Date: 11/01/2019

From: Environmental Health & Safety, an Office Under Facilities Management

Subject: 2018 MICA Facility Energy Baseline

Over the years, MICA has undertaken several initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of its internal operations. Recently, a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment was conducted on facility energy usage across campus in order to establish a baseline. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this consumption to recommend effective and efficient deployment of resources as they relate to building emission.

The reporting period for the initial baseline data is calendar year 2018 and includes energy usage encompassing 15,641,009 kilowatt hours of electricity purchased from the grid and natural gas use of 475,611 therms. The focus of this benchmark was specifically energy use and does not include other emission generating activities such as business travel, vehicles, commuting expenses, etc. These associated emissions quantities were then converted into carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) and compared against the national median for like property types.

This new information is a tool that can aid in achieving overall sustainability objectives related to energy emissions in MICA facilities. Below, please find the definitions of GHG and BTU which are referenced in the attached spreadsheet.

Thank you.

Energy Data Glossary

GHG: There are a number of greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. CO2 equivalent or CO2e, is a unit of measure that allows us to express the impact of each different GHG in terms of the amount of CO2 that would create the same amount of warming. CO2e allows us to express a carbon footprint consisting of different GHGs as a single, consistent number.

BTU: A British Thermal Unit (BTU) is a standard unit of energy, defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. In tracking building energy use, the BTU provides a single unit of measure that allows us to analyze the efficiency of systems that use a variety of fuels.

Erik Ketelsen
Director of Environmental Health & Safety