Energy

The University's Grounds have grown tremendously to include more than 550 buildings across over 19 million square feet. UVA Health Medical Center, which is included in UVA’s sustainability goals, includes a 670+ bed hospital, Level I Trauma Center and over 1.3 million outpatient visits a year. The scope, scale, history, and growth of UVA’s built environment present unique opportunities and challenges in relation to energy efficiency. In 2023, UVA was recognized as a Better Buildings Challenge Goal Achiever by the U.S. Department of Energy for achieving a 27% reduction in energy use intensity across the over 550 buildings on Grounds. 

Buildings

BEP Engineers looking at Chiller Plant facilities

Over 95% of the University’s energy footprint can be attributed to buildings. While energy consumption is essential to keep buildings comfortable and equipment running, there are many opportunities to reduce costs and environmental impact through efficiency initiatives and low-energy design. 
 

For existing buildings, Office for Sustainability's Building Efficiency Program (formerly known as the Delta Force program) was established in 2009 to identify and implement energy efficiency upgrades in existing buildings. Since then, the program has saved the University tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Additional building energy efficiency programs include the Sustainable Labs and Sustainable Clinics, focused on these energy-intensive spaces. For new construction and major renovations, the UVA Green Building Standards set energy use reduction targets (Building Energy Performance Requirements), includes energy modeling requirements, and sets forth several prescriptive requirements to support high performance building design. 

See our Buildings page for more and the Energy & Water Tracker for more. 

District Energy Systems

Centralizing energy systems across Grounds allows the University to take efficiency and sustainability to the next level. Instead of heating and cooling hundreds of buildings using separate systems in each one, the University operates heating and cooling facilities using district energy. These facilities operate at a much higher level of efficiency than individual systems and introduce entirely new methods of sustainable energy consumption. UVA’s Energy & Utilities department continually works to reduce the environmental impact of plants, including constructing a combustion-free Fontaine Central Energy Plant, a low temperature hot water project to transition academic buildings from steam and high temperature hot to low temperature hot water, and a fuel switching project at the Main Heat Plant.

Renewable Energy

People look at Data Science building solar panels

UVA seeks to procure clean, renewable energy sources to provide the power necessary to run the University. As of 2025, approximately 20% of UVA’s electricity comes from solar energy sources, including six on-site rooftop installations (Tour UVA's Solar Panels - video) and two large off-site solar farms. More information about each of these systems can be found on UVA’s Renewable Energy Tracker. 

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We are proud to have received a number of designations and award for the combined efforts of multiple UVA partner entities as we continue to move the University toward achieving the goals in the UVA 2020-2030 Sustainability Plan.

Energy Resources