What LEED Certification Means
LEED (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design) Certified buildings generally use 25% less energy and have 36% fewer emissions compared to the national average, and we are committed to constructing all new buildings to meet strict LEED criteria. Housing & Dining Services currently has two LEED Platinum and six LEED Gold rated residence halls as well as the Center for Community (where our largest dining center is located) which is also LEED Platinum.
Phantom Load Outlets
To help save energy, some halls have phantom load switches installed. The black switch is tied to the black outlets in the room, so when the switch is turned off, so is the equipment plugged in to those outlets. A separate (regular) outlet is reserved for things you don't want to switch off, like the micro-fridge.
Building Materials
Both local and recycled materials are used in the construction process to reduce the ecological impacts of creating new materials and also shipping them to their new location. The beautiful large tables in the Village Center Dining are made from Colorado beetle-kill pine.
Landscaping
New landscaping around Housing & Dining Services buildings is done with native plant-life, which has less fertilizer and irrigation requirements and does not negatively impact local ecosystems. It's also beautiful!
HVAC
One great feature of our new LEED HVAC are the controls and sensors connected to the systems that can determine when a room is in use. This prevents unnecessary heating and cooling of areas that are unoccupied, which can save a significant amount of energy.
Windows
The windows installed in the new Village Center are electrochromic, which means that as the sun impacts them, the windows automatically darken. This reduces the needs for air cooling and window coverings and increases natural lighting and the enjoyment of all the amazing views from the building.