Campus energy projects
Recent Highlights:
Energy conservation investment fund
MIT has launched the pilot phase of the MIT Energy Conservation Investment Fund with $500,000 of seed capital provided by the MIT Treasurer to fund investments in energy efficiency across campus. The projects funded with this initial investment included monitoring and renewing steam traps, lighting upgrades, continuous commissioning and coil cleaning. The Treasurer committed to re-invest the savings achieved in the next round of projects that are underway.
An alumnus has recently added $500,000 to this fund. We have a gift from another donor for $1 million that will create an expendable fund for an agreed upon list of on-campus energy conservation and efficiency projects using proven technologies with rapid payback. The fund is intended to demonstrate that significant savings can be realized by effectively using proven technologies to save energy. The savings will be measured and validated using generally accepted engineering standards for the technologies implemented. MIT will use the savings from these projects to fund a second list of projects to further advance the Institute’s energy savings program.
Facilities energy conservation, efficiency and sustainable design
The Department of Facilities has made strong progress in designing and carrying out a series of measures to conserve energy and promote sustainable design. A few recent highlights include:
- A continuous commissioning program (a program that monitors hundreds of key operating parameters to identify systems that are not operating properly) was carried out in the Dreyfus Chemistry Building (Building 18) and the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center (Building W35). To date, measures with annual savings of $500,000 have been identified.
- Various lighting projects have been initiated. These include replacement of lamps and ballasts with more efficient versions, addition or improvement of lighting controls and fixture upgrades. Recent lighting measures in W32 (including fencing, wrestling, and squash facilities), W8 boathouse, and Building 34 elevator lobbies cost $80,000 and are estimated to return annual savings of $45,000. A campus-wide lighting program is expected to cost $690,000 and to return savings of $323,000 annually.
- In the recently completed PDSI project, an innovative and more energy efficient cooling system known as “chilled beams” has been successfully completed, commissioned and will set the standard for future renovations of other Main Group spaces. An estimated 300 ton reduction in chilled water demand has been achieved as well as an 110hp reduction in necessary fan horsepower.
- New Ashdown House (NW35) is on track for LEED Silver certification with the possibility for Gold. This is the first MIT dorm to employ heat recovery from kitchen and bath exhaust systems as well as a highly efficient curtain wall system which allowed HVAC equipment of smaller than normal size to be selected.
Residential Life and the Division of Student Life (DSL) are moving fast to help MIT walk the talk on energy and environmental initiatives.
- Involvement with the MIT Green Ambassador program has allowed DSL to recruit Green Ambassadors for each Administrative Unit to promote simple actions everyone can take to reduce, reuse and conserve resources. Action items include: increasing recycling efforts, using washable mugs, bottles, plates and utensils, recycling used paper into notepads, lights out in restrooms, turning off printers, copiers and other equipment at the end of the workday, adjusting temperatures lower in winter and higher in summer, using reuse@mit.edu for items no longer needed, and double sided printing.
- DSL is also working with IS&T to devise a way of powering down computers without interfering with backup and software upgrade needs.
- Housing is partnering with the winner of the annual Dormitory Electricity Competition to develop energy efficient renovations within their residence hall. Housing staff and students work collaboratively to identify efficiency opportunities. With an annual prize of $10,000 given to the contest winning dorm, dormitories have received improved lighting and motion and heat sensors helping students gain a better understanding of their effect on the overall costs of energy. Students and Housing are collaborating with MITEI and other departments to install usage meters in specific apartments to showcase effects of behavior on energy use and cost.
- Campus Dining has initiated and deepened several programs to advance more sustainable dining practices and options, including: working with its food service providers to offer and celebrate more locally sourced and organic foods; promoting use of non-disposable serviceware, supporting Biodiesel@MIT to convert waste vegetable oil to biodiesel fuel; adopting more environmentally friendly dishwashing technologies; composting food prep waste; recycling wherever possible; and employing batch cooking and made-to-order food to reduce food waste.
