Campus Energy Dashboard Tutorial
This guide shows students how to read the SSU Energy Dashboard, interpret the main graphs, and turn energy data into meaningful questions about cost, carbon emissions, and campus sustainability.
Use this tutorial while viewing the live dashboard in a separate browser tab.
Example used in this tutorial
The example below uses the dashboard view titled Campus Energy — Nov 2024 to Apr 30, 2026. The top cards summarize the selected period, while the bar chart shows monthly campus energy consumption.
How to use the page
Start with the title
Always check the date range first. In this example, the title says the selected period is Nov 2024 to Apr 30, 2026.
Read the four metric cards
The cards answer the most important questions: how much energy was used, how much it cost, the average power level, and estimated CO₂ emissions.
Choose the time option
Use options such as Last 12 months or All time to control what the graph shows. This changes the story you are telling with the data.
Study the bar chart
Each bar represents total campus energy in that month. Taller bars mean more MWh. Look for high months, low months, and unusual drops.
Ask why
A spike or drop is only the beginning. Students should ask whether the change may be related to weather, building use, semester schedule, holidays, or missing sensor data.
How to read the monthly graph
The dashboard uses bar charts similar to the one below. The y-axis is energy in MWh. One MWh equals 1,000 kWh.
Student note: April 2026 may be a partial month depending on the selected end date. Partial months should not be directly compared with full months unless normalized by number of days.
What the numbers mean
Total Energy = 23.66 GWh
This is the total campus energy used during the selected period. In smaller units, this is about 23,660,000 kWh.
Total Cost = $3,548,415
The dashboard estimates cost from energy use. A useful student question is: how much money would SSU save if energy use dropped by 5% or 10%?
Average Power = 1.88 MW
This means that over the selected period, the campus behaved like a continuous 1.88 MW load.
CO₂ = 4,731,219 kg
This is an estimate based on the selected CO₂ factor. It helps connect electricity use with environmental impact.
Monthly MWh bars
Use the bars to compare months. For example, May 2025 is higher than April 2026 in the example chart.
Do not over-interpret
Before reaching a conclusion, check whether the month is complete and whether any data gaps exist.
Student analysis activity
Use the example dashboard and answer these questions
- Which month has the highest energy use in the displayed 12-month graph?
- Which month has the lowest energy use, and could this be due to missing data or a partial month?
- If the campus reduced energy use by 10%, how many GWh would be saved?
- If the cost is $3,548,415, how much money would a 10% reduction save?
- What additional information would help explain the monthly changes? Consider weather, occupancy, events, and academic calendar.
Suggested interpretation language
Students can use wording like this in reports:
“During the selected period, SSU consumed 23.66 GWh of energy, with an estimated cost of $3.55 million and an average power demand of 1.88 MW. The monthly bar chart shows variation across months, suggesting that campus activity, weather, partial data, or building operation schedules may influence energy use.”
Common mistakes to avoid
- Comparing a partial month directly with a full month.
- Assuming a high-energy month means waste without checking context.
- Ignoring the selected date range.
- Confusing kWh, MWh, GWh, and MW.
- Forgetting that CO₂ and cost depend on adjustable assumptions.