Analysis and impact of electrical energy consumption in the academic sector. A case study of the university of Castilla-La Mancha

The notable increase in electricity consumption in industrialized countries in recent years has been accompanied by the need to reduce this consumption to achieve a sustainable energy situation, in line with national and European strategic plans. This study aims to examine the electricity consumption of the University of Castilla-La Mancha in its entirety from 2021 to 2023, during which time energy-saving measures were established in March 2022 in response to high energy prices, thus addressing a research gap in real electricity consumption in public educational institutions and its economic impact, additionally incorporating energy efficiency measures. In the study, various electrical and economic results are obtained to understand the behavior of electricity demand and its economic impact. It was observed that, thanks to the energy-saving measures implemented, electricity consumption decreased by 18% in 2022 and 20% in 2023 compared to 2021. Regarding billing, there was a 28.55% increase in 2022 compared to 2021 due to the high price of energy despite a reduction in electricity consumption compared to the previous year. However, in 2023, there was a total reduction of 29.92% compared to 2021, as the price of energy declined. The work also reveals that energy efficiency measures have had different impacts depending on the type of building. • Hourly electricity consumption data over 3 years at a full university has been used. • Energy consumption was cut by 20% due to energy-saving measures. • Energy efficiency measures do not have the same impact on all building types. • Electric billing was reduced by 29.92% thanks to energy-saving measures.