Campus Sustainability Success Stories
From Sustainability
Contents |
RECENT HISTORY OF ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES
ENERGY CONSERVATION
• In the early 1990s, a $6 million program of energy conservation measures was undertaken including upgrading all the lighting on campus, installing adjustable speed drives on pump and fan motors in many buildings and a number of other measures. The best of these have been incorporated into our standard designs for renovations and new construction.
• The lighting program won MIT the EPA Green Lights Partner of the Year Award in 1996.
• 1993-5 Green Lights Program T-8 fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts installed. 200,000 lamps and 125,000 ballasts replaced in 80,000 fixtures. 2500 kw and 12.5 million kwh/yr saved. All lamps and ballasts recycled although it was not yet a regulatory requirement.
• “Vending Misers” have been installed on over 70 cold beverage machines across campus. Controlled by occupancy sensors, the machines are powered down when no one is near for a period of time (i.e. over night), automatically re-powering when traffic returns. This translates to an annual savings of up to $140 per machine.
• In 2001, we implemented oxygen trim controls for boilers 3, 4 and 5 at the central utility plant which reduces excess air admitted to the boilers, a source of combustion inefficiency.
• Renewal of over 2700 steam traps and thermostatic valves was performed in 2000/1 on main group radiators and heat exchangers in mechanical rooms (there are 6000 traps on campus). The estimated annual savings was 18 million pounds of steam worth $233,000 at that time.
• In 2006, we initiated another multi-year steam trap renewal program that should save us about $700,000 per year in energy cost.
• In 2006, a lighting retrofit project was completed in Albany and West Garages, and the large athletic spaces of Johnson Track, Johnson Rink, Rockwell Cage and DuPont. The new technology employed doubles the lighting levels and halves energy consumption. By completing on an accelerated schedule, 50% extra rebate was awarded by NStar, so a $300,000 project cost MIT $150,000 and will save $120,000 in electricity annually, and lighting quality is substantially enhanced. We also implemented an outdoor lighting control system for the artificial turf soccer field and tennis courts that allow Athletics to schedule the lights on via the web just as they book the space itself (~1.5 year payback).
1995 COGENERATION
• Gas turbine based cogeneration was installed in the Central Utility Plant and went on line in 1995. It improved energy efficiency by 18%, reduced regulated emissions by 45% and reduced green house gas emissions by 60,000 metric tons per year representing a third of our GHG emissions at that time.
• The plant was awarded the EPA Energy Star Award for Combined Heat and Power.
WATER CONSERVATION
• MIT has had in place a water conservation program since 1990. Through this program we have retired or replaced most of the equipment that has used water for once-through-cooling, such as: refrigerating units, air conditioning equipment, air compressors, vacuum pumps, etc. We now prohibit the use of domestic water for cooling of research equipment by requiring that chilled water be use as a heat sink in the laboratories. Low flow toilets and urinals, kitchen and bathroom sink aerators and low flow shower heads have been installed in existing buildings. Reverse osmosis reject water is re-used as non-potable water for laboratories or re-circulated to optimize R.O. product production and water discharge. We are continuously looking for ways to save and reuse water and have contracted with water conservation companies to provide us with surveys and creative solutions from time to time. Following is a list of water conservation measurements implemented over the last few years. Water and sewer rates have risen to such a degree that most of these projects have had about a 2 year payback. Between 1997 and 2005 campus water consumption was reduced by 60%.
• Implemented in 1995
Building 13: Installed a water recovery and re-use system to service the CUP Water savings: 24,000,000 gal/year
• Implemented in 1999
Buildings E17, E18 and E56: Retrofitted controls of steam sterilizers condensate tempering systems. Water savings: 976,064 gal/year.
Buildings E17 and E25: Re-circulated R.O. reject. Water savings: 146,600 gal/year.
All Academic Buildings: Installed new 1.5 gallon per flush (gpf) toilets, retrofitted urinal flushometers and installed faucets aerators in bathrooms and kitchen sinks. Water savings: 18,680,000 gal/year.
