Opening Duke University’s Energy Data

Abstract

Duke University stores and maintains a variety of data regarding energy and water consumption on its campuses. These data have traditionally been known to and accessible only by Duke's Facilities Management Department (FMD), and a limited set of other personnel. As interest in sustainability increases at the University, students and faculty undertaking energy and water analyses, efficiency, and conservation projects will need access to these data. Similarly, the Facilities Management Department, which is actively working to help Duke achieve its carbon neutrality goal of 2024, stands to benefit from collaboration with students and faculty to analyze data and find opportunities for conservation. This master's project sought to build stronger relationships between the academic and Facilities communities. The project included writing several online resources to improve FMD's communications with the rest of the University regarding energy use and energy data. Among those resources is a short form students and faculty can use to request energy data access, which is backed by a simple new approval process proposed to FMD. An energy data visualization was created to demonstrate an original use for energy data. The project also identified and assisted the growth of several discrete collaborations between FMD and Duke’s academics, as a means to induce broader academic research on the University's utility data.