Sustainability upgrades, improvements at SDSU are focus of new award

In recognition of the university’s efforts to reduce campuswide energy consumption and promote sustainability, San Diego State University’s Associated Students (A.S.) and Facilities Services (FS) were awarded more than $83,000 from CLEAResult’s Higher Education Efficiency Performance (HEEP) Program. 

As part of the program, CLEAResult works with universities to analyze energy production and consumption practices and provides a tailored playbook with recommended short, mid and long-term projects to make campuses more eco-friendly. Universities are given incentive awards based on the savings created through the partnership. 

The award, presented during a ceremony in front of the College of Arts and Letters building on Tuesday, will be split two ways, with about $60,000 going to Facilities Services and $23,000 going to A.S. The award will offset system upgrade costs and support future sustainability projects.

The CLEAResult team spent several days conducting “treasure hunts” on campus with A.S. and Facilities Services, as well as the SDSU Office of Energy and Sustainability (OE&S), to identify opportunities for high-value upgrades.

“Since SDSU enrolled in our HEEP program in fall 2023, they have been the model of what can happen when you combine engaged leadership and team members with focused efforts to save energy,” said Patrick Sippel, senior program manager at CLEAResult. “The Associated Students, Facilities Services and Office of Energy and Sustainability teams have been fantastic to work with, and the results speak for themselves. We look forward to continuing our support of the campus in the years to come.” 

One example is in Facilities Services and CLEAResult’s assessment of SDSU’s chiller plants, which cool the air that is pushed through the vents of buildings throughout campus. With CLEAResult’s guidance, and OE&S acting as project managers, Facilities Services team members developed a smarter way to run cooling systems based on building occupancy. Smaller undertakings included fortifying insulation along hundreds of feet of pipe and refurbishing system components, like fans and dampers.

In simple terms, SDSU’s main chiller plant and two satellite chiller plants are cooling water more efficiently and using less energy to keep temperatures down. Similar upgrades were made to SDSU’s heating system, leading to decreased natural gas consumption and increased savings.

“This partnership between SDSU Facilities Services and CLEAResult has delivered measurable results: higher plant efficiency, reduced fuel and electricity use, lower peak demand costs, and reduced emissions—all while strengthening reliability and maximizing comfort,” Facilities Services chief engineer Ramez Elsalman said. “It’s a model of how collaboration can help universities operate smarter, cleaner, and more sustainably.”

Elsalman is eager to continue work on longer-term action items identified through the collaboration with CLEAResult, like adding chilled water booster pumping stations at Love Library and the Fowler Athletic Center, projects that are currently in the design phase.

In their collaboration with CLEAResult, A.S. focused on the Aztec Recreation Center (ARC), the campus community’s primary fitness center, which was expanded in 2018 from 78,000 sq. ft. to approximately 148,000 sq. ft. following a student body vote. 

Included in the approved referendum was a goal to achieve Double Platinum LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for building design and construction, and operations and maintenance.

A.S.’s collaboration with CLEAResult brought additional experts into the fold to help further identify valuable improvements and modifications to push A.S. closer to its goal of net zero energy.

“This celebration is a symbol of what we can achieve when we work together toward a common goal,” A.S. President Kareen Holstrom said. “It represents our collective progress and serves as a powerful reminder that our efforts, no matter how small they seem, can lead to significant and meaningful change.”

The ARC’s heating and cooling setpoints were optimized to increase efficiency without sacrificing comfort, and lighting schedules were programmed to ensure that lights in and outside of the ARC weren’t on when they didn’t need to be. Over the last two years, AS has been able to reduce energy consumption at the ARC by over 30%, resulting in significant decreases in energy purchasing costs and energy production demand for the all-electric building.

Sustainability at SDSU

OE&S works with partners in the Office of Housing Administration and FS to manage composting programs for residential communities and offices on campus, and with the Metropolitan Transit System to offer discounted transit passes for students enrolled in at least six units. The university has also completed an update on the Climate Action Plan, which will be rolled out to the campus in fall 2025, with goals focused on achieving carbon neutrality, reducing water usage and waste, and growing sustainability awareness and literacy within the campus community.

Every spring, the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, in collaboration with Associated Students and the Office of Energy & Sustainability, hosts the SDSU Sustainability Summit. The summit brings together experts from a range of fields and provides the SDSU community with the resources, knowledge, and insights for making sustainable choices in everyday life. 

Beyond SDSU’s wide range of academic programs dedicated or related to sustainability and environmental health, as well as a sustainability major and minor, students can get involved with the Center for Regional Sustainability’s (CRS) the Sage Project, which provides students with the opportunity to engage in real-world, place-based, community-identified projects through their courses. CRS also connects students with volunteer, internship and employment opportunities on campus and in the community.

More sustainability-focused volunteer opportunities are supported by the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, and there are internship opportunities with BrightSide Produce and employment opportunities with the Office of Energy and Sustainability (OE&S). Students can also participate in campus initiatives like Green Love, Epsilon Eta, the University Senate Sustainability Committee, and Green Fest.

In August, for the second year in a row, SDSU earned a spot on The Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges list, further highlighting the university’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.