Overview

The Duke University main campus has one of the largest utility networks in the southeastern United States. Duke manages heating, cooling, and electricity infrastructure for over 20 million square feet of buildings on Duke’s main campus in Durham, North Carolina. The University’s annual energy use is almost evenly split between electricity and natural gas. Annual energy use was over 2.3 million MMBTU in 2025. Depending on the utility system, Duke University uses the equivalent energy and water of 10,000-40,000 typical residential homes.  

Quick Facts about Duke's energy usage in 2025: 

  • 40,000 people on campus daily use over 20 million square feet of space. 
  • The campus energy is made up of 47% electricity use and 53% natural gas use (used in campus steam and hot water plants). 
  • The campus also uses chilled water plants to condition buildings and domestic water for building water use.   

As of July 2025: Duke University purchases electricity from Duke Energy and natural gas from Dominion Energy North Carolina. Steam and hot water, which are produced by burning natural gas in two thermal energy plants on campus, are used for space heating, sterilization, humidification, dehumidification, and domestic hot water in university buildings, laboratories, clinics, and Duke University Hospital. Electricity is used for lighting, plug-in devices, chilled water generation, and air-conditioning. 

Campus Efforts to Reduce Energy Use

Since developing its 2009 Climate Action Plan, Duke has launched an effort to both reduce on-campus energy use and transition to cleaner energy.  

Energy Efficiency Upgrades

  • A significant portion of Duke’s energy reduction has come from numerous energy efficiency projects, ranging from LED lighting upgrades, HVAC scheduling, efficiency improvements in building mechanical systems, and district steam to hot water conversion. 
  • In phase 1 of Duke’s energy efficiency upgrades, the University completed LED lighting upgrades for 15 buildings -- accounting for approximately 1.5 million square feet. The total lifetime cost savings sums up to nearly $700,000. 
  • In phase 2, Duke completed LEED building upgrades for 14 major campus buildings (including Wilson Gym and Bryan Center) -- equivalent to about 1.7 million gross square feet. The total lifetime cost saving from these upgrades is $339,000.  

Sustainable Buildings and Construction

  • Starting in 2004, Duke established a goal for all new construction and major renovation projects to achieve LEED Silver certification. As of July 2021, Duke has 45 LEED-certified buildings (12 gold-certified, 3 platinum, and 25 silver). Along with these 45 certified buildings, Duke has an additional 6 buildings registered for certification, which in total cover almost 5.2 million gross square feet (GSF), equivalent to 32% of the University’s total GSF. 
     
  • Duke University developed its own High Performance Building Framework, finalized in 2019. The framework takes a holistic view of green building at Duke by outlining an improved process for planning campus buildings, a rigorous sustainable design standard for all new buildings and major renovations, and a tracking and rating system to examine how facilities perform even after construction to ensure that buildings reduce energy and potable water use. 

Solar Energy

To date, Duke has 1 MW of solar photovoltaics and hot water installed in the following locations: 

  • Smart Home - 10 kW solar PV 
  • Grainger Hall - 45 kW solar PV and 15 kW solar hot water 
  • Bryan Center - 80 kW solar hot water 
  • Chilled Water Plan #3 - 100 kW solar PV 
  • Research Drive Parking Garage - 750 kW solar PV  

The university bolstered its renewable energy capabilities through the purchase of significant additional solar capacity from three solar facilities in North Carolina through the Green Source Advantage program offered by Duke Energy. The university partnered with Pine Gate Renewables to build the new solar farms, the first of which became operational in early 2026. Duke was the first higher education institution to participate in this program and originally contracted for the maximum amount of solar allowed by the program.   

Future of Energy at Duke University

Duke University reduced its energy-related GHG emissions by 42% between 2007 and 2024, enabling the university to achieve its carbon neutrality goal in 2024. 

Duke University has a strong history of maintaining and renewing its campus buildings to ensure longevity and ongoing efficiency. In recent years, Duke’s capital planning strategy has increasingly prioritized campus renewal, directing significant investment towards existing facilities rather than expanding the campus footprint. This shift supports Duke’s energy efficiency goals and will play a critical role in advancing progress towards its climate goals.