All Residential Buildings: Installed new 1.5 gpf toilets, retrofitted urinal flushometers and installed faucets aerators in bathrooms and kitchen sinks. Water savings: 11,802,922 gal/year.
• Implemented in 2000/2001
Building 39: Reused R.O. reject as non-potable water to laboratories. Water savings: 642,000 gal/year.
Building 39: Tied-in vacuum pumps and air compressors to chilled water. Water savings: 5,550,000 gal/year.
Building 6: Replaced water booster pumps with air cooled pumps. Water savings: 3,720,000 gal/year.
Building 13: Tied-in refrigerated unit for electron microscopes to chilled water. Water savings: 817,700 gal/year
Building 42: Redirected gas turbine inlet air cooling condensed water for cooling tower makeup.
• Implemented in 2002/2003
Buildings 68, E18, E23 and E25: Installed water tempering limiters in 12 Autoclaves Water savings: 3,360,0000 gal/year
Buildings 12, 13 and 26: Re-piped once-through-cooled equipment using domestic water to chilled water. Water savings: 1,640,000 gal/year.
Building 39: Upgrade RO system. Water savings: 1,985,695 gal/year
• Implemented in 2003
Campus wide: Installed an automatic central irrigation system with weather station and leak detection.
• Implemented in 2004
Building 32 (Stata): Brought to service a rainwater harvesting and re-use system for toilet flushing and irrigation. Water savings: 550,000 gal/year
• Implemented in 2006
Building 46 (Brain and Cognitive Science): Brought to service a rainwater harvesting and re-use system for irrigation. Water savings: 550,000 gal/year
RECYCLING
• Recycling rates from 1998 to 2005 have risen from 5% to 40%. Recycling now includes printer cartridges, computer monitors, food waste and cardboard.
• In 2006 MIT won the City of Cambridge Go Green Recycling Award for large businesses.
• Demolition waste is now recycled and exceeds 95%. East Garage and Haywood Garage demolitions achieved 99% recycling rates.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
• MIT’s design standards require all new buildings to meet at least the “LEED Silver” standard. The Graduate Dorm and Sloan School expansion projects will meet this requirement. Stata may achieve Silver status but will at least be certified. We have just submitted the Brain & Cognitive Science Building for Silver certification, this is the first MIT building submitted for LEED certification. The Cancer Research Facility will be designed to match similar “best in class” facilities.
• The Integrated Design Process was used for the first time on the Sloan Expansion project. This process is less linear and much more iterative than the conventional design process and insures the timely and effective input of all design team members. A further feature of the Sloan design process is the setting of goals. These goals set cooling, heating and lighting metrics that are aggressive but achievable. For example the lighting goal is to use no more than 1 Watt/sf, building wide. Most buildings will operate at more than 1.5 Watts/sf. The cooling goal is to air condition 1,000 square feet of building with one ton of cooling equipment; most other new buildings operate at 350 to 450 sf/ton. We expect that Sloan will use 50% or less energy per SF than any other building on campus.)
• We will look back at recent projects such as the Physics and E25 renovations to determine whether certification is possible for either project.
• Design standards are being revised to incorporate lessons learned from past projects and to set higher sustainability levels as goals. These standards will be less prescriptive and more goal oriented than the present ones and will allow designers more freedom to innovate.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
• Photovoltaic collectors have been installed on roofs of the Student Center, the MIT Museum (N52) and Hayden Library rated 6, 2 and 12 kW respectively. The cost was partially funded by a grant from The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Also as part of the grant, the MIT team installed PV totaling 54 kW on 22 roofs of homes and schools in nearby towns.
• A wind turbine feasibility study has been performed for the Bates Linear Accelerator Lab in Middleton. Feasibility has also been studied by AeroEnvironment to install building mounted wind turbines on the Pierce Boathouse.
Updated through December 2006
