ABOUT THE PROGRAMThe second phase of the sustainability efforts at Saint Paul RiverCentre, the accompanying Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium and Xcel Energy Center, is a set of energy goals designed to increase efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of the facilities. The aim is to reduce the carbon footprint of the facilities by 80 percent and make the facilities 20 percent more efficient than average within three years time.* The focus is on direct operations of the facilities. This is being approached in three ways: through equipment upgrades & retrofits, operational improvements and by offsetting of remaining carbon emissions with on-site and off-site renewable energy. *Average for this region of the country was determined by using the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). That rating for the Midwest is 101.7 kBTU energy consumed per square foot of space. FACTS & FIGURES“80-20 and in 3” stands for 80% reduction in the carbon footprint of the facilities, and making the facilities 20% more efficient than average within three years time. The three-year time frame allotted for this phase is from 2009-2012. To determine the efficiency goal, venue officials followed the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification standards, which require a building’s “Energy Usage Index” (EUI = total energy use/total square footage) to be 19 percent better than average. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification program has become a national standard for efficient buildings. Saint Paul RiverCentre, The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium and Xcel Energy Center combined used 120 million kBTUs of energy during the benchmark year, which was the 2007-08 season. By comparison, they used just 106 million kBTUs during the second year of this program (a 12 percent reduction). The current energy efficiency rating for all three facilities is 83.1 kBTU/ft2/yr, which is 18.3 percent better than average for this region. The current carbon footprint of the three facilities is 16,158 metric tons eCO2 (carbon dioxide equivalent), which is a 19 percent reduction from the benchmark period. PROGRESS - ENERGY EFFICIENCYWith help from a federal grant, Saint Paul RiverCentre parking ramp converted 1,087 high pressure sodium lights in its parking ramp to new energy-efficient fluorescent lamps – an annual savings of $50,000. This project was funded with federal stimulus money and an Xcel Energy rebate.
PROGRESS - RENEWABLE ENERGYThe largest solar thermal installation project in the Midwest was completed atop Saint Paul RiverCentre in March of 2011. The project, led by District Energy St. Paul, was made possible by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) “Solar America Communities” program and matching funds from District Energy St. Paul. An 82 kW solar photovoltaic system is currently being installed on the south wall of the RiverCentre parking ramp. It will generate approximately 100,000 kWh of electricity per year, and was funded with grant dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Minnesota Department of Commerce. To encourage event participation in carbon reduction, the facilities have introduced Windsource® for Events – an option to buy into Xcel Energy’s wind power program in short-term blocks for event offset. Thus far, participants have included the University of Minnesota’s E3 Conference, MN Wild, MN Swarm, the 2011 NHL Draft and the Visa Gymnastics Championships. ADDITIONALLY
NATIONALLYCarbon In 2009, 34 percent of companies listed on the S&P 500 reported carbon reduction targets (up from 16 percent in 2007 and 20 percent in 2008). In 2008, the commercial sector accounted for 19.2 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The White House and Environmental Protection Agency have called for an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in order to avoid catastrophic climate change. We have the same goal, but within a much shorter time frame. Efficiency LEED is the national standard for “high performance” or “green” buildings. Our goal is to reach LEED levels. Less than 1 percent of buildings in the U.S. are LEED certified. Commercial buildings account for about 40 percent of total U.S. energy use. |
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