Operational Excellence Metrics

 

The following metrics are provided to monitor the ongoing performance of several services or processes. Initially, the metrics previously tracked on the Operational Excellence website will appear below. We will provide additional measurements throughout the year.

SMU Facilities Metrics

• Goal: To continually see a decline in customer requested work orders to attain a level not to exceed 50%.
• Includes all base services and additional services work orders. Additional services work orders impact the results due to their unplanned, unforeseen and out-of-sequence nature.
• Excluded: Preventive maintenance work orders and SMU in Taos.
• Facilities managers started submitting self-identified work requests in the computerized maintenance management system on March 1, 2016.

 

• Goal: To minimize and keep average customer submitted work orders under 1 per SMU FTE (Faculty & Staff) per fiscal quarter.
• Includes all base services and additional services work orders. Additional services work orders impact the results due to their unplanned, unforeseen and out-of-sequence nature.
• Excluded: Preventive maintenance work orders and SMU in Taos.
• Staff/facilities counts used for calculating this metric are obtained from SMU’s Institutional Research website.
• *Beginning 2017 Q4, data was not available due to a change in service provider.
  
  

• Goal: To complete corrective work orders within an average of 10 calendar days.
• Includes all base services and additional services work orders. Additional services work orders impact the results due to their unplanned, unforeseen and out-of-sequence nature.
• *New CMMS System rolled out (TMA) in 2015Q1.
• **Procedural change in the beginning of 2015Q3 to close open work orders.
• ***Procedural change in the beginning of 2016Q2 to allow technicians to close work orders in real time.
• Q1 2022 reflects an increase in average days to complete which coincides with a significant staffing shortage during this quarter.

Energy Highlights FY 2022 vs FY 2021 - Post COVID-19 Impact 

**Reported metrics are for the Dallas Main Campus – All Facilities Tied into Substation, Patterson Hall & Mustang Central Plants**

(89% of total SMU power, 90% of natural gas, 93% of water)

• Square Footage no change at 4,542,437 (up 4% - 167,059 sq.ft. - from FY17 baseline)
  No new construction was added in FY22.
  
  
• Electrical Consumption was up 9% from 76.5 million to 83.7 million kWh (down 7% from FY17 including new construction)
  When new construction is removed, consumption is down 12% from FY17 baseline
  
  Electrical consumption was up significantly due to the post-COVID era return to full operation on campus. Key contributors to this increase was the return of the campus to normal operating hours and temperatures, buildings filled with warm bodies which increased demand for conditioned air. Additionally, there was a shorter winter break than the previous year and full summer activities on campus which eliminated the opportunity to set residential rooms to unoccupied.
  
  
• Electrical Costs were up 19% from $4.0 million to $4.8 million (down 26% from FY17 baseline)
  Electrical cost was direct result of an increase in consumption. There was also a slight overall increase in cost per kWh from $0.0535 to $0.0572 primarily due to Uri storm impact (big sellback in FY21, change in Ancillary costs) and a 5% increase in Heat Rate. 

• Natural Gas Consumption was up 5% from 275,481 to 289,615 MMBtu (up 13% from FY17 baseline)
  Increase is due to full campus conditions and steam and condensate loop leakage issues. New metering on the condensate loop continues to show a very high volume of “make-up” water indicating water losses throughout the steam system. The high volume of make-up water causes the boiler plant to consume more gas.
  
  
• Natural Gas Costs were up 8% from $1.1 million to $1.2 million (down 2% from FY17 baseline)
  Natural gas costs were up due to increase in consumption.
  
  
• Total Energy Costs were up 15% from $5.08 million to $5.96 million  (down 22% from FY17 including new construction)
  Energy rates are largely fixed in both electricity and natural gas, reflecting SMU strategy for predictability and stability. The past two years have proven this to be an excellent strategy. Electricity is hedged through 2030, while natural gas is hedged through 2024.

• Gallons measures total domestic water consumed for the year. Domestic water is used in building facilities, central plants, and irrigation. Further breakout of this utility is shown in  the pages that follow.
• In FY22 there was an 11% reduction in domestic water consumption compared to FY21.
• The WUI (Water Utilization Index metric) which declined 30% in FY22, does not include irrigation water, and measures gallons per square foot of building space. See following page for more detail.
• Additionally, 1,253,000 gallons of gray water was reused on campus (e.g. Moody Coliseum & RC Commons toilets, Irrigation)
• Also, it does include the Robson Aquatic Center. All other East Campus facilities are excluded.

• Gallons in this table shows total domestic water usage for irrigation systems.
• Irrigation volumes and metrics in FY22 remained nearly the same as in FY21
• The main campus system has 1,333 irrigation zones, and over 11,000 rotors and sprayers, plus miles of drip irrigation.

• WUI measures total domestic water consumed compared to total square feet of building space, and includes irrigation. 
• This metric is significantly influenced by weather and rainfall.

• This metric shows the water consumed for irrigation compared to total square feet irrigated.

• Irrigation volumes and metrics in FY22 remained nearly the same as in FY21

Summary for FY22

• Managed return to post-COVID environment as the campus resumed normal operations and schedules.
• Total SMU utility spend was up imperceptibly by $36,811 (electricity & natural gas & water combined).
• Received $50,000 for SMU’s participation in the ERCOT ERS30 program and avoided an estimated $77,000 in taxes for power.
• Continued to exceed and even improve our cooling plant efficiency metric (KW per ton) for four consecutive years, well ahead of the national average.
• Reinstated the Evaporation Credit with UP Water for $41,000
• Continued Energy Recommissioning activities in campus facilities and the Central Plants, improving their efficiency and comfort levels.
• Organized & launched the first Energy Management Summit for Texas universities to encourage interchange among peers
• On-boarded utility metering (Hill Top Heights Apartments, 6300 N. Central Expressway)
• Significantly reduced chilled water losses