Energy efficiency in a large University: the Unito experience

The University of Turin (Unito) counts over one hundred buildings in and around the city of Turin. Unito’s stock includes buildings with different architectural features and functions: from historical XVIII century buildings to the splendid new Campus Luigi Einaudi. In 2015 a thorough review of Unito energy consumption was started, The review has exposed several issues: the inhomogeneity of data sets, the lack of tools for data visualization and analysis, the lack, for historical sites, of modern equipment for an efficient management and, finally, the inadequate user awareness about sustainability issues. In the absence of centralized tools for building automation, the first steps to improve energy efficiency require a detailed work in collaboration with the users. For this purpose an interactive web application has been developed. Starting from historical consumption data, several cases of energy waste have been identified: reactive energy, off-hours lighting, sub-optimal heating and airconditioning schedules etc. Online Open Data tools and real-time monitoring can also improve users’ awareness and their engagement in sustainability, and support the energy management of large building stocks. Due to the heterogeneity of its building’s stock, the experience at Unito might be representative and is susceptible of generalizations at the district level.