Taking the Field: Advancing Energy and Water Efficiency in Sports Venues
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National Institute of BUILDING SCIENCES Taking the Field: Advancing Energy and Water Efficiency in Sports Venues A Report to U.S. Department of Energy An Authoritative Source of Innovative Solutions for the Built Environment Taking the Field: Advancing Energy and Water Efficiency in Sports Venues Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy Under Contract DE-EE0007516 February 2017 Taking the Field: Advancing Energy and Water Efficiency in Sports Venues Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction to Stadiums and Arenas .............................................................................................. 5 The Power of Sports .................................................................................................................... 6 Venues and the Community .................................................................................................... 7 Number and Size of Venues .................................................................................................... 7 Economic Impact of Sports ..................................................................................................... 9 Activities to Date .......................................................................................................................... 10 Monitoring Progress, Setting Goals .......................................................................................... 12 Green Building Rating Systems ................................................................................................ 13 Lighting ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Renewable Energy..................................................................................................................... 16 Water ......................................................................................................................................... 17 League Level Efforts ................................................................................................................. 18 Sports and the Federal Government .......................................................................................... 20 Challenges to Overcome ............................................................................................................... 21 Limited Data .............................................................................................................................. 21 Uniqueness of Venues ............................................................................................................... 22 Existing Facilities .................................................................................................................. 23 New Facilities ........................................................................................................................ 23 Ownership and Operations ........................................................................................................ 24 Driving Forward............................................................................................................................ 27 Partnership is the New Leadership ............................................................................................ 27 Operations Department .......................................................................................................... 28 Additional Departments ......................................................................................................... 28 Sponsors................................................................................................................................. 29 Vendors and Concessionaires ................................................................................................ 29 States and Local Governments .............................................................................................. 29 Federal Government .............................................................................................................. 31 Utilities .................................................................................................................................. 31 Allied Organizations .............................................................................................................. 32 Leagues and Conferences ...................................................................................................... 32 Management Companies ....................................................................................................... 34 Athletes .................................................................................................................................. 34 The Fans ................................................................................................................................ 35 Designers ............................................................................................................................... 35 Benchmarking ........................................................................................................................... 36 Recognizing Leadership ............................................................................................................ 38 Engaging the Community.......................................................................................................... 39 Empowering Operations Staff ................................................................................................... 39 Financial Resources................................................................................................................... 40 Technology Innovations and Implementation ........................................................................... 41 Lighting and Solar PV ........................................................................................................... 41 Wind and Other Energy Generation and Storage .................................................................. 42 Refrigeration .......................................................................................................................... 42 Occupant Comfort ................................................................................................................. 43 Field Maintenance ................................................................................................................. 43 Plumbing and Water Use Reduction ..................................................................................... 46 Metering, Measurement and Verification .............................................................................. 47 Paralleling Advancements in the Fan Experience ..................................................................... 47 Borrowing from Other Sectors .................................................................................................. 47 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 48 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 49 Supporting Agencies ................................................................................................................. 49 Special Thanks .......................................................................................................................... 49 Project Team ............................................................................................................................. 49 Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 50 Taking the Field: Advancing Energy and Water Efficiency in Sports Venues Executive Summary Stadiums and arenas are essential components in the fabric of sports and they serve a significant role in communities across America. At the same time, many communities, organizations and sectors of the economy are prioritizing the need to reduce energy and water use. By bringing together expectations for energy and water efficiency goals with the powerful influence of sports, American communities can achieve significant savings while also inspiring an enormous number of fans to take action. By many accounts, stadiums and arenas represent an important link to the nation’s values and priorities. Over 240 million fans visit these venues annually and viewers spend 31 billion hours watching sporting events on TV each year. Total square footage of these facilities easily reaches into the hundreds of millions. With at least 1,500 such sports facilities around the country— many bearing the names of iconic brands or the communities they are tied to, and sports teams and clubs employing nearly 60,000 people and generate $22.6 billion in annual revenue—the sports sector is a significant influence on the national economy and culture. Many of these venues and teams have undertaken actions to improve energy and water performance of venues, reduce operating costs and engage their communities. Over six years, the Seattle mariners saved approximately $1.5 million in utility costs through investments in energy and water savings. The University of Minnesota saves $412,000