Partnership for Sustainability at Northwestern University

As part of its continuing climate leadership efforts, Northwestern University has partnered with Ameresco, a leading clean technology integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The initiative will help Northwestern significantly reduce its carbon footprint across both the Evanston and Chicago campuses while also providing learning opportunities for students.

This project helps NU move further towards reaching its sustainability goals of reducing its energy and utility usage and achieving carbon neutrality by 2032. The measures provide environmental and health benefits by reducing air pollution from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are generated by fossil fuels.

80+

Buildings and Central Plants
in Phase One

$18,600,000+

of Campus Infrastructure Maintenance
(in Phase One)

6,029 Tons

of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents Projected to be Avoided (Annually, Starting in 2023)

Each year the carbon emissions reduction from this project is projected to equal to one of the following equivalencies (according to the U.S. EPA GHG Calculator)…

GHG emissions avoided by

260,969

trash bags of waste recycled
instead of landfilled

GHG emissions from

14,900,000

miles driven by an average gasoline-
powered passenger vehicle

Carbon sequestered by

7,135

acres of U.S. forests in one year

Energy As a Service Program Summary

The long-term Energy as a Service (EaaS) agreement will allow the University to tackle immediate energy infrastructure needs and address deferred maintenance without upfront capital investments. Instead, projects are funded over time through the program’s energy savings. EaaS programs establish a long-term partnership to mitigate energy risk and address energy requirements without upfront capital.

Northwestern anticipates a reduction in its carbon footprint in connection with the program term. Projects will involve smart building technology implementation, building automation, lighting upgrades, heating and cooling system optimization and alternative energy systems.

In addition to providing energy management for both campuses’ 200+ buildings, Ameresco will support Northwestern in developing an asset condition inventory and comprehensive asset planning framework as well as provide annual funding over the five-year period for NU Sustainability Fellows and employ two paid interns each quarter.

Phase One Highlights:

  • $72M in savings over 30 years
  • Addresses $18.6M in deferred maintenance with no up-front capital cost
  • Leverages $722,060 in utility incentives
  • Reduces annual CO2 footprint by 6,029 tons
  • Saves over 4M gallons of water per year
  • Improves working conditions through HVAC, lighting, and building controls upgrades
  • Reduces maintenance costs to the University
Phase One

The partnership includes multiple phases of projects. The first phase of projects (Phase 1) has been agreed upon and will start construction in November 2022. These include the energy conservation measures (ECMs) below and will provide over a million dollars in savings in the first year.

ECM Description Building
LED Lighting Upgrade Tarry, Morton, Ward, Searle, Rebecca Crown, 2020 Ridge, University Library, Tech, Kellogg Global Hub, Bobb/McCulloch
Chiller Upgrade Tarry
Cooling Tower Replacement & Sewer
Deduct Meters
Tarry, Searle, Lurie
Cooling Tower Softened Water Upgrade Lurie
Optimize Outdoor Air Controls Tarry
Vacuum Pump Water Reclamation Tarry
Air Handling Unit Replacement Rebecca Crown
Garage Demand Controlled Ventilation Rebecca Crown
Steam Trap Replacement Program Evanston Campus
Steam Insulation Program Evanston Campus
Steam Tunnel and Vault Trap Management Evanston Campus
LED Lighting Upgrade

LED Lighting Upgrade

  • Existing fluorescent fixtures will be retrofit with LED lamps and new drivers/ballasts. Recessed fixtures with parabolic lenses and University library stack fixtures will be replaced with new.
  • These upgrades not only improve efficiency of the fixtures, but also provide improved light quality and reduces outages and maintenance needs.
Chiller Upgrade

 Chiller Upgrade

  • The two existing chillers and transformer serving them in Tarry will be replaced with two new chillers with variable frequency drives and a new 12kV to 480V transformer.
  • This will increase the capacity of the plant, address deferred maintenance needs, and improve efficiency.
Cooling Tower Replacement & Sewer Deduct Meters

