Sustainability at Rensselaer

Awareness Program

• 2008 Campus Wide Energy Audits
• 2008 Utilities Budget Management
• 2008 Eco Hall Challenge
• Live Energy Feedback System

Green Building + LEED certification

• LEED certification
• Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC)
• East Campus Athletic Villiage (ECAV)

Renewable Energy

• Energy Procurement Policies
• Using the Sun to Make Ice

In 2006 Campus Planning and Facilities Design issued their first “Guide to Campus Energy Conservation” to provide the Rensselaer campus community with the basic steps that each member needs to take to facilitate the success of the Energy Conservation Program. Feel free to read through the attached brochure. 

The Administration and Finance Division has assessed the Institute’s current energy procurement agreements and practices to identify the opportunities, risks, and economic value associated with various short and long range energy procurement alternatives.  As a result of this assessment Rensselaer has allotted $50,000 of its energy budget to Wind Power.  Efforts are still being made to identify new opportunities in renewable energy.   

RPI is using the LEED standards for new building design for  two of their biggest projects this year. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (US Green Building Council). The standards are transforming the marketplace by providing a nationally recognized certification system to promote integrated, whole-building design practices in the building industry. The rating system for new building design is based on 69 possible points and buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:

1. Certified: 26-32 points
2. Silver: 33-38 points
3. Gold: 39-51 points
4. Platinum: 52-69 points

The Eco-hall Challenge was proof that with a little incentive, and consistent feedback on progress, students will make the effort to conserve energy.  In an effort to offer faster feedback and to expand these efforts across campus to research facilities and academic buildings as well as students; we are working on a Live Energy Feedback System which provides current energy information on selected buildings across campus.

The Challenge was held for the second year in a row in the spring semester of 2008, and has become a regular program for the Residence Hall Association (RHA). The graph to the left shows a weekly breakdown of each of the residence hall’s percentage energy decrease. The graph to the right show their overall decrease which reaches as far as 15%. To read more about this initiative go to the Eco-Hall Challenge.

In the Past Campus Planning and Facilities Design made up a realistic utilities bill for each of the buildings, showing how much they would have had to pay in for a month’s worth of utilities. The bill was shocking to the departments, and motivated them to improve their energy consuming habits even though they were not responsible for paying the bill. The project proved to be an effective strategy in the past, and we are considering repeating this project again this summer.

The Administration and Finance Division has assessed the Institute’s current energy procurement agreements and practices to identify the opportunities, risks, and economic value associated with various short and long range energy procurement alternatives.  As a result of this assessment Rensselaer has allotted $50,000 of its energy budget to Wind Power.  Efforts are still being made to identify new opportunities in renewable energy. 

John Singleton will be in charge of running a new Campus Wide Energy Audit to identify energy saving projects that have a reasonable pay back time.  A similar, yet less extensive Campus Wide Energy Audit  was run in 1991 and proved to be very successful.  After years of development , it is time to reevaluate the campus and identify projects that will save a lot of energy and money in the long run. 

In 2006 Campus Planning and Facilities Design issued their first “Guide to Campus Energy Conservation” to provide the Rensselaer campus community with the basic steps that each member needs to take to facilitate the success of the Energy Conservation Program.