Facilities Management: FAQ

Yes. The UC San Diego electrical system is an example for others to emulate. It is reliable, innovative, and well-maintained. The design is similar to the systems used reliably at many other large California research universities, including UCLA, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and Stanford.

UC San Diego’s utility infrastructure has received recognition and awards including:

• 2010 EPA Energy Star Award for Cogeneration System
• UC/CSU 2006 Best Practices award for Best Load Management Program
• UC/CSU 2005 Best Practices awards for Best Load Management and load-shed programming
• Recognized in November 2010 Power Magazine’s article Smart Power Generation at UCSD  
• Frequently hosts visitors from around the world who come to learn about the campus’ innovative micro-grid and energy systems

UC San Diego is connected to the SDG&E utility grid; SDG&E is recognized as one of the most reliable utilities in the western U.S. Power to campus is supplied by three separate SDG&E feeders that merge at a single connection point at the East Campus Switching Station (ECSS). By having three separate SDG&E feeders supply power, a loss of power to the campus will only occur when all three routes for power are interrupted. Although rare, this can happen as the result of a regional power failure or other catastrophic event.

The campus power system also has built in redundancies at multiple levels to reduce the risk of power loss. These redundancies include:

• Three power transformers capable of delivering power to campus circuits. Two transformers can supply the campus and the third ensures service if one of the first two units is unavailable.
• Redundant power feeds. There are two electrical connections to each building on campus. Each electrical feeder is rated to carry the full load of the buildings in case one is not available. Most other campuses do not have this level of redundancy at the building level.

Maintenance practices meet or exceed manufacturer’s recommendations and industry best practices.

While the campus power system is reliable, many factors outside campus control can affect it. This occurred with the recent power outages that resulted from a regional loss of power and a fire where power enters the campus at the East Campus Switching Station (ECSS).

UC San Diego is currently dependent on SDG&E power. While we do generate much of our own power through our cogeneration plant and fuel cell, these resources operate in conjunction with SDG&E’s power grid, not as a standalone system or a backup system. 

We have received funding to increase stability of the campus grid and improve the abilities of campus generation resources to supply power – including the cogeneration plant, fuel cell and photovoltaic system – in the event of an SDG&E power loss. These improvements began in summer 2012 and will take approximately one year to complete.

An engineering consultant has been hired to help assess the overall condition of campus utility systems as well as provide recommendations for improving the campus utility infrastructure and the associated costs. The consultant will also assess the condition of campus generators and related Automatic Transfer Switches, which automatically switch power to generators when utility power fails.

Facilities Management has also taken the following actions:

• Conducting monthly operational testing of generators and annual generator load transfer testing.
• Procuring five additional towable generators (10 total), and twenty-five additional smaller hand-carry portable generators (30 total) to help support critical loads where emergency power is unavailable; distribution priorities are based on risk to life (human first, then animal), followed by property (research/medical, teaching, administrative support).
• Purchasing two fuel trailers for more efficient generator refueling during outages and implementing a comprehensive fueling plan for diesel generators to ensure fuel is available if an extended outage occurs. Refueling priorities are based on risk to life (human first, then animal), followed by property (research/medical, teaching, administrative support).
• Instituting a new communications protocol for actions that could potentially affect power to buildings and equipment, which includes adopting the Campus Triton Alert system for more immediate campuswide communication regarding power outages, emergencies, and other events.
• Implementing a Department Operations Center to improve communications and coordinate response during power outages and other campus emergencies.
• Performing a $1.5 million project to repair the May 2012 fire damage to East Campus Switch Station, scheduled for completion by January 2013. Once completed, this project will reestablish a redundant pathway for power to the Revelle, School of Medicine, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography areas.
• Working with UCSD’s Department of Continuity & Emergency Services to:
  • Develop an appendix to the existing campuswide Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) to provide specific guidance for addressing planning/prevention, response, and recovery actions in the event of power disruptions.
  • Enhance the comprehensive emergency and disaster management program to specifically include power outage response and recovery, and incorporate Department Operations Center procedures that place the support of research at the highest priority initially and throughout a crisis.
• Working with several campus departments to identify their backup power needs. Requirements will be compared to the existing backup power supply and suggested solutions and cost estimates will be provided to close identified gaps in backup power needs.
• Continuing to educate the research community to increase understanding about the current capabilities/limitations of backup power generation to buildings, the risk to human and animal experiments, and the risk of having research materials stored in a single location.
• Recommending and providing enhanced services where resources are available and services are deemed critical.
• Working with the campus research community and Research Affairs to coordinate a feasibility study that will examine the possibility of providing campus-sponsored freezer farms to support cell lines and collections.
• Working with Facilities, Design & Construction to develop specific campus backup power standards for new buildings and substantial retrofits to existing ones. These standards would ensure the integrity of utilities and systems in support of research during critical events and outages.

Emergency power is the power needed to support life-safety systems (e.g., emergency lighting, fire alarms) in the event of a power outage. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and the California Electrical Code (CEC) require all buildings to have enough emergency power to support life-safety systems.