Cooling Tower Replacement and Sewer Deduct Meters

  • The existing cooling towers in Tarry will be replaced with new towers to meet the new expanded capacity of the plant. In addition, this will address deferred maintenance needs. Meters will be added to monitor the amount of water that is evaporated from the cooling towers in Tarry, Searle, and Lurie to eliminate unnecessary sewer charges.
  • This will reduce the utility costs to the University while also improving the reliability of the chilled water system.
Cooling Tower Softened Water Upgrade

Cooling Tower Softened Water Upgrade

  • New piping will be extended from the water softener in Simpson-Querrey to serve the cooling towers in Lurie.
  • This will decrease the amount of water needed to run the towers by providing higher quality water.
Optimize Outdoor Air Controls

Optimize Outdoor Air Controls

  • New carbon dioxide sensors will be added to the air handling units serving the offices of Tarry and new control sequences will be implemented to adjust the outside air intake during times of low occupancy.
  • This will save heating and cooling energy in the spaces by optimizing airflow.
Vacuum Pump Water Reclamation

Vacuum Pump Water Reclamation

  • A chilled water line will be installed to provide cooling to the four existing vacuum pumps in the Tarry building to replace the once through domestic water cooling.
  • This will significantly reduce water usage, while maintaining performance of the vacuum pump system.
Air Handling Unit Replacement

Air Handling Unit Replacement

  • Two existing aging air handlers in the Rebecca Crown Building will be replaced with new units with variable frequency drives and digital controls. In addition, the unit serving the former kitchen will be capped off and a small unit heater installed to heat the space based on its current use as storage.
  • The replacement of these units will address deferred maintenance needs and improve efficiency.
Garage Demand Controlled Ventilation

Garage Demand Controlled Ventilation

  • New carbon monoxide sensors will be installed in the parking garage at the Rebecca Crown Building to coordinate exhaust fan operation with space needs.
  • This measure will significantly reduce energy consumption while ensuring continued occupant safety.
Building Steam Trap Replacement

Building Steam Trap Replacement

  • Steam traps in the buildings will be audited each year and new traps provided to minimize steam trap loss on the Evanston campus.
Steam Insulation Installation

Steam Insulation Installation

  • New steam insulation will be installed on straight pipe, fittings, elbows, and valves where insulation is currently not present or severely degraded on the Evanston campus.
  • This will minimize the heat loss from the steam distribution system.
Steam Tunnel & Vault Trap Management

Steam Tunnel and Vault Trap Management

  • To provide a comprehensive steam trap program, Ameresco will provide new materials for replacement and rebuilding of steam traps in the tunnels and vaults each year to minimize steam loss on the Evanston campus.
  • The traps have been rebuilt and replaced for 2022. Additional materials will be provided for the annual steam shutdown each year.
Construction Schedule with Project Dates

Phase 1 on Evanston and Chicago Campuses

Evanston, IL Campus Map

Chicago, IL Campus Map

Daytime aerial view of theEvanston Campus at Northwestern University

Northwestern University Campus

Daytime exterior view of a wing of Deering Library at Northwestern University

Deering Library Exterior

Daytime exterior view of Deering Library at Northwestern University

A Modern Wing of Deering Library

Daytime interior view of a hall at Deering Library at Northwestern University

Deering Library Study Area

Daytime interior view of book stacks at Deering Library at Northwestern University

Deering Library Stacks

Daytime interior view of a main desk at Deering Library at Northwestern University

Deering Library Recption

Daytime interior view of a study area at Deering Library at Northwestern University

Desks and Stacks in Deering Library

NU Sustainability Fellows

The Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN) and sustainNU will oversee the new fellowship program, which will create new opportunities for students to gain real-world experience in energy management and sustainability, furthering the University’s mission to support hands-on experiential learning and enabling students to engage with the physical environment and grow as leaders in sustainability. The sustainability fellowship program helps prepare Northwestern Universities students for meaningful careers in the fields of energy management, renewable energy and sustainability. As part of this energy as a service project, Ameresco will be providing quarterly funding for the NU Sustainability Fellows program. Learn more at https://www.northwestern.edu/sustainability/curriculum-research/index.html.

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