverse osmosis purification system and reusing it as make-up water for the cooling towers.

Renewables/ Innovative Energy Generation or Procurement UC Santa Cruz

Campus Climate ChallengeUCSC took an innovative approach to procuring renewable energy for an entire campus. Students passed a referendum establishing a quarterly fee of $3 per student to offset 100% of UCSC’s electrical usage. This effort dem-onstrates the remarkable results of student activism, and underscores how cooperation between students and staff can achieve positive change.

CSU Northridge1 MegaWatt Fuel Cell Power PlantThis project demonstrates the far reaching benefits of clean, high-efficiency fuel cells. It is the largest fuel cell on any university campus in the world. It generates 18% of the campus’s electricity baseload and 22 billion BTUs annually in the form of usable hot water. The project includes a research component that will provide students with invaluable hands-on experience.

CSU Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Honorable Mention135 kW Solar Photovoltaic InstallationPV systems are becoming more common and third party ownership has obtained a certain level of success in California. However, solar energy has environmental benefits that should be highlighted. This project incorporates an important educational component where students will gain first-hand knowledge about PV system design and performance.

Monitoring-Based Commissioning

UC BerkeleyTan HallThis project has reduced the energy used by Tan Hall by over 15%. The building’s peak electricity use was decreased substantially through reduction of simultaneous heating and cooling. Permanent sub-system power monitoring was installed and effectively utilized. The project was highly cost-effective with a simple payback period of less than one year.

CSU San BernardinoUniversity HallThrough this MBCx project, University Hall has achieved a reduction in its annual energy use of over 20%. Peak electricity use was decreased sub-stantially. Trend analysis tools were developed for future use to ensure the persistence of savings. The project also executed the MBCx model well by identifying substantial retrofit opportunities for future implementation.

UC Irvine, Honorable MentionMcGaugh HallMcGaugh Hall is one of the campus’s most energy-intensive buildings. This project is a good example of how the MBCx process can have a major im-pact on energy consumption through the identification of just a few signifi-cant control problems. The building’s overall energy usage has been reduced by over 15%, and peak electricity use has been reduced by 20%.

UC Santa Barbara, Honorable MentionMarine Science Research BuildingThe Marine Science Research Building was identified as a candidate for MBCx through benchmarking. Pending full documentation, the preliminary results from this 2006-08 project indicate a dramatic reduction in annual energy use, with the potential for substantial decrease in peak electricity use.

CSU Fresno, Honorable MentionScience BuildingThis project has reduced energy use at the Science Building by nearly 25%. The peak reduction has reduced demand on the campus’ thermal energy storage and chiller plant infrastructure. The addition of permanent BTU meters on chilled and hot water supplies will enable future trending, helping to ensure energy savings are realized by this building.

CSU San Marcos, Honorable MentionCentral PlantThe project at the CSU San Marcos Chiller Plant provides the best example to-date of the potential of the MBCx process when applied to a campus central plant. This project has reduced the plant’s overall annual energy use by over 15%. Peak electricity use has declined by over 25%.

Innovative Waste Reduction

UC DavisSustaining Our Future- Composting InitiativeA collaborative effort has enabled UC Davis’ Dining Services to successfully establish a post-consumer composting program at the Tercero Dining Com-mons. As a result of the program, 91% of organic materials is diverted from the landfill to the composting facility, totalling 22 tons every month. UCD plans to expand the program to three more dining rooms in the near future.

San Francisco StateAchieving 75% Diversion with No Heavy LiftingSan Francisco State has re-engineered the campus waste stream from desk-side to dock-side. Staff played an instrumental role in developing new handcarts and mechanized toters. The university has done an outstanding job of integrating employee safety and sustainability into one project. Aca-demic buildings now have an impressive average diversion rate of 75%.

Student Energy Efficiency

UC IrvineGreen Campus ProgramThe prolific UC Irvine Green Campus program has undertaken a variety of energy saving projects. Most notably, students piloted a Fume Hood Cam-paign to target fume hood sash management in laboratories. Green Campus students have done significant energy efficiency outreach not only on their own campus, but at local elementary schools as well.

Humboldt StateGreen Campus ProgramHumboldt’s Green Campus interns conducted energy audits in the offices of the President, the Dean of the College of Professional Studies, and the student radio station. Retrofits in these spaces averaged a 35% reduction in energy use. The students also developed successful proposals for a Housing Dept. Energy Intern and a campus Sustainability Coordinator.

UC Santa Cruz, Honorable MentionGreen Campus ProgramIn addition to highly successful energy projects like bi-level lighting installa-tions and CFL exchanges, UCSC’s Green Campus interns have expanded to simultaneously tackle other sustainability issues as well. For example, new nozzles in the dining halls have resulted in annual water savings of 516,390 gallons, and will also save 4,302 therms each year.

CSU Chico, Honorable MentionGreen Campus ProgramChico Green Campus interns implemented EnergyStar power manage-ment software on 4,279 computers in six campus labs. The software saves 289,538 kWh and $37,640 annually. Interns also conducted a very success-ful residence hall energy competition. Monitors placed in the dorm lobbies displayed real-time energy consumption data to encourage students to save.

Student Energy Efficiency, continued

CSU San Bernardino, Honorable MentionGreen Campus ProgramGreen Campus interns at CSUSB developed excellent outreach programs that link the interests and needs of students with the benefits of energy ef-ficiency. Through their significant networking and outreach efforts, a wide range of students are learning practical and easy ways to reduce unneces-sary energy consumption and have a big impact on the environment.

Student Sustainability Programs

UC BerkeleyGreen Demonstration AreaBerkeley’s green demonstration areas teach the campus community about living sustainably and using sustainable technologies. Equipped with EnergyStar appliances, sustainable products, and descriptive signage, the areas bring the concept of living green to life. The green apartment, green room, and green suite all have live-in hosts that give the tours.

CSU Monterey BayEnergy Innovations FundThe EIF is a new organization established by CSUMB students that provides a mechanism for the acquisition, leverage and deployment of capital into sustainability projects. Funds are raised from both individuals and business-es, and projects are accepted from the campus community at large. The first project funded through the EIF is a lighting retrofit of the Otter Sports Center.