Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Among University of Wisconsin System Campus Buildings

Abstract

In the United States, buildings alone account for 70% of all electricity use and 40% of national CO2 emissions (US Green Building Council, 2017). In fiscal year 2015, the UW System buildings consumed approximately 118,600 BTUs of energy per square foot (gross square feet: 55,193,000). Although the University of Wisconsin System assesses campus-level annual energy usage, specific buildings track little information on the variability of usage. This is important because policies are designed to manage energy efficiency at the building level.