Climate Action Plan (CAP) 1.2

By the end of fiscal year 2025, Boston University had reduced its emissions by 66%, well on its way toward achieving net zero direct emissions by 2040. This milestone reflects years of sustained effort driven by key initiatives, including BU Wind, BU Solar, and ongoing energy efficiency work, especially at the Center for Advanced Biomedical Research​. The Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences is fully fossil-fuel-free and therefore added no new greenhouse gas emissions to the portfolio. With building heating now accounting for of the University’s remaining direct emissions, BU is focusing its attention on how it provides heat in buildings.

In early 2025, a working group of engineering, sustainability, operations, and finance professionals, along with faculty and students, began refining the strategies outlined in the Climate Action Plan. Integrating the University’s capital asset renewal process with the strategies and timeline of the Climate Action Plan is a key goal of their work to update the CAP. This will allow the University to more effectively decarbonize existing buildings, as exemplified by the Warren Towers renovation. As BU’s second-largest emitter, Warren Towers will be transformed into a fully electrified – right down to the induction stoves – net zero emission building.

Electrification Projects in Brownstones

In Summer 2025, Boston University renovated two brownstones at 13 Buswell Street and 126 Bay State Road, transitioning both buildings from gas heating to electric. The renovations introduced a range of sustainability and student life upgrades, including all-electric heating and cooling systems, heat pump water heaters, and LED lighting. Two different heating systems were installed to help the University identify differences in operating costs and to aid future campus infrastructure projects. Flood-resilient floor drains and enhanced fire-rated doors were added to make the buildings safer and more durable. The renovations also improved accessibility throughout the two buildings, which together house 50 undergraduate students.

Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences | Measurement & Verification Report

Boston University commissioned a 12-month measurement and verification review of the Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences, the largest fossil fuel-free building in Boston. Over the review period from June 2024 to May 2025, the building operated better than designed, consuming 5% less energy than projected while fully supporting its academic and research mission.

The building’s hybrid geothermal system performed as designed, handling the vast majority of the building’s heating and cooling load efficiently and reliably. In warmer months, it transfers excess heat from the building down into the earth, and in cooler months, it extracts heat stored in the ground to warm the building. This continuous exchange allows the building to heat and cool itself with far less energy than conventional systems.