Columbia, MO: Energy performance

Better Buildings Challenge Partners strive to decrease portfolio-wide source energy use intensity (EUI) and to increase the percent improvement compared to a set baseline. Columbia's portfolio consists of more than 25 buildings and 800 thousand square feet. *Columbia has improved energy performance by 16% from a 2009 baseline. Energy consumption during 2020 and 2021 was significantly lower than a typical year since COVID-19 disruptions resulted in temporary building closures and reduced occupancy for much of the year. Improvements made include adding insulation during re-roofing projects, converting existing lighting with energy efficient LED fixtures, and improving practices to reduce energy usage where possible.

Looking at the percent improvement in energy performance across all properties can provide insight into how an organization is saving energy. Since 2009, Columbia has achieved energy performance improvement of greater than 15% at 11 properties. There are 7 properties that have experienced an increase in Source EUI and these properties will be targeted for future energy efficiency improvements using a recently completed Faciites Condition Assessment. Better access to and visibility of energy usage will also help the organization to make better energy performance decisions.

Property-level energy performance metrics, including EUI and percent improvement to date, are critical to track progress over time and identify opportunities for additional energy savings. Columbia's portfolio contains properties with a wide range of baseline energy usage. There are a number of properties with a baseline EUI less than 200 kBtu/sq. ft. that have already achieved energy savings of greater than 20%. There are also a number of properties that started with EUI values above 300 kBtu/sq.ft. that have shown an increase in energy usage and may present good opportunities for savings.