Environment Unit
ENERGY SAVINGS ACTION PLAN
2014 – 2018
LISA MILLER
ENVIRONMENT MANAGER
JOHN HAZELTON
ENERGY & WATER SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS ENGINEER
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION
MAY 2014
APPROVED BY: BRUCE FLINT
DIRECTOR
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT DIVISION
FMD-ENV-REF-020
Energy Savings Action Plan 2014-2018 Final
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Contents
1
2
3
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 4
Energy Savings Action Plans .......................................................................................................... 5
3.1
Renewable Energy .................................................................................................................. 8
3.2
Existing Onsite Solar PV ......................................................................................................... 8
3.3
Financial Strategy ................................................................................................................... 9
4
2014 - 2018 ESAP .......................................................................................................................... 9
5
2014 – 2018 ESAP Projects.......................................................................................................... 10
5.1
Wollongong Campus ............................................................................................................. 10
5.2
Shoalhaven Campus ............................................................................................................. 10
5.3
iC ........................................................................................................................................... 10
5.4
Regional Campuses .............................................................................................................. 10
6
Version Control Table ................................................................................................................... 11
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1
Executive Summary
The largest direct environmental impact and contributor to greenhouse gases at the University of
Wollongong (UOW) is from its combined energy consumption via electricity and gas. Electricity is by
far the greatest contributor to energy use and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2-e) emissions. An
analysis of UOW’s energy consumption is presented in this paper, as well as a new plan to reduce
consumption over the next five years.
A key requirement of the over-arching UOW Environmental Management Plan 2014-2016 (Energy
Management) is to prepare an Energy Savings Action Plan.
Electricity costs UOW some $6.5 million per annum, and gas a further $400,000. This cost has
increased significantly over the last five years. In an effort to reduce the environmental impact and
minimise an operational cost, the Environment Unit has developed a 2014-2018 Energy Savings
Action Plan (ESAP) that will provide carbon reductions and cost savings in the medium- to long-term,
and establish an on-site renewable programme.
The hierarchy of cost vs benefit in the energy sector is summarised in the following:
Behaviour Change
‘Shutting Down and Switching Off’ Policy,
Design Guidelines
Least Cost – Maximum Benefit
Infrastructure Change
Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency
Voltage Reductions
Air-conditioning Optimisation
Renewable Energy
In 2005, the NSW Government passed legislation, Energy and Utilities Administration Act 1987, to
mandate all large businesses in the State to prepare and implement an ESAP. UOW is subject to this
legislative requirement. However, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage recently advised that
no further reporting is required on UOW ESAPs by the NSW Government.
The 2014-2018 ESAP plans to reduce energy demand during this period. A requirement of the action
planning process is to prepare business cases to secure funding for the initiatives identified.
This ESAP provides planned target project areas. The final evaluation, planning, funding and
implementation of the projects are intended to be achieved under UOW policy, and by utilising the
resources of the Environment Unit and the FMD construction and maintenance units.
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2
Introduction
UOW’s largest direct environmental impact and contribution to the generation of greenhouse gases is
from its energy consumption via electricity and gas. Electricity is, by far, the greatest contributor to
energy use and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) emissions. An analysis of UOW’s energy
consumption is presented, as well as a new plan to reduce consumption and associated costs over
the next five years.
Energy consumption on campus alone is not the full extent of costs - Figure 1 outlines the average
household breakdown in electricity costs with only about 25% direct use. However, UOW is part of
the unregulated market with lower cents per kilowatt charges than the retail regulated sector,
increasing the energy costs to around 36.6% of the electricity bill. Therefore, UOW only has direct
control of 36.6% of its electricity costs, yet that usage has multiple operational cost impacts.
Figure 1: Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) Graphic for the Regulated Electricity
Industry Billing Breakdown
UOW has two competitively tendered electricity contracts - all of the combined large electricity meters,
such as its major campuses, and all of the small consumption sites, such as houses in Bowral. Both
contracts are currently held by Origin Energy. The large meter contract is divided into peak, off-peak
and shoulder for both energy and network charges. Each has slight differences in time of use:
 Network:
o Peak: 1300 - 2000 hours working days.
o Shoulder: 0700 - 1300 and 2000 - 2200 working days.
o Off-Peak: All other times including Public Holidays.
