Student residential buildings in higher educational institutions represent a high-intensity yet under-optimized segment of campus energy management. This study presents an equipment-level energy audit of six hostel buildings at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada, India, integrating load inventory analysis, lux-based illumination measurement, twelve-month electricity billing data, LPG consumption assessment, and techno-economic evaluation. The hostel complex recorded an annual electricity consumption of 2573.2 MWh across 8,000 m², gives an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 321.6 kWh/m²·year and a per capita consumption of approximately 1170 kWh. Residential rooms contributed nearly 50% of the total demand. The disaggregated analysis identified lighting and ceiling fans as dominant fixed loads, while cumulative plug loads were also significant. The kitchen operations consumed approximately 30,000 kg of LPG annually. Scenario analysis indicates electricity reduction potential through LED retrofitting (24–38%), high-efficiency fan replacement (16-18%), and motion-sensor automation (10%). Rooftop solar photovoltaic integration could offset up to 100% of annual electrical demand. Using a grid emission factor of 0.82 kg CO₂/kWh, baseline emissions were estimated at 2,110 tCO₂/year. Sensitivity analysis confirms the economic robustness of solar PV under ±10% variation in cost and tariff parameters. The findings highlight an integrated efficiency–renewable pathway toward low-carbon campus residential energy systems.
