University of Texas at Arlington

PROGRESS REPORT

University of Texas (UT) Arlington's energy consumption in fiscal year 2021 was 106,068 btu/gsf. For fiscal 2022 (the beginning of our next 10-year goal period) it was 110,484 btu/gsf—an increase of 4.16 percent. Fiscal 2021 water consumption was 44.69 gal/gsf and FY22 was 53.28 gal/gsf—an increase of 19.22 percent. These increases are primarily due to the return of pre-COVID campus operations and drought conditions/80-day period of non-measurable precipitation in Arlington, Texas, at a time when the University is still trying to re-establish the campus landscaping destroyed/damaged by Winter Storm Uri.

UT Arlington continues to make improvements to our facility infrastructure allowing us to achieve, and maintain, these utility consumption reductions. These improvements include, but are not limited to:

• Utilization of an Energy Management System connected to nearly all buildings on campus which provides energy metering and management services such as automated, schedule-based temperature setback control to a majority of campus building HVAC systems; several buildings on campus utilize dual-technology occupancy sensors to control area lighting.
• A continuous commissioning program in place to optimize the operation of control devices along with air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and building automation systems focusing on total building performance with an emphasis on optimum energy efficiency.
• Software installed to provide real-time analysis of our Thermal Energy Plant's performance. This results in early detection of the Plant's inefficiencies and sequencing errors so they can be minimized by timely correction.
• Tracking of monthly energy usage in key buildings in order to quickly identify and correct possible operational issues affecting energy consumption.
• During lab renovation projects, constant volume fume hoods are replaced with variable volume hoods.
• During renovation projects, pneumatic controls are changed to direct digital controls on terminal boxes.
• Upgraded/replaced clock timers on parking lot and building lighting locations not controlled by the Energy Management System to better control operational hours and address cloudy-day issues.
• Installation of solar screens and/or window solar film where needed.
• Where feasible, roofs have been coated with white TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin, called a "cool roof") during replacements/modifications. This coating reduces the heat and radiance of the sun and summer heat. On new building construction, TPO or similar “cool roof” products are used.
• Retrofitting restrooms with low-flow toilets and lavatories during renovations.
• Low-flow showerheads in student housing showers.
• Upgraded heating system steam traps to capture and recirculate steam condensate and eliminate steam “blow-by”.
• Where feasible, transitioned the campus irrigation control system to a weather-based, radio-transmitted master controller to reduce campus irrigation requirements.
• Utilization of native plant species on campus to minimize irrigation requirements and, therefore, water consumption.
• During fiscal 2022 many improvements were completed including, but not limited to:

• Thermal Energy Plant - Replaced cooling tower fill at two large cooling towers.
• Studio Arts Center - Replaced two R-22 chillers with one more efficient magnetic bearing chiller.
• Replaced obsolete Siemens control panels in nine buildings.

• Lighting fixture replacements during fiscal 2022:
• Replacement of more than 800 T-8 and T-5 lighting fixtures in classrooms, offices and hallways with LED fixtures.

GOALS

Not reported.

STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING GOALS

UT Arlington plans to continue implementing the following measures to achieve these utility conservation goals:

• LED lighting retrofits.
• High efficiency HVAC replacement units.
• Installation of low-flow water fixtures.
• Provide cooling and heating energy to new construction from our Thermal Energy Plant instead of utilizing less efficient unitary equipment.
• Optimizing HVAC start-stop times.
• On-going building energy usage monitoring, measurement, and evaluation (enhanced commissioning).

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

The majority of UT Arlington's utility conservation measures are already in place and on-going.

Existing Buildings

As UT Arlington renovates, remodels, and upgrades campus facilities, it continues to complete lighting retrofits, transformer upgrades, installation of clock timers on buildings and parking lot lighting not controlled by the campus Energy Management System, installation of occupancy sensors on lighting in rooms where feasible, replacement of older HVAC system components with higher efficiency models (to include, but not limited to, pump/fan motors, mixing boxes, air handler units, and chillers).