Transportation & commuting enhancements
As transportation needs for the Institute comprise a significant source of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, the Task Force considers measures that can have favorable impacts on our campus fleet and commuting options and patterns. MIT has a wide range of flexible, environmentally friendly and cost-effective options available to MIT commuters, details of which are available at http://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/ . These options help the MIT community to lower its carbon footprint as evidenced by the choices people make on how they commute to campus. The Parking and Transportation Office has focused recent efforts on programs that help those with the longest commute (commuter rail users) and those who drive full time. Some highlights of recent enhancements include:
- To encourage drivers to try public transportation, MIT offered free transit passes for the month of September 2008 to employees who currently park at MIT five days per week. The community enthusiastically responded to this offer as evidenced by the fact that 708 drivers opted to participate. In October 2008, 79 people switched to transit.
- To help many who have some of the longest commutes and were not using commuter rail, MIT increased its subsidy of MBTA commuter rail passes for the month of October 2008 onward, up to 50% in all zones. This resulted in savings for nearly 600 members of the MIT community. Commuter rail sales increased over 13% year over year in the first nine months of AY 2009.
- We expanded parking options at 5 satellite off-campus sites. In combination with existing shuttle services, we added 22 spaces at Lincoln Lab and 10 spaces at Wellesley College for commuters who come in from the western suburbs. Parking can be a barrier to the formation of car and van pools. To help with this, we added rideshare parking at Haystack, Endicott House and Bates.
- To reduce the environmental impact for commuters who need to drive to MIT and to encourage MIT drivers to choose an environmentally friendly vehicle the next time they make a vehicle purchase, 20% parking discount was introduced for eco-friendly vehicles.
- A private transit reimbursement has been added for those who do not live within a transit area serviced by the MBTA. Eligible providers include Amtrak, Peter Pan and P&B. It provides a monthly $75 “commuter check” to participants up to a monthly maximum of $120 when combined with a MBTA pass.
- A recent survey has shown that number of MIT commuters driving alone the entire way to campus (a key metric of commuter programs) decreased from 26% to 22%.
Community Engagement
The Task Force has launched a new GreeningMIT campaign. GreeningMIT is a new initiative to engage the entire MIT community in taking action to make our campus more sustainable. Through awareness campaigns, information resources, planning tools, and a supportive network of Green Ambassadors, the Campus Energy Task Force is making it easy for everyone to make a difference in their "place" at MIT. Become a Green Ambassador in your office, lab, or dorm and help promote greener choices and practices. Learn more about the actions you can take and how these small choices – and many more – can make a real impact on our greenhouse gas emissions. Check out these tips, tools, and tactics to help you get started.
Efficient computing
The energy impact from the use of information technology and services (IS&T) on campus is substantial. To identify measures that can reduce those impacts and advance more sustainable IT
practices, the Task Force has supported the energy program efforts of IS&T. Some recent highlights include:
- Server virtualization: IS&T has licensed virtualization software for use at MIT from VMware Inc. Use of virtualization software will enable the consolidation of multiple underutilized physical servers through the creation of multiple virtual machines (VM's) on a single physical server. An added benefit is the ability to run multiple operating systems on a single server and not needing to purchase two separate servers. The reduction in physical servers results in reduction in power and cooling energy.
- Potential recent savings from reduced power use and cooling requirements from using virtualization include 1,885,465 kWh of electricity, reducing 848 tons of CO2 emissions.
- Top users of VM licenses include: Lincoln Labs (46%) and IS&T (38%). Application types include web servers, infrastructure support, development, and testing.
- Additional IS&T energy projects are detailed at http://web.mit.edu/ist/initiatives/it-energy/.
Student learning and engagement
The Task Force provides opportunities to engage students in the work of the Campus Energy Program that provide rich learning and educational experiences while also contributing valuable research, analysis, and project implementation. These opportunities are found both within and outside MIT’s curricula and allow students, faculty, and staff to engage in hands-on research and exploration using the operations and management of our own campus infrastructure as a rich test bed of ideas and approaches. We are using MIT’s campus operations as a learning laboratory – through UROPs, special classes, internships, and research projects - to foster students’ emerging technical and leadership skills to help define and solve our own energy challenges. Through the MITEI Student Campus Energy Project Fund, we have been able to support over 30 student projects on campus that engage our students and advance our campus energy objectives.
