Sustainability Action Plan 2022

On March 3, 2020, voters in the Foothill-De Anza Community College District approved an $898 million general obligation bond measure (Measure G) to upgrade facilities preparing students for university transfer and careers in fields such as health care, nursing, technology, engineering and sciences; to upgrade and repair aging classrooms as well as labs for science, technology, engineering and math-related fields of instruction; and to acquire, construct, repair facilities, equipment and sites. The Measure G implementation plan includes many energy-saving and GHG reduction projects at each district location, including new construction, major renovations, and energy-saving retrofits for existing lighting, HVAC, and central plant systems. The bond projects will significantly improve energy performance in the district and be an essential element in achieving carbon neutrality goals. The complete list of Measure G energy-saving projects is included in Appendix D of the Sustainability Action Plan.

As described previously, one of its first steps in implementing the SAP should be to engage a qualified energy consultant to conduct a feasibility study to electrify facilities operations and eliminate natural gas systems, such as HVAC and hot water equipment, to achieve carbon neutrality. This study will evaluate the most effective technologies to replace existing natural gas equipment with electrically powered equipment, such as electric heat pumps and thermal energy storage. The study would also assess the necessary campus electric utility upgrades to support electrification and any PG&E service changes needed. An analysis of electrification costs, potential funding sources (including Measure G funds), energy savings, emissions reductions, and return on district investment with recommendations would be prepared as a road map for the district to achieve carbon neutrality.

To meet district GHG reduction goals, the district should quantify electricity and natural gas usage pre-and post-COVID as a baseline for planning. The Energy Benchmarking Study prepared in 2021 provided an analysis of electric and gas usage in the calendar years 2018 and 2019 to understand pre-COVID usage. This study documented energy use at the campus master meters. More detailed analysis will be required at a building and system level to better understand usage patterns and opportunities to reduce excess use. In addition, data should be collected based on 2022 use and forecasts for post-COVID as students, faculty and staff return to campus. This data will be employed for the Electrification Feasibility Study described previously.

Specific tasks that should be accomplished for this project include the following.

• Work with an energy consultant or a mechanical contractor to specify and install electric, natural gas, and BTU meters on individual buildings and central plant systems — especially pool boilers and microturbine systems — to develop a thermal energy model for natural gas efficiency and HVAC electrification.
• Continue working with utility Électricité de France (EDF) Innovation Labs in Los Altos, California, and San Francisco State University to evaluate the replacement of natural gas hot water boilers with a thermal microgrid (electric heat pumps and heat recovery systems) at the Central Energy Facility on the Foothill campus. This analysis, using the Tool for Optimization of Thermal and Electric Microgrids (TOTEM), will model the campus’s combined electric (power and energy) and thermal (HVAC) system to understand and evaluate thermal microgrid replacement of the natural gas uses.
• One of the BOG Framework goals is for campuses to establish GHG emissions inventories and develop Climate Action Plans (CAP) by 2025. The energy data captured by this task should be used to create the CAP, identifying GHG reduction measures that will go together with implementing the Sustainability Action Plan.