 Energy:
o Peak: 0700 - 0900 and 1700 – 2000 working days.
o Shoulder: 0900 - 1700 and 2000 - 2200 working days.
o Off-Peak: All other times including Public Holidays.
The other major charge on the large meter sites is the Demand Charge which is currently $15 per
kVA for each month’s maximum peak.
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0.2
0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.1
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Figure 2: Average Cost of Electricity cents/kWh at UOW
In 2012, UOW conducted a ‘reverse auction’ on its electricity and gas contracts to minimise costs.
This has saved UOW just over $100,000 per annum with the new contract term of 42 months to
December 2015. The electricity bill in 2013 was approximately $6.5 million.
Gas supply in NSW is reaching a critical phase, with major reserves being largely exported and coal
seam gas becoming more dominant on the supply side. In addition, the price is now linked to
commodity prices and is predicted to be more volatile in the future. The major consumer of gas at
o
the Wollongong Campus is the pool. The outdoor pool is heated to a relatively high 28 c all year
round.
3
Energy Savings Action Plans
In 2005, the NSW Government passed legislation to mandate all large businesses in the State to
prepare and implement an ESAP. The plan has to be prepared for five years and a detailed audit is
required to set a baseline or benchmark of energy use, against which reductions from actions to
reduce consumption could be measured.
In 2005, UOW conducted a level 3 audit (including sub-metering) of its energy consumption to allow
the preparation of the first ESAP. The audit focussed on the consumption at the Wollongong Campus
only and observed the breakdown of energy use across the campus to consist of 64% energy used
for heating and cooling, 16% on lighting, 7% on office equipment, 4% on hot water and the remainder
on miscellaneous items (refer Figure 3).
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Breakdown of Total Energy Use
by Application in 2005
9%
4%
Cooling & Vent
30%
7%
Heating
Lighting
16%
Office Equip
Other Equip
34%
Hot Water
Cooking & Amen
Figure 3: Estimated Breakdown of 2005 Energy Consumption on the Wollongong Campus
The first ESAP focussed on establishing the framework for reform, employing staff to implement the
plan and metering systems to better monitor and manage energy consumption and to verify estimated
savings from actions implemented.
Key actions 2009 - 2013 included:










Environmental & Sustainability Initiatives (ESI) Unit was created to implement environmental
and sustainability policies, including energy, water, waste and biodiversity.
New Utilities Monitoring and Management System (UMMS) and a Performance Indicator Unit
(PIU) System being implemented for sustainability reporting. To date, over 200 electricity and
19 gas sub-meters have been installed, and provide 15 minute and one hour interval data,
respectively.
A five-year Environmental Management Plan has been established based on goal setting and
targets.
UOW purchased a 20% Green Power component during the years 2010-2013.
Procedures were implemented in the new building development process. Design standards
were amended and continuous building review introduced.
Review process for new services and systems completed as part of design standards for new
buildings and major refurbishments.
Maintenance and operational improvements being implemented on a progressive basis
together with building by building projects.
Lighting retrofit programmes carried out in Buildings 3, 15, 31 and 39 changing from T8 to T5,
and LED conversion of the Multi-Storey Carpark.
De-lamping corridors in Buildings 4 and 19.
HVAC improvement projects have been carried out in Buildings 3, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22,
25, 30, 36, 39, 41 and 67.
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All viable energy measures in the first ESAP have been actioned and some additional work was
completed due to lower costs of, for example, energy-efficient lights. During the first ESAP the
Wollongong Campus experienced considerable growth, increasing its population (Effective Fulltime
2
Student Load – EFTSL) and gross floor area (m ). Figure 4 projects savings against a ‘business as
2
usual’ (BAU) scenario - consumption per person and per m , and identify the savings achieved.
The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage recently advised that no further reporting is required on
UOW ESAPs by the NSW Government.
The following timeline shows that UOW has achieved just over 100% of the forecast ESAP savings.
