Building Efficiency Program
UVA’s Building Efficiency Program (BEP), housed within the Office for Sustainability, efficiently and cost-effectively reduces energy use across more than 18 million square feet of building space across Grounds.
BEP’s team of engineers prioritizes the most energy-use intensive buildings which present the strongest opportunities for achieving significant energy savings. The program funds and implements those projects and recovers the investment through on-bill utility savings. BEP eliminates the upfront capital costs of energy efficiency upgrades for UVA schools and units and ensures the projects yield reliable paybacks.
Typical projects include upgrades to lighting systems, HVAC scheduling, ventilation, pneumatic controls and direct digital controls. These projects also result in improved lighting, indoor air quality and comfort for the occupants.
From 2019-2021, BEP invested $6.3 million in new energy efficiency projects on Grounds. With more than 10 years of similar investments, the program has achieved $21.6 million in energy cost savings in those three years.
For more information, contact OFS Associate Director Jesse Warren: jmw4ub [at] virginia.edu
Case Studies
BEP Resources
- UVA’s Energy Efficiency Program Wins Leadership Award
- Campus Energy and Sustainability Podcast: University of Virginia's Energy Efficiency Program
- CPower Energy Management: University of Virginia’s Energy Efficiency Team Awarded Energy Innovation Award for Higher Education Energy Efficiency Technology
- UVA Partnering with DOE’s “Better Buildings Initiative”