The University of Chicago is proud to announce that it has received the 2024 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year (ESPOY) Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Each year, the ENERGY STAR® program honors organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR® Award Winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health.

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR® partners. For a complete list of 2024 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.  To learn more about what it means to become an ENERGY STAR® Partner, check out this video.

The Partner of the Year awards have created positive momentum for the energy program by raising awareness of accomplishments, improving collaboration between departments, and supporting the creation of a University-wide, cross-functional team to update the greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan. UChicago follows the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management and relies on Portfolio Manager to track usage, identify improvement opportunities, and validate successes.

Highlights from the last year include:

• The energy improvements implemented throughout campus during the 2022–2023 performance period ha​ve​ shown an annual energy savings of 1,634 MMBtu/y, reducing GHG emissions by 199 MT eC​O​​2,​ equivalent to removing CO2 emissions from the creation of 73,431 books.
• Designed a new chilled water optimization plan to include central utility system improvements, machine learning algorithms, and central chiller plant management. These enhancements are projected to achieve 2,088,450 kWh/y in electric savings or 837 MT eCO2 of GHG emissions savings, which is equivalent to 164,169 gallons of gasoline consumed.
• Designed a plan for the South Steam Plant boiler blowdown heat recovery system that is estimated to result in 54,840 therms of natural gas savings and 3.4 gpm of makeup and sewer water recovery, which is equivalent to 32,435 gallons of gasoline consumed.
• HVAC systems migrated to a new user interface with new hardware and software to ensure building engineers can adequately monitor and control building HVAC systems across campus. 
• The Office of Sustainability launched a new website that emphasizes data transparency, live utility and usage dashboards, reporting, and digital accessibility. 
• A new Sustainability and Energy newsletter gained 1,000+ subscribers and boosted campus engagement.
• Establishment of the Downtown Campus Connector that transports UChicago badge holders to and from downtown Chicago.
• Students received (by request) an annual 10-ride Metra transit pass last year reducing the need for fuel powered vehicles.
• Expansion of Divvy bike sharing stations at four locations: 1126 E 59th St., 801 East 60th St., 5810 South Woodlawn, and 1414 East 59th St.
• In a June 2023 reuse campaign, 4.4 tons of campus residential housing items were diverted from landfills through student donations.
• UChicago Rheaply, an online reuse marketplace where the campus community members can post, find, donate, and request supplies and equipment to reuse at the University, surpassed 67,000 pounds of weight diverted from landfill and $569K in value recaptured through circular economy principles.

The University strives to be at the forefront in all areas it pursues, such as academics, research, engagement, and the built environment, including energy management. This commitment is accomplished through a data-driven approach that assesses and reduces building energy consumption. UChicago uses ENERGY STAR tools and guidelines to improve energy program operations and relies on ENERGY STAR communication resources to share energy best practices and University achievements with the campus and local community. Campus energy and greenhouse gas emissions are tracked and transparently reported, and energy efficiency initiatives target opportunities in existing buildings and new construction. Following the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management, energy management is embedded at all levels of the organization.

Why partner with ENERGY STAR?

ENERGY STAR^® is the internationally recognized standard for the independent monitoring of energy performance.The University’s partnership with ENERGY STAR supports the existing efforts to reduce utility costs and greenhouse gas emissions with the following benefits.

• Measure, track, and benchmark institutional energy performance using ENERGY STAR tools and resources
• Support developing and implementing a plan to improve institutional energy performance via the ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management
• Enhanced benchmarking of the University’s energy, water, and greenhouse gas emissions data against other institutions in the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
• Provide additional tools to track annual progress against energy efficiency goals
• Apply for ENERGY STAR certification for eligible buildings highlighting the University’s achievement in energy efficiency
• Engage students and the campus community by using ENERGY STAR tools such as activity kits and educational programs
• Encourage the purchase of energy efficient appliances such as ultra-low temperature freezers using ENERGY STAR certified products and specifications
• Use ENERGY STAR promotional and communications materials