160000
140000
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
Energy Use (BAU by Area)
Energy Use (BAU by EFTS)
ESAP Target energy Use (GJ)
Actual Energy Use (GJ)
Base
Year
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Figure 4: ESAP Savings at Wollongong Campus
The majority of energy savings (2009 - 2013) have been achieved through infrastructure changes
such as:






Time-of-day air-conditioning scheduling (not running the air-conditioning 24/7).
Power factor correction.
Voltage reductions.
Energy-efficient lighting retrofits.
De-lamping in over-lit spaces, e.g. corridors.
Implementing an energy-efficient heater policy.
However, cost-effective savings can also be made through behaviour change – by switching off lights,
computers, equipment and appliances.
Despite these infrastructure improvements, the electricity consumption at the Wollongong Campus
shows a significant base load. That is, UOW consumes 50% of its daily peak load at 2 am (refer
Figure 5). A significant portion of this load is due to appliances such as lights and computers that
potentially do not need to be left on.
This has been tested during ‘Earth Hour’ campaigns where a reduction of between 9 and 37% has
previously been recorded in the overnight load by staff and students switching off. To address this
‘behaviour’ issue, a ‘Green Office Programme’ was designed to target staff behaviours around
resource use. Since the programme began in June 2012, computer shutdown has significantly
increased.
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16.0
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
00:00 - 00:59
01:00 - 01:59
02:00 - 02:59
03:00 - 03:59
04:00 - 04:59
05:00 - 05:59
06:00 - 06:59
07:00 - 07:59
08:00 - 08:59
09:00 - 09:59
10:00 - 10:59
11:00 - 11:59
12:00 - 12:59
13:00 - 13:59
14:00 - 14:59
15:00 - 15:59
16:00 - 16:59
17:00 - 17:59
18:00 - 18:59
19:00 - 19:59
20:00 - 20:59
21:00 - 21:59
22:00 - 22:59
23:00 - 23:59
Ave. Hourly GJ Consumption
14.0
Figure 5: Wollongong Campus – Summer Day, Averaged Hourly Electrical Energy Consumption Profile
3.1
Renewable Energy
After an assessment of other universities in 2008, UOW began purchasing 15% of its energy from
renewable sources. This proportion was increased to 20% in 2012 and 2013, at a cost of $303,000
per annum. Up until now, purchasing external renewable energy was the most cost-effective way of
reaching renewable energy targets.
UOW has demonstrated its commitment to renewable energy. However, with the improvements in
renewable energy technology (and the escalating transmission costs), UOW is intending to
significantly increase its onsite electricity production. This has the advantage of reducing UOW
reliance on the grid and providing some degree of future-proofing. It is also intended that the
installation of on-site renewable energy production will provide teaching and research benefits, and
demonstrate that UOW is a leader in this field.
The history of UOW’s onsite renewables is summarised in the following Table. The Table also
outlines the variability over time in pricing of the panels.
3.2
Existing Onsite Solar PV
Year
Place
kWp
$/kWp
Tariff
Supply/Installer
2010
Keiraview (Retrofit)
9.24
$5,602
60 cent gross
feed in tariff
Solgen
2011
South Coast Workers Child
Care (Retrofit)
9.88
$3,492
60 cent gross
feed in tariff
Energy Matters
2011
SMART (New Build)
4.05
$9,700
none
Class Electrical –
Construction Electrician for
SMART
2012
McKinnon Lawn
Refurbishment
(Administration) (New
Build)
5.89
$7,300
none
Blue/Green
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3.3
Financial Strategy
As UOW had progressed with its investigation of options for on-site electricity production, including a
review of similar strategies at other Australian universities, the purchase of “Green” energy for 2014
was not proceeded with by UOW. It is now proposed this funding be utilised to fund the 2014-2018
ESAP projects, outlined in Section 5.
The strategy of investing in on-site electricity production is a positive strategy in reducing UOW’s
future electricity costs.
The electricity cost savings achieved with the successful implementation of each ESAP project
potentially frees capital for investment in the next project (provided the business case is viable).
4
2014 - 2018 ESAP
UOW (co-ordinated through the FMD Environment Unit) aims to achieve the following:

Reduce energy consumption by 5% per annum as per the Environmental Management Plan
2014-2016 Energy Management Target

UOW KPI of 0.59 GJ/m
2
.
