The University Energy Report (BEA) provides a method for gathering together the University's energy data. It is drawn up every year, and is based on the data available from monitoring systems in the field, or from bills for electricity and natural gas. The size of the Politecnico di Milano and the distances between its Campuses, combined with the quantity of data available within different temporal resolutions, require a carefully structured method of data collection. This must allow one to access and aggregate the energy consumption of the entire University at various levels of detail, in relation to each Site, Campus and Building.

The creation of the University Energy Budget (BEA) has several goals:

• to analyse and assess the energy consumption and needs of the different Sites
• to help define the University's energy strategies using data-driven methods
• to assist the various areas of the University in controlling energy consumption, the associated CO2 emissions and the relative costs
• to provide experimental data for research work in the energy sector

The data used in drafting the BEA is collected in various ways:

• through monitoring systems in the field, with the collaboration of the ICT Services Division (ASICT) and the Supplies & Facility Management Division (AGIS)
• from bills issued by electricity and natural gas suppliers, with the collaboration of these various areas of the University:
  • The Real Estate, Construction and Development Division (ATE)
  • The Supplies & Facility Management Division (AGIS)
  • The University Sustainability Service (SSA)

These data are collected in the ETNA database and processed using special IT tools developed by the Energy Committee.

The recorded energy consumption is divided into different levels:

• the first level includes data from bills for electricity, natural gas and district heating
• the second level involves data which generally have a higher temporal resolution, and which can be downloaded from the websites of energy suppliers
• the third level involves collecting data from the monitoring systems installed in the field, which offer both a better spatial and temporal resolution
• finally, the fourth level relates to measurement campaigns that were carried out on particular parts of the system

The BEA uses a method based on energy carriers entering the University precincts, and thus originating from external energy suppliers. These are known as direct vectors. Then it introduces other carriers, known as indirect vectors, because these are created by transforming direct vectors which are operated by means of the University's own energy infrastructure. At Campus level, information is available with regard to:

•  direct vectors
  • electric energy, EEL
  • energy from natural gas, EGN
  • thermal energy from the external district heating system, ETLR
  • thermal energy from the district cooling system, ETLF
• indirect vectors
  • electricity from electric generators, E'EL
  • thermal energy from internal district heating, E'TLR
  • thermal energy from heating systems that only supply one building, E'TH
  • thermal energy from the internal district cooling system, E'TLF

which are then distributed to the individual buildings.

At the level of a single building, and using a model taken from standards UNI TS 11300 and UNI EN 16247, the vector (whether direct or indirect) is then converted to meet its  energy needs . Again at the level of the individual building, for some of these a distinction is also made on the basis of its intended use.

The University has an annual electricity consumption of about 46 GWh. The natural gas consumption per year is about 4 MSmc, considerably impacted by the presence of a trigeneration plant at the PoliGrid of the Leonardo-Bonardi-Bassini Complex. Despite its greater energy needs, the Città Studi Site is actually consuming less primary energy due to the presence of the cogeneration engine. The University's Energy Report was first published in relation to the years 2017, 2018 and 2019. Each BEA is accompanied by an executive summary which sets out the most important data in the BEA in just a few pages.