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CSUDH has been recognized nationally and statewide for its energy saving initiatives. CSUDH has piloted a variety of cutting edge energy technologies that have received several statewide best practice awards for energy efficiency since 2006, and campus buildings have been the focus of multiple California Energy Commission studies as a statewide model in energy efficiency innovation. Below are a few steps the university is taking to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from campus facilities.
Greenhouse Gas Management
As of March 2021, CSUDH is a signatory of the Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment for Carbon and is committed to carbon neutrality for scope 1-3 greenhouse gas emissions. As a signatory, CSUDH publicly releases its campus greenhouse gas inventory annually via public dashboard through Second Nature's Reporting Platform (available here).
Central Plant/HVAC
Almost all of the heating and cooling for on-campus buildings are supplied on-site by the Central Plant. The Central Plant regularly upgrades heating and cooling machinery with energy efficiency in mind. Be sure to sign up for the Trick or Treat Open House tunnel tour the Central Plant runs annually around Halloween during October Sustainability Month to get an in-depth look at the machinery that keeps our buildings comfortable!
Renewable Energy
At the end of June 2022, the campus went live with almost 1MW (985kW) of rooftop solar on five campus buildings: Welch Hall, SBS, Library, NCSI, and Gym. These panels now allow the campus to get almost 1/3-1/2 of its daily energy from on-site, renewable sources. Two buildings are now carbon negative on average, putting more energy back into the campus grid than they consume.
Lighting
Exterior and interior light fixtures on-campus are regularly replaced with highly efficient LED lighting as part of a long-term rollout initiative. Many parking lots have been upgraded, as have several hallways and classrooms. The campus also completed a California Energy Commission grant study that retrofitted all of Welch Hall with advanced LED lighting and controls, solar-powered window shades, and smart plug technology.
New Technologies
CSUDH is committed to pioneering new energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies on campus. A few examples include the solarizing of the Central Plant's golf cart fleet, solar charging umbrellas in common areas on campus, and advanced building control technologies.
Most recently, Central Plant installed a cutting-edge 1MW/4-Hour Battery Storage unit that shaves peak demand for the entire campus. It is one of the largest behind-the-meter battery storage installations in Southern California, and has won the campus several awards.
CSUDH is currently participating in a five-year Clean Energy Optimization Pilot with Southern California Edison which further supports energy measures and actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read more here: https://news.csudh.edu/clean-energy-pilot
For more information on Central Plant general operations, visit their webpage here: https://www.csudh.edu/facilities-services/services/central-plant/.
Behavior Change
Buildings are only as efficient as the users in them. The Office of Sustainability regularly communicates with the campus to encourage energy efficiency and conservation behaviors ranging from energy competitions in Housing to encouraging lab users to lower fume hoods. It regularly supports a variety of studies and behavior change campaigns to further energy reduction on campus.