A look at the presentations from the May 8 retreat on energy hosted by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (the underlined PowerPoint presentations can be viewed):

• Welcome by Professor Ben McCall, iSEE Associate Director for Campus Sustainability.
• Introduction by Professor Scott Willenbrock, Chairnan of the iSEE Sustainability Working Advisory Team for Energy Generation, Purchasing, and Distribution.
• "Energy Planning and Procurement at the University," presented by Dan Mortland, Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Services at University of Illinois.
• "Geothermal," videoconference presentation by Jim Lowe, Ball State University Director of Engineering and Construction Operations.
• "Solar," presented by Xinlei Wang, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at U of I.
• "Biomass," presented by Eric Rund, Owner of Rund Farms in Pesotum.
• "Capturing and Converting CO2 into Useful Chemicals," presented by Paul Kenis, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at U of I.
• "Replacing Petroleum through Carbon-neutral Biofuels from Next-generation Integrated Infrastructure Systems," presented by Yuanhui Zhang, Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at U of I.
• "Energy Efficiency and Energy Sources," presented by Cliff Singer, Professor of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at U of I.
• "Retrofitting," presented by Paul Francisco, coordinator of the Indoor Climate & Research Training Program at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
• "Think Globally, Act Locally: What are the Implications?" presented by Cliff Singer, Professor of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at U of I.

Hey Bike Team,

Found this awesome thing online today: http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#6/-120.90000/38.36000/blue/bike

It takes GPS data from Strava (an app people use to log bike and running mileage and share it with friends) and lays it over google maps. Kind of neat to see where people are biking on campus.

Hope you're all enjoying the weather.

Andy

Ken,

Let’s do this, and let Randy Whitman know we appreciate his suggestions – both about the LEDs and the attachment method.

Thanks.

Carl

From: Sweeney, Eva Maria
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2014 2:29 PM
To: Buenting, Kenneth C; Wegel, Carl Victor
Cc: Johnston, Morgan B
Subject: FW: Energy Savings proposal

Ken & Carl,

Please see below for Randy Whitman’s suggestion of LEDs in the step lights at Lincoln Hall. I concur 100% that they would save energy and maintenance effort.

The cost would be in the ballpark of $1000-1500 including labor install.  Could this be done under maintenance, or should we look for other funding from RLF or SSC?

-Eva

From: Whitman, Randy E
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2014 11:09 AM
To: Sweeney, Eva Maria
Cc: Moen, Gregory A; Eckstein, Timothy J; Henry, Mark A; Ball, Sharon L
Subject: Energy Savings proposal

Eva,         

                I read somewhere recently that the University is transitioning to the use of LED lights as an energy savings measure.  I have a small proposal that would be a step in that direction.  In Lincoln Hall Theater there are numerous (at least 45) un-switched, un-dimmed, aisle/step lights that are on 24 hours a day to provide safe egress from the theater.  Currently they are lamped with 9 watt CFLs that cost approximately $5.00 with a life expectancy of 8,000 hours.  I have talked to Terry Gustafson from Englewood and he could get us a 3.5 watt LED lamp for $11.70 with a life expectancy of 25,000 hours.  The LED will provide adequate illumination for egress purposes.  So, for a little more than twice the cost we could get 3 times the lamp life and consume 60% less energy as well.  The #1 electric shop is already stocking that 3.5 watt LED lamp for candelabra fixtures in the foyer of the theater.  So, I was wondering if replacing the CFL lamps with LED lamps could be submitted to someone as a cost/energy savings measure?

               If this idea does not fall within your scope of work could you please tell me who I should submit this proposal to?  

On another  note for those aisle fixtures, I believe we need to modify the attachment of the fixtures to the floor box  adding washers to the attachment screws.  These fixtures are being kicked and become so loose that the wires feeding the fixtures become exposed creating a safety hazard for occupants of the theater.  I believe that the warranty for these fixtures has expired so they could be modified with better attachment means at the same time they are being re-lamped if a work order were to be generated to do this needed upgrade.

  Thanks for your time and attention.

Randy Whitman  rewhitma@illinois.edu

There are currently four League Certified Instructors in Champaign County: Valerie Sivicek, Cynthia Hoyle, Tim Marty, and Sue Jones.

Dear Mike,

The Student Sustainability Committee recently decided to fund a project entitled "Energy Shade Curtains - Phase III" for the Plant Care Facility in the amount of $71,000.  The project aims to install and program new shade curtains to decrease unnecessary overuse of energy to heat, cool, and power greenhouse rooms.  An earlier phase of this project included detailed metering, which demonstrated a 50% reduction in heat inputs and a 32% reduction in electricity consumption.

The SSC, and iSEE, would like to ask whether the energy savings resulting from this project can be "paid back" into the Revolving Loan Fund in order to help facilitate future energy-saving projects.  Obviously we would have to quantify exactly what the savings are, before moving forward.

