UIUC-Facilities & Services Energy Management Plan – 50 Percent Reduction in Energy Utilization to be Achieved by 2026
March 1, 2021 1:46 PM

Dear Colleagues,

Recent extreme winter weather events and mass power outages nationally have reinforced the importance of comprehensive energy management strategies that can effectively meet societal demand and protect communities. For campus buildings and infrastructure, that responsibility belongs to Facilities & Services (F&S), which provides safety-focused, reliable, sustainable, and efficient utility service to students, faculty, and staff. Supplying uninterrupted heat, electricity, and chilled water are essential to supporting educational and research activities for the university’s learning, discovery, engagement, and economic development missions.

The F&S Energy Management Plan outlines how a $100M-a-year energy enterprise continues to transform and adapt to the evolving needs of the campus through enhancements in production, distribution, conservation, permitting, and business operations. The plan keeps the university on the path of achieving the milestone of a 50 percent reduction in energy use per square foot by 2026, fourteen years ahead of the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) target.

Over the next five years, key centralized programs, including retrocommissioning, recommissioning, energy performance contracting, along with supply-side equipment upgrades and net-zero space growth on campus will provide a projected additional energy savings of over 500,000 MMBTUs per year and approximately $13M in cost avoidance.

F&S staff have already made tremendous progress toward many specific iCAP objectives, such as reducing building-level energy, increasing clean power sources like solar and geothermal, and improving green building design and space utilization. These efforts greatly support the university’s climate leadership commitments to achieving carbon neutrality as soon as possible and strengthening resilience to climate change.

In all aspects of our operations, F&S is dedicated to advancing innovation and making service delivery improvements as a part of the Operational Excellence initiative in the university's Strategic Plan “The Next 150.” By creating partnerships and expanding outreach programs with the campus community, the organization will continue implementing integrated energy solutions and best practices that return better value and offer superior customer service.

Providing dependable and cost-effective utilities production and distribution is critical to securing the campus’ energy future, displaying dedicated environmental leadership, and further promoting world-class academic collaboration. Thanks to ongoing teamwork and detailed planning, we have made significant advancements over the last two decades and are well positioned for much success in the years ahead.

Cordially, 

Dr. Mohamed Attalla, MBA, P.Eng.
Executive Director, Facilities & Services