Energy

Energy

Energy to maintain the built habitat, which encompasses all the buildings, infrastructure, and landscapes that make up the spaces where we reside, work, and interact is the largest source of Wellesley College’s greenhouse gas emissions. The College’s goal is to be carbon neutral by 2040 for Scope 1 and 2 emissions. As of summer 2023, the College has invested approximately 40 million dollars over the last six years in improving campus-wide energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These improvements have reducted natural gas usage by 48% and electricity consumption by 21% since 2018, despite an increased need for cooling.

 

Facilities Management and Planning integrates sustainability into the everyday policies that govern continued maintenance and construction within the College. We have developed campus design standards to meet, at a minimum, LEED Gold standards and the new Science Center achieved a LEED Platinum rating, the highest rating possible.

 

Working towards a carbon neutral future by 2024 the college’s E2040 working group is currently devising a roadmap to neutrality. The college has already:

  • Devised energy conservation outreach programs on ways to reduce energy in the dorms and academic buildings.
  • Created Energy Shop where Facilities team members track and monitor the College’s heating and air conditioning usage and make necessary adjustments to improve operational efficiency and reduce energy.
  • Energy efficiency upgrades to the Central Utility Plant.

Towards the future, the Facilities team will be working to reduce emissions from small sources (e.g. vehicle fleet, power tools, and grounds machinery) as well as installing ground source heat exchange wells to help lower our natural gas usage.

 

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