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Projects Updates for place: Physical Plant Service Building

  1. Archived info - prior project background info

    Associated Project(s): 

    The Revolving Loan Fund is managed by Facilities & Services (F&S) Utility and Energy Services that calculates cost avoidance from an RLF project using the fully loaded utility rates. The loan will be repaid at a fixed 1% interest rate with an annual payment equal to the calculated annual savings until the loan is fully repaid. When a project is funded by multiple funding sources, the annual savings to be returned to the RLF will be calculated by the payback associated with the work completed by the entire project.

    Project Submission and Selection

    Potential projects will be solicited from campus units by F&S Utility and Energy Services when there is at least $1M in funds available for allocation. Projects will be submitted through a web​-based PDF form by the requesting campus department. 

    Project selection will be handled through the RLF Committee that includes the Executive Director of Facilities and Services, Associate Provost for Capital Planning, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Student Sustainability Committee Chair, Illinois Student Senate President, and a representative of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment. The Committee will meet on a semiannual basis to approve/reject projects. 

    Project selection will be based on the following weighted criteria: 

    1. Payback Period (30%)
      Project has a short payback period.
    2. Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (25%) 
      Does this project reduce greenhouse gas emissions for campus?
    3. Revolving Loan Fund Size Impact (20%)
      Projects that increase the Revolving Loan Fund size through grants or additional allocations.
    4. Visibility (5%)
      How visible/noticeable is the project to users of the facility, space and/or campus community?
    5. Project Coordination (20%)
      Projects that can be executed in conjunction with other planned or ongoing projects. The intent of the coordination is to make the RLF project more efficient to deliver for the University and/or departments.

    Project Tracking 
    Revolving Loan Fund projects are tracked using the Green Revolving Investment Tracking System (GRITS). This interactive system tracks annual energy, financial, and carbon savings from energy efficiency and other resource conservation measures.  ​

  2. iCAP Energy Meeting March 2025

    The Energy Team had their March meeting on Thursday, March 6th, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM. We welcomed a new member and had a hybrid meeting. The focus was on the Building Occupancy Engagement Pilot Program. We discussed the way forward and different ways to engage occupants.  Strategies like involving student groups, sending out surveys, and scheduling one-on-one meetings with building managers were discussed. Updates on the solar rooftop project and involving the athletics department in the pilot program were shared as well. The meeting minutes are attached!

  3. iCAP Energy Meeting February 2025

    The Energy Team had their February meeting on Thursday, Feb. 6th, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM. We discussed updates on the solar rooftop project, focusing on the Krannert Art Museum as a potential installation site. The team also explored funding opportunities, including the Illinois Climate Bank’s new loan program for energy efficiency projects. Additional topics included occupant engagement initiatives, lab energy optimization, and potential participation in the Engineering Open House. The meeting minutes are attached!

    Our next meeting is March 13th, 2:00 - 3:00 PM.

    Attached Files: 
  4. iCAP Energy Meeting November 2024

    The Energy Team met on Tuesday, Nov. 12th, from 3:30 - 4:30 PM. We provided updates on building energy efficiency efforts, explored occupant engagement strategies, and continued progress on solar rooftop initiatives. A draft recommendation for campus-wide energy upgrades was reviewed, and we discussed the upcoming agrivoltaic solar project. The meeting minutes are attached!

    Our next meeting is December 10th, 3:30 - 4:30 PM.

    Attached Files: 
  5. iCAP Energy Meeting October 2024

    The Energy Team had their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8th, from 3:30 - 4:30 PM. We discussed solar rooftop project progress, reviewed funding opportunities for sustainability projects, and explored improvements to campus energy dashboards. Other topics included state-mandated LED transitions and occupant comfort strategies in campus buildings. The meeting minutes are attached!

    Our next meeting is November 12th, 3:30 - 4:30 PM.

    Attached Files: 
  6. Outfitting main quads with 3-bins

    Associated Project(s): 

    Members of the Zero Waste Team analyzed the main buildings in each of the three central quads. Locations of current 3-bins were noted as well as areas where more were needed. The plan is to transition away from single flow trash and recycling bins towards a system where only 3-bins are used in main hallways. This will ensure that there are well marked bins in highly visible areas and will condense the many bins that need to be serviced by university workers into fewer overall bins. Overall this initiative will lead to improved waste management efficiency and increased recycling rates across the campus.

    Attached Files: 
  7. iCAP Energy Meeting September 2024

    The Energy Team had their first meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10th, from 3:30 - 4:30 PM. We introduced team objectives for the semester, reviewed ongoing rooftop solar feasibility studies, and discussed occupant engagement programs to promote sustainable energy practices. The meeting minutes are attached!

     

    Attached Files: 
  8. August 2024 Smartway Posts

    Associated Project(s): 

    Using the #EPASmartWay logo helps differentiate your company from the competition. Be sure to let your customers and stakeholders know that you’re leading the way on clean, sustainable supply chain management. Learn more: epa.gov/smartway

     

  9. January 2024 SmartWay posts

    Associated Project(s): 

    Using the #EPASmartWay logo helps differentiate your company from the competition. Be sure to let your customers and stakeholders know that you’re leading the way on clean, sustainable supply chain management. Learn more: epa.gov/smartway

     

  10. Revolving Loan Fund Research

    Associated Project(s): 

    Hi Morgan,

     

    I created a spreadsheet of all of the participants of the Billion Dollar Green Challenge. This spreadsheet includes the population size and loan amount. I thought it would be easier to sort through the information with this. I will try to find data about current energy savings to add to this sheet. But almost all of the institutions have very little information about what they have done with the loan amount. And if they do have information, it is minimum 3-5 years old.

     

    I attached that document and my current word document. Still need to add a few more universities, but I wanted to see the numbers clearly before I picked a random one to look into.

     

    According to this data we have the 9th largest loan fund. Ill focus on the rest of the universities above us in the list.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Quinn M. Connolly

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