Utility Services gathers significant amounts of data to gauge machinery efficiency and utility usage throughout the year. These data also help reflect environmental impact and inform decisions on plant improvements and changes in operation. Some of these annual data are presented in charts below.
Disclaimer: Certain collected information is influenced by external factors such as seasonal weather.
Campus Statistics
Annual Electric Usage (kilowatt hours)
These figures represent the amount of electricity that is delivered to the utility plants for distribution to campus buildings. Over the past two years, electricity usage has gradually declined despite the increase in square footage of campus landmass. This can be attributed to conservation efforts on campus and the purchase of higher efficiency, energy-saving equipment on campus.
Certain on-campus buildings obtain their electricity directly from Lincoln Electricity System (LES), hence figures shown should not be used as is to reflect total electricity use.
Campus Statistics
Annual Amount of Chilled Water Produced (Kilo Tones)
The chart shows the amount of chilled water produced per year. The decline in the amount of chilled water produced in 2013 and 2014 can be attributed to the implementation of newer equipment capable of producing colder water with less electricity. External factors such as cooler weather can also contribute to the a reduction in need for comfort cooling.
Plant Statistics
Annual Water Usage (Gallons)
Water is an essential resource for utility plant operations. It is used in both steam and comfort cooling processes.
The chart shows a gradual decline over the past two years. The likely cause for this decline is the performance of proper maintenance to prevent water loss and the implementation of more efficient equipment capable of achieving the desired amount of cooling and heating with less water.
Plant Statistics
Electricity per Ton of Chilled water (Kilowatts/Ton)
Figures shown are taken from a snapshot between June and September of each year for consistent comparison. The figures show the ratio of the amount of electricity needed to cool one ton of water (KW/Ton). The lower the number, the more efficiency attained and the smaller the carbon footprint.
As you can see, newer, higher-efficiency equipment installed around 2013 allows us to chill more water using less electricity.
Plant Statistics
Annual Steam Production (Kilo Pounds)
All Utility Plant boilers on both campuses allow for dual-fuel burning. However to achieve our goal of being more sustainable, we primarily burn clean natural gas in our boilers for steam production.
The chart shows that our numbers have been pretty consistent in the amount of steam generated using clean natural gas over the years.
Plant Statistics
Annual Gas Consumption (Kilo Cubic Feet)
Primarily, clean natural gas is used in our steam boilers. This chart mirrors that of annual steam production using natural gas. Performing annual burner load tests helps to ensure boiler operational efficiency: that every cubic foot of gas is used to generate steam, thus minimizing emissions.