Sincerely,

Marika Nell (Outgoing Chair, SSC)
Amy Liu (Incoming Chair, SSC)
Ben McCall (Associate Director for Campus Sustainability, iSEE)
 

Work Request 141288 converted to Work Order 10288695

Work Order: 10288695

Building: 0034 - MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENG BLDG

Room:

Department Reference:

Customer Description:

Please provide engineering design services to install lighting occupancy sensors and HVAC occupancy sensors in the Materials Science and Engineering Building (MSEB).  Charge CFOP 1-762417-862004-xxxxxx-198000.

Phases:

Phase: 001 DESIGN SERVICES

Hello Big Ten CCN competitors! 

CCN officially ended on April 25th and the results were published yesterday. Congratulations to Penn State University on taking the lead of Big Ten Unplugged with an overall 3.3% electricity reduction during the competition. Penn State University was also a winner in the poster category.  

Taking 2nd place was Ohio State University with a 3.1% reduction. 3rd place goes to University of Wisconsin - Madison with a 2.2% reduction. Congrats to our top 3 Big Ten Unplugged winners! 

I'd like to propose that we continue a Big Ten Challenge in the future not only for CCN but any nationwide competition focused on resource reduction. I will propose a meeting for us some time in late summer to outline what future competitions within Big Ten might look like. 

Best, 

Stacey White
Sustainability Coordinator

University Services

University of Minnesota

Office: 612-624-3285

Cell: 612-978-0843

Fax: 612-625-4133

see file

CUUATS completed a University District Traffic Circulation Study, using information from a campus-wide statistically relevant survey.

The following table shows the mode share information based on the survey conducted in April-May, 2011.

From: Rajagopalan, Nandakishore [mailto:nrajagop@illinois.edu]
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2014 10:18 AM
To: swat-water@dib.illinois.edu
Subject: oxijet water nozzle

A suggestion from someone in the UI physics department.

http://www.felton.co.nz/?sid=2152

The Felton Oxijet™ volumises the stream with air giving you a more luxurious shower.

Traditional flow restrictors work by simply reducing flow and pressure, whereas the Oxijet™ uses flow energy to draw air into the water stream.

From: Amy Liu [mailto:amy.linqin.liu@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2014 11:41 PM
To: Johnston, Morgan B
Cc: swat-water@dib.illinois.edu
Subject: Re: EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge

This is really interesting, I will look into this. Thanks!

On Fri, May 2, 2014 at 10:15 PM, Johnston, Morgan B <mbjohnst@illinois.edu> wrote:

Hi Water SWATeam,

One of the potential water-related projects for campus could be this student competition: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/crw_challenge.cfm.

What do you think?

Thanks,

Morgan

Dear ALUFS SWATeam,

Evan DeLucia has asked me to share with you some ideas being propounded by Bruce Hannon (bhannon@illinois.edu).  Bruce is advocating the establishment of a central authority for sustainable landscaping, preferably at the University level, to approve landscape designs, implement a shift towards native species, and coordinate fundraising.  I personally find all of the objectives he has in mind to be attractive ones, but it's not obvious to me whether the mechanism he proposes is the best one to further those objectives.  I attach three documents from Bruce for background.

In any case, I would like to recommend that your team meet with Bruce and discuss his vision.  That discussion, in addition to others you may have with other experts and stakeholders, might lead to a formal recommendation from your team that iSEE could route through the emerging process for campus sustainability recommendations.

Cheers,

Ben

From: Marquissee, Mike
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 11:22 AM
To: Mies, Timothy A; Anderson, Gary L; Dale Johnston (dkjohnst@igb.illinois.edu)
Subject: RE: Copy of UofI propane 040414-MLM EDITS.xls

Tim,

See answers below.

Mike

From: Mies, Timothy A
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2014 9:01 AM
To: Marquissee, Mike; Anderson, Gary L; Dale Johnston (dkjohnst@igb.illinois.edu)
Subject: RE: Copy of UofI propane 040414-MLM EDITS.xls

Hi Mike,

Several questions have come up that I would like you input on in regards to the green revolving loan fund in cases that might occur that do not follow the typical project pattern.

Scenario 1) The energy farm reverts to another department at the completion of the grant of the Energy Biosciences Institute before the loan is repaid.  How would the loan be handled in cases where the new department weren’t within the VCR cost area? 

• Since the loan is being repaid from the campus pool in favor of the VCR, it is likely that it would still pay out in favor of which other campus department it goes to.  Unless it turns into a self-supporting entity, which is unlikely.  In that unlikely event, the self-supporting entity would repay the loan.

Scenario 2) A crop loss occurs one year that would limit/prevent the savings that are estimated from our initial estimates? 

• The Campus utility pool would still pay out.  Just that the savings would not be recognized.  It would also pay for the additional propane.  The loss would not come out of the project.

Scenario 3) Miscanthus ceases to be produced on the energy farm, resulting in no more mxg produced locally?  Would F&S then consider purchasing MXG from a local farmer who could supply the material? Assuming the boiler installed could handle multiple feedstocks, wood chips may be an alternative. 

