Overview
A Zero Net Energy (ZNE) campus is an energy-efficient campus where, on a source energy basis, the actual annual consumed energy is less than or equal to the on-site renewable generated energy (www.cpuc.ca.gov).
In general, the strategy to achieve a ZNE campus is to first reduce the campus's energy consumption through energy efficiency projects, and then install renewable energy technology. SMCCCD is currently focused on the energy efficiency side of ZNE, ensuring that District buildings run as efficiently as possible before sizing future renewable energy installations.
Our Goals
1) Per the California Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, SMCCCD aims to meet the state's ambitious goals for the development of zero net energy buildings. These include:
All new commercial construction will be ZNE by 2030
50% of commercial buildings will be retrofit to ZNE by 2030
50% of new major renovations of state buildings will be ZNE by 2025.
Integrating Equity into Zero Net Energy
As shared by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, energy equity “recognizes that disadvantaged communities have been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution, underinvestment in clean energy infrastructure, and lack of access to energy-efficient housing and transportation”.
Through electrification and energy efficiency measures, SMCCCD is slowly reducing and decarbonizing its energy consumption, thereby contributing towards a more renewable and equitable energy system.
By the Numbers
Background Information
Zero Net Energy Strategy
The Zero Net Energy (ZNE) strategy was developed in 2016 to serve as a road map on our way to a ZNE District. It helps track and benchmark the process and outlines energy efficiency measures the district can implement to achieve it's goal. The systematic approach the district takes is referred to as reduce before you produce. This means we try to make the campuses as energy efficient as possible and then look to meet that decreased energy demand with the generation of renewable energy.
Baseline & Benchmarking
To understand how the buildings at SMCCCD are using energy, the Sustainability Team utilizes a metric called Energy Use Intensity (EUI). EUI is a metric that normalizes energy use across buildings of different sizes. It is found by taking the total energy use over a year and dividing it by the gross square footage.
As the District reduces the energy use across its campuses, it aims to reach an EUI of 30 kBTU per square foot per year. As show in the chart on the left, every campus had made progress towards this goal from 2016 (the strategy implementation year) to 2018.
Future Energy Reduction Projects
Advanced Plug Load Controls
Electronic devices such as computers and phones are becoming more necessary to daily learning and operation on campus every year. However, these devices create an increase demand for energy. Advanced plug load controls (i.e. controlling when wall outlets and power strips are on or off) can help curb this demand by turning off unnecessary devices when they won't be used.
An Emberstrip® 8PC+ advanced power strip.
Lighting Upgrades
SMCCCD has already begun its transition to LEDs, which are more energy efficient, longer lasting, and more durable than other types of lighting. However, there are still many buildings using less efficient lighting and lighting practices. SMCCCD will continue to upgrade its lighting and look to make use of day light and occupancy controls in the future.
SMCCCD's District Office, retrofit with energy-efficient LED lighting.
Central Utility Plant Heat Recovery
Cañada College and the College of San Mateo both have central boiler and chiller systems. Due to the demands of campus, they sometimes provide concurrent heating and cooling. Upgrading to a central heat recovery system would allow SMCCCD to meet this simultaneous demand with less energy.
Boilers in the boiler room at one of the District's campuses.
HVAC Upgrades
A properly running HVAC system is necessary to ensure occupant comfort. However, equipment is often running when it doesn't need to be. Implementing practices such as demand control ventilation or adding variable frequency drives (VFDs) to air handling units can help reduce the amount of unnecessary heating and cooling.
A GoogleEarth image of College of San Mateo's Building 34: the central chiller plant.
Campus Curtailment
As a community college district the campuses are utilized for many purposes such as classes, continuing education, and community rentals. However, there are times when entire buildings are run for one class or remain on their normal schedule during holidays. SMCCCD will look to fine-tune the building schedules to better match the times they are occupied and consolidate classes to less buildings.
Skyline College's Environmental Sciences building.
Building Envelope Upgrades
As the District continues to make the upgrades to the HVAC systems of the buildings, it is vital that the exterior of the buildings be as sealed as possible to maintain the desired level of comfort. SMCCCD will put into practice thermographic building envelope audits to identify leaks in buildings and install window film to help address a common area of deficiency.
A thermal image of a building's door leaking heat on a cold day.