Sustainability Action Plan 2022

Planning for energy conservation is a district priority. It is essential to set goals for reducing any resource to define success. The district performed an Energy Benchmarking Study in 2021, employing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Portfolio Manager software to establish energy usage and GHG emission baselines. Using this data, the district can develop annual energy use and GHG emission reduction goals and plan appropriate energy efficiency, demand reduction, or clean self-generation measures to achieve these goals. In addition, the BOG Framework has established both Energy Use Intensity (EUI) — electricity and natural gas use per gross square foot per year — reduction goals and a goal to accomplish a zero net Energy (ZNE) campus, which the district should strive to achieve by 2035.

The district can evaluate various mechanisms for identifying and implementing energy efficiency projects and programs, including in‐house staff, engineering consultants, design-build contractors and energy service companies (ESCOs). The district has extensive experience with these various mechanisms for energy project delivery and can leverage this knowledge to implement the Sustainability Action Plan. In addition, the district should evaluate best practices provided by other California community college districts for delivering energy projects.

Conducting a facility prioritization survey to identify and prioritize buildings for efficiency measures is a suggested first step. Priorities are typically based on energy use intensity with buildings with the highest EUI given the highest priority. The district is planning on installing meters at the building level, which can be used to benchmark energy use. Where metered data does not exist, those buildings that are determined to be high-energy users based on experience of college/district staff should be targeted first.

Based on the facility prioritization survey, the committee suggests the district engage an energy consultant to conduct ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audits to identify energy-saving projects, project costs, energy savings and return on investment. The consultant would develop an audit report with recommendations for projects that best meet the district’s goals. Energy audits can also be enhanced by using computer energy models that forecast the energy performance of retrofitted or renovated facilities to provide more certainty of project outcomes.

Based on the audits and available resources, the district should implement the audit recommendations. Priorities should be determined by potential energy savings, return on investment and available resources. Ongoing audits should be conducted as technologies change and building systems become obsolete.

The district should evaluate participating in utility demand response programs to that provide incentives for voluntarily reducing campus loads during high usage peak periods. The district should meet with PG&E to explore the program to determine if participating is in the colleges’ best interest.

All equipment replacements identified in the SAP should be energy-efficient and be included as performance specifications in procurement documents. This includes lighting, HVAC (including electrification measures), pumping, motors and other equipment and systems. Appliances and office equipment should be EPA Energy Star rated.

Plug loads refer to energy used by equipment plugged into an electrical outlet. A typical office’s plug loads include computers, monitors, printers and copiers. Plug loads can average approximately 30% of electricity use in office settings, much of which can be attributed to parasitic loads (or the power draw of a plug-load that is not performing useful work). Reducing or managing plug loads is often overlooked when planning energy efficiency measures in facilities. The district should evaluate plug load management strategies, including manual control, automatic controllers, timers, occupancy sensors, load sensing controllers and other measures.

The district should evaluate practices from other community colleges, the UC and CSU systems, and other institutions that have successfully implemented energy efficiency measures and adopt as appropriate. The California community colleges have organized committees at the systemwide and regional levels that share best practice facilities, energy, and sustainability initiatives that are extremely valuable for this purpose. Conferences, corporate and non-profit Zoom webinars, and state and federal agencies, such as the California Energy Commission (CEC) or the U.S. EPA, involved with energy efficiency and sustainability programs are good sources of best practices. The district should leverage these sources to better plan energy and sustainability.