Evaluating Texas State University Energy Consumption According to Productivity

Abstract

The Energy Utilization Index, energy consumption per square foot of floor area, is the most commonly used index of building energy consumption. However, a building or facility exists solely to support the activities of its occupants. Floor area alone is not a complete measure of the amount of service a facility provides. The energy consumption of a service institution, such as a university, could be evaluated according to its annual level of service. However, the variety of services delivered by an institution of higher education cannot be measured by a single, readily available number. Data Envelopment Analysis, a tool used primarily in management science, can find "benchmark" input consumption levels for productive entities with multiple inputs and outputs. It finds a consumption target for each form of energy consumed by an institution, based on the actual performance of comparable institutions. This method is applicable to the energy consumption of Texas state institutions of higher education.