University of California, Berkeley

Founded in 1868, Berkeley has over 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students on its main campus and more than 14,000 employees. UC Berkeley’s research strength includes expertise in addressing pressing global challenges in the areas of health, energy, and the environment.

UC Berkeley's core campus is 176 acres, consists of approximately 150 buildings with a range of ages, sizes and purposes totaling about 15 million square feet of occupied space. The majority of these buildings are over 50 years old, creating a campus with building characteristics spanning different architecture styles and building system types that reflect the industry practices and building codes from when they were constructed. The current campus energy system is a mix of power and steam generated by a mid-1980s natural gas cogeneration plant. This system serves the core campus, athletic facilities as well as some of the housing and dining facilities adjacent to the campus.

Berkeley has made extensive efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by expanding procurement of green power, reducing energy use through building-level energy efficiency, curbing growth-related emissions through electrification and green building practices, and increasing green vehicle fleet.

After a nine-year assessment of different configurations to upgrade or replace the cogeneration plant, an Integrated Resource & Activation Plan process was completed in 2023 moving the campus from high-level discovery to the design and construction of a decarbonized energy system for the campus. The plan currently includes building a centralized electric and cooling plant with new heating and cooling distribution piping, converting 50% of campus buildings, installing 15 megawatts of distributed energy resources, and the shutdown and decommission of the cogeneration plant. The goal is to realize a reduction of 70% in carbon emissions and 25% energy intensity by 2029.

Presentation

Home Energy Labeling Lessons Learned in Pursuit of Transparency and Efficiency

Presentation

Energy in Commercial Appraisals and Mortgages: Risk or Reward?

Showcase Project

UC Berkeley: Jacobs Hall

Video

Commercial Mortgages: Energy Factors and Default Risk

Webinar

Commercial Mortgages: Energy Factors and Default Risk

Implementation Model

UC Berkeley: Energy Savings Through Campus and Occupant Engagement

Presentation

Making Home Energy Data Accessible in the Real Estate Market – Better Buildings & Better Plants Accelerator

Presentation

Underwriting Energy: Are Commercial Mortgages Ignoring Energy-Related Risks and Benefits?

Presentation

Underwriting Energy: Are Commercial Mortgages Ignoring Energy-Related Risks and Benefits?

Performance Data

Solutions

Leadership Commitments

Better Buildings Challenge

Goal

Commitment

Progress

DOE Program Participation