2005 GREENHOUSE CHALLENGE PLUS AWARDS ENTRY FORM

Transcription

1 2005 GREENHOUSE CHALLENGE PLUS AWARDS ENTRY FORM Organisation name: University of South Australia Postal address: GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA, 5001 Street address: City West Campus, North Tce, Adelaide, 5000 Award category(s): 04 If a significant portion of the nominated activity was undertaken in partnership with other companies or organisations please specify all details: Not applicable Other company name: ( this will appear on all materials including, if relevant, certificate and trophies please write clearly): Name: Title: Telephone: Facsimile: Mobile: Brief description of entry (80 words maximum to be used for media purposes) : The University of South Australia s entry focuses on the reduction in use of electricity and gas, which together account for 98% of the University s greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past five years, electricity and gas use have reduced by 9.3% and 2.4% respectively, while student numbers have increased by 16.2%. During the same period, greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 17.7%. The Institute for Sustainable Systems and Technologies (ISST) initiative is the flagship for environmental sustainability research at UniSA, within the Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment at Mawson Lakes, and is a collaboration between: - The Agricultural Machinery Research and Design Centre - The Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics - The Sustainable Energy Centre - The Transport Systems Centre In addition to research in environmental sustainability, and the forging of links with other bodies undertaking similar research, the ISST offers consultancy services, training for businesses and industries, and education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level GREENHOUSE CHALLENGE PLUS AWARDS ENTRY AWARD CATEGORY 04 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

2 Award criteria 1. Total tonnes of Greenhouse gas emissions abated For the 2004 calendar year, greenhouse gas emissions totalled 23,971 tonnes, compared to 27,803 tonnes for the 2003 calendar year, a reduction of 3,832 tonnes. UniSA s main sources of carbon dioxide emissions are from the use of electricity and gas to power and condition its buildings and equipment. Over the last five years, the University s biggest greenhouse gas generators have both been reducing as per the graphs below. This is particularly noteworthy as it has been achieved in an environment where student numbers have been increasing. Student numbers have increased by 16.2% over the five year period; electricity use has reduced by 9.3%, and gas use has reduced by 2.4%. However, the CO2-e coefficient for electricity increased from in 2001 and prior, to in 2002 and 2003, and then reduced to 0.96 in The overall result is that CO2-e emissions have reduced by 17.7% over the last five years. UniSA - Electricity Use 26,000,000 25,000,000 kwh 24,000,000 23,000,000 22,000, kwh used best fit trend

3 UniSA - Gas Use 25,000,000 24,000,000 23,000,000 MJ 22,000,000 21,000,000 20,000, MJ used best fit trend UniSA - CO2-e Emissions 30,000 29,000 28,000 kwh 27,000 26,000 25,000 24,000 23, tonnes best fit trend 2. Percentage abatement of greenhouse gas emissions inventory The reduction of 3,832 tonnes equates to a reduction of 13.8% of 2003 emissions. Over the five years , greenhouse gas emissions have reduced from 29,138 tonnes in 2000 to 23,971 tonnes in 2004, a reduction of 17.7%.

4 3. Energy efficiency above sector or industry best practice UniSA is a member of the Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association (TEFMA). Each year TEFMA undertakes a survey of all its members (encompassing 41 universities across Australia, and a further 21 institutions in New Zealand, and 4 in Hong Kong), collecting data on a wide range of costs and usage for such things as building renovations, building operations, energy, cleaning, security, maintenance and water. In the latest survey, reporting on 2003 data, UniSA was around 40% better than the average of all the Australian universities in terms of energy consumption, and around 15% better than the average of all the Australian universities in terms of the total cost of energy used. The lower percentage on energy cost reflects the fact that the purchase cost of electricity is higher in South Australia than in most other states. 4. Rate of improvement in energy efficiency measures or greenhouse gas emission intensity The University s Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for its greenhouse emissions reporting is the number of tonnes of CO 2 -e emitted divided by the number of full time equivalent students. For 2004, this KPI was 1.08, a reduction of 16.7% over the 2003 KPI of 1.30; and a reduction of 29.2% over the last five years, with the year 2000 KPI being Additional criteria 1. Evidence that the nominated abatement builds on a history of recognised abatement action under the programme. The University of South Australia has been part of the Greenhouse Challenge program since 2003, and has submitted progress reports for calendar years 2002, 2003 and The reduction in electricity and gas usage and its flow on effect to reduced CO 2 -e emissions was first reported in the 2003 progress report. As reported in the 2003 progress report, the reduction in usage of electricity and gas is not something that started in 2003, but has been an aim actively pursued by the University since 2000 and earlier through a number of major and minor initiatives. The two major abatement initiatives the University has undertaken over the last few years have been: 1. Implementation of a number of major projects (installation of push button controls for lighting; installation of push button controls for air conditioning; implementation of an interactive energy management system) to enable efficient management of electricity, and reduce and control its usage. Further information is provided at criteria 2 below. 2. An education program for staff and students to reduce, reuse and recycle, aimed at both reducing the amount of energy consumed, and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. The education program is ongoing, but the positive response is reflected in the following figures: - the volume of waste sent to landfill reducing from 105 tonnes in 2000 to 80 tonnes in 2004; - the volume of waste being recycled increasing from 12 tonnes in 2002 to 16 tonnes in 2004; - the volume of paper being recycled increasing from 19 tonnes in 2002, the first year that formal paper recycling was implemented and records maintained, to 256 tonnes in Other actions the University has taken to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions include: (i) The purchase of LPG powered vehicles when existing petrol and diesel powered vehicles come up for renewal. The University now operates three LPG powered vehicles, compared to one at the end of 2001, with a corresponding decrease in the number of petrol powered vehicles. (ii) Reducing the total number of vehicles operated by the University, reflecting the closure of the Underdale campus; creating course specific campuses rather than having one course spread over two or more campuses; and encouraging staff to pool cars to attend meetings. (iii) On going education of staff and students to utilise the energy saving features of PC s, including monitor sleep mode and system standby.

