Cogeneration Utility Distribution

Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution

Eighty five percent of the electrical power at UCLA’s campus is produced by the 86,000 square foot Cogeneration plant officially named the Energy Systems Facility.

Once the electricity leaves the four walls of the plant, electricity is supplied to campus spaces through a network of over 275 large electrical transformers (one transformer can power the equivalent of 3 residential city blocks).

Chilled Water and Steam Generation, Transmission, and Distribution

The Energy Systems Facility produces chilled water for cooling and steam for heating. The product is distributed to over 60 campus buildings through a network of 12 miles of chilled water distribution lines and 8 miles of high-pressure steam distribution lines.

Water Consumption

Water is supplied to the UCLA campus by LADWP. UCLA is the second largest user of water in the LADWP system. During times of high-use, the Energy Systems Facility can consume up to 1 million gallons of water in a single day. To help offset water consumption, UCLA has deployed various water-saving projects and initiatives. One of which is the campus-wide condensate reclamation system. This system captures HVAC condensate from across campus and directs it back to the Energy Systems Facility to be used in place of water supplied by LADWP.

Natural Gas Consumption

Natural Gas is used to fuel the Energy Systems Facility. As much as possible and when possible, UCLA will make use of methane gas from a local landfill to defray the cost of natural gas and take advantage of an alternative energy source (biogas).