Located on the northeast corner of the University of Chicago campus, the 419,000-square-foot Campus North Residential Commons (CNRC) was built in 2016 and accommodates up to 800 undergraduate students. Campus North also features a Dining Commons, University classrooms, offices, outdoor green spaces and 10,000 square feet of retail space.

Due to its size and 24/7 occupancy, CNRC annual energy usage ranks ninth highest on campus. Because of this high-energy use, the University initiated a Preventative Maintenance and Commissioning (PM+Cx) strategy designed to provide an in-depth look at building systems and components to find and correct equipment that may be underperforming.

A series of energy conservation measures (ECMs) implemented in 2021 improved occupant comfort while reducing energy, operational, and maintenance costs. These ECMs were developed and implemented with support from the project team that included staff from Campus & Student Life, Facilities Services Residence Halls and Dining engineers and Building Automation Shop (BAS) engineers. Building Engineer, David Petrouskas (pictured below), shared his extensive knowledge of the building resulting in a successful project.

The PM + Cx process identified a faulty pressure sensor on one of the main air handling systems causing excessive airflow. Although small, replacing this sensor restored optimum static pressure control, which in-turn saved electrical and cooling energy. This measure alone will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 84 metric tons of eCO₂. Other ECMs included temperature setbacks during unoccupied periods, calibration of airflow monitoring stations, and terminal unit reheat optimization. In total, these efforts resulted in an energy use reduction of 6% and a carbon footprint reduction of 124 metric tons eCO₂ based on detailed post-implementation measurement and verification. This reduction is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 26 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for one year.

The University of Chicago is a proud recipient of the United States Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year award in 2021 and 2022, collaborating with peer institutions to reduce higher education campus energy usage. The goal of this energy efficiency program is to: (1) reduce the impact on the environment as about 70 percent of University greenhouse gas emissions are from energy usage in campus buildings; (2) redirect funds currently going to utility providers back into maintenance of our campus buildings; and (3) reduce the risk of disruption to our educational and research mission by locating and correcting issues before systems and components in our buildings fail.   More than 300 energy efficiency measures have been completed in the University of Chicago campus buildings since 2009, and buildings will continue to be the primary target of our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.