Since the introduction of the Wollongong Campus UMMS, detailed data is available which negates
the requirement for another phase 3 audit. The PIU reports identify high energy buildings and focus
the ESAP. This has made URAC a priority for reducing energy consumption by implementing more
efficient pool heating systems (and possible installation of solar photovoltaic arrays).
Audits were conducted by energy consultants, through a grant received from the Office of
Environment and Heritage at the Innovation Campus, Shoalhaven Campus and Campus East. These
audits identified a range of initiatives which are included in the following Section.
Further initiatives at the Wollongong Campus have been identified including time-of-day airconditioning scheduling, voltage optimisation, de-lamping in over-lit spaces and energy-efficient
lighting retrofits. Many items such as LED lighting and solar PV are part of new and emerging
technologies and are continually reducing in cost and improving in efficiency. This should not delay
action but merely highlight that, over the life of the action plan, capital costs of supply and installation
may reduce and lifecycle benefits will increase.
The rationale for the plan is to combine behaviour change programmes with infrastructure
improvement. Behaviour change programmes aimed at shutting down and switching off which have
the potential to save the greatest energy and costs, for the least cost to implement. However, these
need to be continually reinforced. Infrastructure changes that reduce the load when used and often
have a longer life than the products they replace, consequently reducing maintenance costs.
The final strategy, once energy efficiency is maximised, is to add a renewable array to further reduce
our ecological impacts and operational costs. It is proposed to retrofit solar photovoltaic to campus
roofs over the next five years.
The following section identifies the target projects, with future detailed planning required to ensure
UOW maximises the long term benefit with enhanced sustainability.
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5
2014 – 2018 ESAP Projects
The following projects have been selected for further evaluation and preparation of detailed business
cases, prior to funding being approved.
5.1
Wollongong Campus
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
5.2
Photovoltaic generation (retrofit one building p.a.)
Sustainability/commissioning audit of selected buildings (one building p.a.).
Building LED retrofit (two buildings p.a. - 3,000 tubes).
Lux assessments and de-lamping (250 tubes p.a.).
HVAC review and maintenance (ongoing).
Sub-station voltage optimisation.
Time-clock replacement with PE-cells for external lighting.
Trial LED/induction conversion of external lighting.
Green Office Programme and office infrastructure improvements.
Sustainable retrofit identification and implementation.
Pool solar heating.
Shoalhaven Campus
1. Hot water unit – solar/gas for canteen.
2. Hot water unit– solar/gas for all amenities.
3. Retrofit external lights with energy efficient.
5.3
iC
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
5.4
Reduce density of external lights as new areas are developed.
Direct ventilation of furnaces in AIIM Building.
Replace incandescent lights in Planetarium with LEDs.
Improve energy efficiency in Planetarium exhibit.
Replace T8s with LEDs.
Software upgrade for automated PC switch-off.
Replace electric hot water systems with gas.
Voltage reduction units in car park and fire stairs.
Regional Campuses
1. Conduct Energy Audits, and assess energy reduction projects.
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6
Version Control Table
Version
Control
1
Release
Date
20140130
2
20140129
3
20140402
4
20140502
5
20140516
Author/Reviewer
Approved By
Amendment
Lisa Miller, Environment
Manager
Bruce Flint, Director
Facilities Management
Division
Energy Savings
Action Plan created
Bruce Flint, Director
Facilities Management
Division
Bruce Flint, Director
Facilities Management
Division
Bruce Flint, Director
Facilities Management
Division
Bruce Flint, Director
Facilities Management
Division
Minor amendments
after general
consultations
Minor amendments
after further
consultation
CAO comments
incorporated
John Hazelton, Energy &
Water Sustainability
Projects Engineer
John Hazelton, Energy &
Water Sustainability
Projects Engineer
John Hazelton, Energy &
Water Sustainability
Projects Engineer
John Hazelton, Energy &
Water Sustainability
Projects Engineer
John Hazelton, Energy &
Water Sustainability
Projects Engineer
EAC comments
incorporated
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