5 (iv) Encourage staff use of public transport, and provide secure bicycle parking for staff. (v) Lobby the public transport board for better and more accessible public transport routes between the UniSA campuses, and between the City and the campuses. (vi) A sustainability strategic plan for the Mawson Lakes campus to 2010 has been drafted and distributed for comment. The plan covers effects on the atmosphere and global warming, energy use and alternatives to non-renewable resources, people and their working and living environments, land use and environmentally sustainable development, waste and recycling including waste water management, and water use and reduction. (vii) The design and construction of the Blueprint 2005 buildings was conducted under Environmentally Sustainable Development guidelines. (viii) The Property Unit is about to appoint an environmental engineer to focus on environmentally sustainable best practice for our buildings, both new construction and refurbishment of existing buildings. (ix) The School of Natural and Built Environments provides local and trans national undergraduate programs on environmental sustainability, and undertakes research into improving environmental and socio-economic sustainability. The School hosts the University s Transport Systems Centre, and is involved in several national Cooperative Research Centres. (x) A strategic procurement officer has been appointed by the Finance Unit to focus on procurement best practice against environmentally sustainable policies. A number of projects remain outstanding, and will be implemented as funding priorities allow. These projects include daylight sensors to external lighting; replacement of traditional hot water services with solar systems; delamping light fittings and/or relamping with more efficient globes; automatic light sensors to internal lighting; power factor correction for the Mawson Lakes and City East campuses. 2. Innovative use of new and existing technologies to achieve significant and cost effective emissions abatement. The implementation of an interactive energy management system (IEMS) was largely completed in December 2003, but it took a further 12 months for it to become fully operational. The IEMS is a state of the art management tool. It enables energy use not only to be accurately measured and recorded, but also actively monitored and load shed at times of peak demand, to ensure the usage parameters agreed with the University s energy provider are not exceeded. Now that the energy management strategies have been introduced, it is estimated the IEMS will generate savings of 1,075,000 kwh, equivalent to 1,275 tonnes CO 2 -e, per annum. Push button controls are not new, but are very effective. The installation of push button controls for both lighting and air conditioning was largely complete by mid-2003 across the University s four metropolitan campuses for those buildings which were not refurbished under the recent Blueprint 2005 building program. For new buildings and those refurbished as part of Blueprint 2005, all had push button controls installed by the end of The push button controls reduce energy usage by ensuring lights and air conditioning are not left on in empty rooms, but still provide users with the necessary level of amenity when the rooms are occupied. It is difficult to determine exactly how much of the reduction in electricity use is attributable to the push button controls; the estimated effect is a reduction of 363,000 kwh, equivalent to 348 tonnes CO 2 -e, per annum.

6 3. Integration and achievement of multiple environmental goals with greenhouse emissions reduction as a catalyst or trigger. In undertaking the recently completed major building program across its four metropolitan campuses, the University achieved the following: Provision of a facility that represents the highest standard of architecture and best value for the available budget and has the lowest achievable lifecycle costs. Delivery of the buildings within the available budget upper limit and on time, ready for occupation November Contribution to an accessible and pedestrian friendly campus environment by enhancing access through and within the precinct. Incorporation of environmentally sustainable design principles commensurate with the project scope and available budget. Achievement of high levels of quality performance in terms of project best practice processes, collaborative approaches to project, and quality of final built product. Minimisation of the impact of planning and construction related to this project on the ongoing operations of the campus community