• We support this project because there is a research project attached to it.  If that project is discontinued, we would then have to discuss who repays the loan.  Most likely it would be out of the research fund, then, which would also pay for the restoration of the site and so on.  I don’t think we would be interested in providing alternative fuel sources or manage an abandoned research project.

Thanks for your input.

Tim

Hello waste SWATeam and Ben,

As you know, the iCAP called for a Zero Waste Policy to be developed, and we have a draft for a CAM policy (attached). 

I’m not sure a CAM policy is the best solution, so I asked around for information about where campus policies usually reside and I was given the following info.  As the SWATeams are approved to move forward to the next phase, it would be great to have iSEE and the iCAP SWATeam take the lead on getting a formal Zero Waste Policy adopted. 

• Campus Administrative Manual: http://cam.illinois.edu/
• Policy and Rules for Civil Service Staff: https://nessie.uihr.uillinois.edu/cf/policies/index.cfm?Item_id=390
• State Universities Civil Service System Statute and Rules: http://www.sucss.illinois.gov/sar.aspx?osm=c43
• Business and Financial Policies and Procedures: http://www.obfs.uillinois.edu/bfpp/
• Senate Resolutions – difficult to enforce
• Chancellor directives (ex. LED Campus)

Ben, Bart, and I have discussed this over the last few months, and I believe it is most appropriate advancing to campus decision makers through the iCAP process rather than through F&S.  Please let me know what you think.

Thanks,  Morgan

---------------

Dear Purchasing, Waste, and Recycling SWATeam,   I just wanted to add my $0.02 that I concur with Morgan that it makes sense to pursue the review and approval of a Zero Waste Policy through the SWATeam process, and your team is clearly the right one for this task.  Cheers,  Ben

----------------

I like the idea. If there is an agreement, we can discuss the policy itself in our next meeting. 

Regards,

-Dilip Chhajed ------------ I'm in. - Warren Lavey

Urbana Awarded for Business Energy Efficiency

Contact: Scott R. Tess
706 S. Glover Ave.
Urbana, IL 61802
Tel. (217) 384-2381
Email: srtess@urbanaillinois.us         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—April 28, 2014

Ameren Illinois has honored the City of Urbana and its businesses with Ameren’s 2013 Most Progressive City award.
 
The annual award is given to cities demonstrating extraordinary accomplishments in energy efficiency.  Forty-five Urbana Businesses participated in Ameren Illinois’ energy efficiency rebate program, ActOnEnergy, in the 2013-2014 program period.  These businesses completed 94 energy saving projects totaling 2,253,926 kWh of electricity and 148 therms of natural gas. 
 
By participating in ActOnEnergy, Urbana businesses received $99,872 in incentives and will save $157,920 in annual energy costs.
 
The City of Urbana’s Climate Action Plan has been guiding a number of energy saving activities including Tax Increment Financing incentives for energy efficiency upgrades to buildings as well as training and technical assistance through the Urbana-Champaign ENERGY STAR Challenge.
 
As part of the award, Urbana received four street signs to place at entrances to the city identifying Urbana as Ameren Illinois’ 2013 Most Progressive City.
 
For more information, please visit http://urbanaillinois.us or contact Scott Tess at 217-384-2381 or srtess@urbanaillinois.us.

 

Schedule

Monday, April 28, 11AM-2PM

Student Dining and Residential Programs (SDRP) Building

Tuesday, April 29, 11AM-2PM

Illinois Street Residence Halls (ISR)

Wednesday, April 30, 11AM-2PM

Allen Hall/Lincoln Avenue Residence Hall (LAR)

Thursday, May 1, 11AM-2PM

Pennsylvania/Florida Avenue Residence Hall(s) (PAR/FAR)

Morgan,

The closing report is attached for your review.

The celebration for Barton (and the organization team) is May 7th in Clark hall rooms A&B from 6-7 pm,

The trophies are ordered and scheduled to be given to building team captains at the celebration.

~Paul Foote

Prof. Hall, Teresa and Morgan,

Just a quick update – we held the initial site meeting with contractors yesterday. Prof. Chasco was in attendance as we toured the building and discussed construction plans.

At this time work is projected to begin about May 19th.  Any questions on construction or schedule are best directed to Josh Rubin who will be overseeing the work.

Of course you can always contact me with technical questions or anything else on your mind.

Regards,

-Eva

"The results here indicate that the changes to the UIUC network do in fact improve connectivity over the existing network. Moreover, the planned network lowers the average shortest-distance path between libraries, dormitories, and the Union by nearly the same amount as a control scenario without paths at all. While we may assume that a bicycle master plan will address and improve connectivity as a matter of course – and the language in the plans claims that they do – it seems counterintuitive that this simple test not be included in the research process to confirm that this is so. Ultimately what these accessibility and connectivity analyses show is that while planners and bicycle advocates may seek to improve bicycle infrastructure, we need a way to quantify and subsequently verify that any changes will improve the functionality of the network and the ease with which a rider can travel from one location to another." -- Pildes, Russell. (2014) "Connectivity and Accessibility of UIUC Campus Bike Paths", B.A. Honors Thesis, Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.