There are several ways OSU energy and water use is analyzed. Historically, outside consultants had been the primary mechanism by which analysis was accomplished. With the creation of the OSU Sustainability Office, and the increased campus focus of the OSU Energy|Efficiency Center, responsibilities and work process have changed somewhat.
| Assessment Provider | Systems Analyzed | Available To | Cost |
| OSU Sustainability Office | Occupant-controlled systems: lighting, computers, lab equipment, etc. | All, general funded buildings first priority | None |
| OSU Energy|Efficiency Center | Building systems (lighting, HVAC) and industrial equipment | All | Minimal |
| Professional Consultants | Building systems (lighting, HVAC, etc) |
All | Varies |
| Energy Trust or Oregon Dept. of Energy | Building systems (lighting, HVAC) when part of construction |
Construction projects only |
The Sustainability Office has begun looking more closely at off hours energy use in campus buildings. Joined by students from various courses, the Office performs unannounced night audits several times each term. During a night audit, buildings are thoroughly examined during predominantly unoccupied times for instances of potential energy waste.
These audits measure losses from unnecessarily active electrical equipment like lighting, computers and peripherals, copiers, printers, and chargers, as well as thermal losses like open windows. Losses are totaled and potential savings are estimated and will be made available to the public. Data gathered during the audits can be used to assess the impact of conservation efforts, justify additional conservation projects, as well as report potentially unsafe conditions (low light levels, fire hazards, etc.). A summary of night audit results is presented in the table below.
| Term Surveyed | Buildings Surveyed |
Est. Annual Waste |
|||
| Lighting | Computers & peripherals | Copiers & Printers | Other Elec. equipment | ||
| Winter 2010 | Bexell, Milam, Women's Building, Wilkinson, Moreland | $4,000 | $11,600 | $1,500 | $400 |
| Spring 2010 | Bexell, Gilkey, Strand Ag, Ballard Extension, Wilkinson, Burt, Gilmore | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
The Oregon State University Energy|Efficiency Center (EEC) focuses on offering small and medium-sized manufacturers a comprehensive on-site assessment. Student teams led by engineering faculty visit Northwest manufacturers and seek ways to increase profits by increasing productivity and reducing energy use and waste. Within 60 days, the EEC sends a report to the client with analysis and specific recommendations to improve efficiency.
Recently, EEC has performed assessments of OSU campus facilities and issued reports of their findings. Those reports are found here.
| Assessment Report | Date |
| OSU-Cascades Campus | Oct. 2009 |
| Pilot Project Report: OSU Agricultural Assessments | Jan. 2009 |
| Memorial Union | Dec. 2008 |
| OSU Greenhouse (Ag Assessment) | Sep. 2008 |
| OSU Hyslop Farms (Ag Assessment) | Aug. 2008 |
| OSU Research Dairy (Ag Assessment) | Aug. 2008 |
| OSU Vegetable Farm (Ag Assessment) | Aug. 2008 |
| Dixon Recreation Center | Nov. 2007 |
OSU relies in some cases on outside professional consulting firms to assist or manage energy audits of campus buildings. The list below includes recent audits. As older audits with relevance are made electronic, they will be posted here.
| Building | Consultant | Date |
| Peavy and Richardson Halls | PAE Consulting Engineers | April 2012 |
| Kerr Administration | Interface Engineering | March 2012 |
| CH2MHill Alumni Center Audit and Implementation Review | Glumac | August 2011 |
Would you like to reduce the environmental impact of your workspace? Interested in knowing how much energy you're consuming while working on campus? A free service provided by the Sustainability Office, sustainability audits equip building occupants with information and recommendations on how they can make their space more sustainable. While the main focus is on occupant-controlled systems (lighting, computers & other electrical equipment, water and waste) any topic of interest can be evaluated. Sustainability audits have also lead to cost-sharing opportunities, the reporting and rectification of maintenance issues, and the strengthening of ties between departments and Facilities Services. Ask for one today!
Sustainability audits are performed by Sustainability Office students workers and can be scheduled at your request. Audits can involve a complete assessment of environmental impacts associated with your workspace, or can be focused just on areas that interest you. There is no charge for this service.
To request an audit, or for more information, email us. Please include a description of the area you would like examined. While whole buildings or floors are the preferred audit size, individual offices can be scheduled as time allows.
Audits typically take between 1 and 3 hours for small offices or office suites, and up to 8 hours for entire buildings. The audits focus on occupant-controlled systems such as:
Audits typically began with a 30 minute meeting of Sustainability Office staff and building contacts. The audit process is discussed, problem areas are identified and building contacts have time to ask questions, or express concerns. After this meeting, Sustainability Office staff walk through every space in the building and inventory equipment, note areas for potential improvement, and interact with occupants as needed. Building contacts are encouraged to join part or all of the walkthrough, though it is not required. At some point during the audit, personnel familiar with purchasing will briefly be asked about purchasing practices.
After a site visit, a report recommending changes is issued to building contacts. Recommendations are not mandatory and can be implemented at any reasonable pace. Changes can be behavioral, equipment or infrastructure-related, and some will require approval and implementation from Facilities Services.
As of April 2012, if all audit recommendations were implemented, the total annual resource savings would total over $140,000. Emissions reductions of more than 5.2 millions lbs of CO2, 37,000 lbs of SOx and 19,000 lbs of NOx would be realized. View past audit reports here.
While the audit report is purely recommendatory, it is the goal of the Sustainability Office to actually as many recommendations as possible. The following is a partial list of actions resulting from sustainability audits:
Many recommendations in audit reports have the opportunity for cost-share financing from Facilities Services. For more information on cost-sharing, please contact Brandon Trelstad.
In August 2009, an audit implementation event took place at Adams Hall. Each space was revisited with the goal of actually implementing audit recommendations. The results were encouraging:
The table below lists past and future audits. Building names in blue are links to the Audit Reports. Please contact the Sustainability Office with any questions or comments.
| Audit Report | Audit Date |
| Gill Coliseum | July 2012 |
| January 2012 | |
| Black Cultural Center | January 2012 |
| Asian Pacific Cultural Center | January 2012 |
| Moreland Hall | May 2011 |
| Wiegand Hall | May 2011 |
| Gilmore Hall | April 2011 |
| Career Services | October 2010 |
| 5th floor Snell (CAPS) | May 2010 |
| Valley Library | April 2010 |
| Wilkinson Hall | November 2009 |
| Cascades Hall | October 2009 |
| Richardson Hall | July 2009 |
| OSU Foundation | June 2009 |
| Gilbert Hall | June 2009 |
| Cordley | June 2009 |
| Langton | May 2009 |
| CH2M Hill Alumni Center | May 2009 |
| Adams Hall | April 2009 |
| Plageman Student Health Center | January 2009 |
| Cascade Hall | November 2008 |
| Property Surplus Warehouse | October 2008 |
| LaSells Stewart Center | September 2008 |
| Motor Pool | August 2008 |
| Student Sustainabiity Center | August 2008 |
| Milam | March 2008 |
| Dixon Rec Center | August 2007 |
| Snell 4th Floor | May 2007 |
| Gladys Valley | March 2007 |
| Kerr Administration | March 2007 |
| Kerr 4th Floor | February 2007 |
| Bexell Hall | February 2007 |
| Ballard | January 2007 |