The following improvements are scheduled to be completed during fiscal 2023:

• Thermal Energy Plant - Install new boiler.
• Thermal Energy Plant - Replace a condenser water pump and 4160-volt VFD.
• Thermal Energy Plant - Replace a chilled water pump.
• University Police Building - Replace five R-22 roof top units.

The following improvements are to be completed in future fiscal years, but are not yet scheduled:

• Chemistry & Physics Building and Engineering Research Building - Retrofit exhaust fans from a bypass type to a variable volume type.
• CAPPA - Refurbish air handling units.
• University Center - Replace twelve constant volume air handling units with variable volume units.
• Thermal Energy Plant - Install two new chillers.
• Thermal Energy Plant - The University plans to drill a water well to supply water for the cooling towers and boilers. This will provide a reliable water source for this equipment in case of a loss of municipal water from the city of Arlington (such as the outage that occurred during the Feb. 2021 Winter Storm). This will also save the cost of water provided by the City of Arlington and the cost of chemicals to treat the municipal water before it can be used in the cooling towers and boilers.

New Buildings

Over the last eight years, UT Arlington has demolished more than 370 antiquated apartment units (average age of 50 years) and one 83-year-old residence hall on campus which has been replaced with a new energy and water efficient residence hall on the west side of campus. Along with high efficiency mechanical systems, this residence hall has low-flow showers, lavatories and toilets.

UT Arlington's 220,000 square foot Science and Engineering Innovation and Research Building (SEIR) opened in August of 2018. This building is equipped with state-of-the-art high efficiency mechanical systems and water-saving plumbing fixtures. The result is a research facility with a predicted energy usage of 30 percent less than a typical research building.

Another 56-year-old residence hall on campus was demolished during fiscal 20 and was replaced with an energy efficient administrative office building—Trinity Hall. This building is equipped with the Siemens Enlighted System which integrates the lighting and HVAC systems with occupancy to reduce energy consumption.

The new School of Social Work and Smart Hospital Building is currently under construction and will also be equipped with the Siemens Enlighted System which integrates the lighting and HVAC systems with occupancy to reduce energy consumption. This 150,000 gross square foot building is expected to be completed in Nov. of 2022.

During FY22 UT Arlington demolished Lipscomb Hall, a 64-year-old, 64,497 gross square foot residence hall, and Centerpoint Apartments, a 51-year-old, 23-unit antiquated apartment complex. These two sites will remain green space for the foreseeable future.

AGENCY FINANCE STRATEGY

UT Arlington continues to pay back the debt service incurred for their two major energy performance contracts with the cost savings realized by the improvements to our facility infrastructure (self-funding). Additional cost savings realized are used for deferred maintenance projects that further enhance utility consumption reductions and their associated costs, such as lighting upgrades.

During fiscal 2018 UT Arlington was awarded a SECO loan for replacement of metal halide parking lot lamps with LED fixtures. Payback began in fiscal 2020 with the cost savings realized from these replacements.

During fiscal 2019 UT Arlington was awarded a second SECO loan for replacement of 536 interior lighting fixtures and 36 exterior lighting fixtures with LED fixtures at the Maverick Activities Center; actual replacements completed under this project included 987 interior lighting fixtures and 72 exterior lighting fixtures. Payback began in fiscal 2022 with the cost savings realized from these replacements.

The UT Aggregation Group (consisting of 12 University of Texas components in addition to UT Arlington) negotiated a 10-year retail electricity contract which began in Jan. of 2018 at a very favorable rate. During fiscal 2019 UT Arlington issued a RFB for a new natural gas supplier. A 3-year contract was negotiated to begin in Nov. of 2019; again, at a very favorable rate. This contract also includes four 1-year renewal options. Any cost savings resulting from these energy contracts may allow further improvements to our facility infrastructure to provide additional utility consumption reductions.

EMPLOYEE AWARENESS PLAN

Before each year's Winter Break, UT Arlington distributes a document entitled "Winter Break Energy Savings Initiative" to all faculty and staff asking them to help conserve energy on campus by taking the following measures when leaving for the break:

• Turn off and unplug all electrical devices.
• Lower the heating temperature and turn off air conditioning in areas controlled directly by an occupant.
• Turn off all lights.
• Turn off all ice makers.