Backup power, or optional standby power, is the power needed to supply equipment or systems whose failure will not impact life safety. Optional standby power is not required by code.

Every building has been designed and constructed to have enough emergency power for life-safety systems, as is required by code. For smaller buildings, this power may be supplied by internal battery backup systems. In larger buildings, such as many campus research facilities, a generator is required to supply this emergency power.

In some buildings, optional standby power is available. Building occupants have specifically requested this power, usually to support critical lab equipment, and it was included in the initial building design and costs.

Please submit an online work request. We will assign a Project Manager to work with you to determine requirements and develop a project scope and cost estimate.

Facilities Management is unable to fund the cost of adding optional standby power. However, we will work closely with you to develop a cost-effective solution.

Facilities Management performs maintenance in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations, applicable code requirements and industry best practices. Specifically:

• Generators are inspected, tested and operated monthly to ensure functioning properly.
• Preventative maintenance is performed on generators monthly
• Battery powered systems are checked and batteries are changed semi-annually.
• Emergency power inverters are checked and maintenance performed annually.
• Full load tests of backup generator systems are performed annually.

Facilities Management has hired an engineering consultant to assess the condition of campus generators and related Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS), which automatically switch power to generators when utility power fails. 

Funding levels do not adequately meet campus needs. Since FY 2006/07, the campus has added 1.4 million square feet, generating an additional annual maintenance support need of $7.3 million, yet Facilities Management received less than 10% of the required funding. During the same period, overall staffing levels decreased 24%.

Inadequate funding has been an issue for many years, resulting in a deferred maintenance backlog of well over $300 million. To help address the backlog, Facilities Management successfully lobbied for and received funding to address some of the most critical maintenance items. Since FY 2007/08, we have been able to obtain and allocate $37 million towards deferred maintenance projects with a continued campus commitment to spend at least $3 million annually on the most critical projects.

A working group comprised of members from all VC areas and campus support staff prioritizes deferred maintenance projects. Prioritization is based on a weighted point scale involving several factors, including VC area priority, which is the most highly weighted factor. 

We use recycled water on these landscaped areas:

• 1 Miramar St.
• All east parking areas except lot 702
• UCSD Science Research Park
• Medical Center La Jolla
• Preuss School
• Campus Point Drive
• Warren Field
• Gilman Drive, east side between Voigt Drive and Villa La Jolla Drive
• Hopkins Parking Structure
• Social Sciences Building
• San Diego Supercomputer Center
• RIMAC
• All north campus recreation areas
• North Point Drive

We add 15% to your project’s cost to cover the many expenses involved in managing it. For example, it pays for work service center contract processing and your project manager’s time throughout the process.

In an effort to reduce UCSD’s “carbon footprint,” a number of programs are under way that cut waste,increase energy efficiency, and reduce dependency on fossil fuels, including:

• Installing 30 kilowatts of solar energy or photovoltaics (PV) and negotiating to add more than 1 megawatt (1,000 kilowatts) of PV
• Acquiring a 1.2-megawatt fuel cell that uses renewable methane gas as an energy source (July 2008)
• Procuring more than 250 electric vehicles
• Adding 35 hybrid vehicles to the passenger fleet
• Converting our diesel fuel supply to a blend of ultralow-sulfur, 20% biodiesel fuel
• Improving storm water management
• Expanding our use of reclaimed water for campus irrigation
• Planting native or drought-resistant vegetation
• Maximizing recycling and waste minimization practices
• Applying "green" building practices to all new construction and renovation projects

To learn more, visit Sustainability 2.0, and read about what Facilities Management is doing to conserve energy.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance “green” buildings. UC’s Sustainable Practices Policy (PDF) and related guidelines (PDF) require that all new construction and major renovation projects — except laboratory and acute care facilities — be built to a LEED “certified” rating. New laboratory buildings will meet the LEED certified rating as well as the Laboratories for the 21st Century, or Labs21, Environmental Performance Criteria, as appropriate, in the future. Our policy also requires that each campus complete one project for existing buildings by 2008, and that large interior renovation projects meet the LEED Commercial Interiors certified rating.

For more information, see Sustainable Building Design and Construction.

As of early 2011, five buildings have been LEED-certified:

• Campus Services Complex, LEED Existing Buildings Silver
• Seaside Forum, LEED New Construction Certified (Basic Certification)
• Mesa Childhood Development Center, LEED Commercial Interiors Gold
• Sustainability Resource Center, LEED Commercial Interiors Gold
• Goody’s Place and Market, LEED Commercial Interiors Silver

Going forward, new construction will be designed with the goal of LEED Silver or higher.

“Total building commissioning” is a process for validating that facilities and building systems can be operated and maintained according to their design intent. The commissioning process begins at project inception and continues for the life of the facility, from schematic design through occupancy and operation.

This reduces costs by integrating the many interdependent systems associated with campus projects, which results in fully functional, fine-tuned facilities, with complete documentation and well-trained operating and maintenance personnel.