ENERGY EFFICIENCY INITIATIVES AT UNIVERSITIES: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIE

Abstract

Energy efficiency has received increasing attention in sustainable development over the past years due to the attention of climate change mitigation. In this context, universities have the role of promoting sustainability through energy efficiency efforts, improving environmental, economic and social aspects and increasing energy savings and the use of renewable energy. The aim of this paper is to perform a systematic review of the literature on the topic energy efficiency initiatives/practices/actions at Universities and analyse how they are contributing to the four categories created by LiFE Index: facilities and operations; leadership and governance; learning, teaching and research; partnerships and engagement. The databases Web of Science and Scopus were used to the review and resulted in 100 articles published in the last 10 years. This research illustrates a comprehensive approach related to the panorama of initiatives, practices and actions that universities are developing in the energy efficiency topic. In addition, the literature review highlights examples and barriers between energy efficiency and sustainable development by comparing and analysing them, showing its relevant features.