Load performance analysis via walkthrough energy audit method: A case study for a college campus in Iraq

University campuses’ Buildings have been increased energy consumption due to their great potential for energy reduction due to the low building densities within the campus. Their operation schedule during vacations coincides with peak energy demand seasons. This study conducted an on-site survey College of Electrical and Electronic Technology Campus in Baghdad, Iraq, to determine its current energy consumption patterns due to COVID-19 restrictions and low students’ density. On the same matter, in this article, energy-saving plans is proposed based on the analysis of the building’s potential for energy consumption load type. For this purpose, a methodology has been developed to expose the energy consumption and demand load characteristics. The conducted study aimed to classify and present all the matters conducted to the electrical loads. Electrical loads are mainly classified into cooling, heating, office, lights, and other loads. A step forward to reaching the net-zero energy building was through descriptive statistics. Based on this study, the coincidental characteristics of the energy use. The data from the entire campus was analyzed, and the coincident rates for individuals of the university campus were determined accordingly. The research results show that the most significant energy consumption is cooling, 66% of the total load due to the high temperature in the country, while the rest loads were (9% Heating, 6% Lighting, 15% Office equipment, and 4% the other laboratory equipment and other loads) to determine those buildings with great potential to improve operation. The database reveals that the classification of buildings based on their similarity is the most essential part of energy benchmarking for public buildings. Overall, the findings of this research could help identify better-targeted energy efficiency methods for the buildings understudy in the future by evaluating their performance against various indicators and setting a baseline to compare similar structures in hot and dry climates.