What We Measure

We are responsible for the management of all campus utilities including electricity, steam, water, irrigation water, chilled water and natural gas. Each process has its own unique challenges. In addition, many of our buildings are multi-user and require sub-metering for billing accuracy.

Electricity

Each building on campus has at least one meter. Most of our newer meters are "smart" meters that are connected to our building automation system and can be read remotely. We collect information such as total kWh, peak kW, voltage, and amperage.

Water

Our water system is divided into domestic water and irrigation water. We meter each type of water separately. Water for irrigation does not have an associated sewer charge. In all cases, our goal is to reduce water usage. We are very proud of the efforts of our campus grounds department in the choice of plant types and design to minimize irrigation. Equally, the utilities maintenance team has been involved in minimizing domestic water usage for cooling of process equipment. The campus as a whole has installed hundreds of low water flow fixtures in most buildings.

Steam

Steam is a very expensive utility to produce. We use steam to heat buildings, heat domestic water, and in some cases humidification. We have a central pipeline that connects the campus. Many of our savings have been through updating steam traps, eliminating leaks, and modifying processes to use less steam. We have steam meters to measure usage to each building and in some cases multiple processes within the building. We also have hot water meters that measure hot water flow to most air handlers.

Chilled Water

We use chilled water to cool our buildings. We measure chilled water flow to each building and most air handlers. We have a central loop system for our three main chiller plants. We operate the most efficient chillers most often and use the less efficient chillers for peak demand.