With a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2045, Washington, D.C. has positioned itself as a national leader in decarbonization, resilience, and strategic energy management. Across the region, district energy systems are helping accelerate emissions reductions while strengthening long-term reliability—delivering thermal energy at scale in places where space, infrastructure, and operational continuity matter most.
At CampusEnergy2026—hosted February 17-20, 2026 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.—IDEA’s members will share how they’re modernizing central energy facilities, upgrading distribution networks, integrating thermal storage and controls, and building flexible systems that can evolve with policy and performance goals.
Read on to learn more about these featured campuses.
Georgetown University: A More Efficient Thermal Backbone Scales Growth
Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States. Tasked with balancing historical preservation alongside campus growth, the university embarked on a major central plant modernization in 2021.
Today, Georgetown’s central facility provides steam and chilled water to its historic campus using four 100,000 lb/hr boilers and more than 20,000 tons of cooling capacity. To improve energy efficiency, accelerate emissions reductions, and safeguard reliability, the facility is supported by a two-million-gallon thermal storage tank.
Georgetown’s ongoing upgrades include:
1. Enhancing operational visibility and optimizing dispatch with controls and automation improvements
2. Upgrading steam distribution to reduce losses and improve reliability for critical campus facilities
3. Modernizing chilled water distribution, including efficiency tuning for peak summer loads
Why CampusEnergy2026?
Featuring a dense, historic campus with aging infrastructure, Georgetown University offers a quintessential environment for district energy. The university also offers a replicable case study for institutions facing competing pressures, including historical preservation, facility expansion, and climate-forward modernization.
George Washington University: District Energy Advances a Climate-Ready Future
Tasked with managing diverse energy needs in a highly urban environment, George Washington University’s (GWU) district energy system proves that powerful solutions operate out of sight—quietly supporting comfort, reliability, and resilience.
Located on the Foggy Bottom campus, GWU’s 4.2 MW combined heat and power (CHP) facility delivers power for more than 1.1 million square feet of classrooms, administrative buildings, research facilities, and residence halls. A defining feature of the system is its integration of renewable energy sources, including rooftop solar, solar thermal heating, and battery and thermal storage.
By diversifying the university’s energy supply, the district energy system supports an iterative energy transition aligned with GWU’s sustainability roadmap.
GWU’s upgrades include:
1. Investing in CHP and thermal systems to support reliability for research buildings and residence halls
2. Improving chilled water systems to balance seasonal loads across multiple campuses
3. Aligning district energy operations with broader campus energy-efficiency initiatives
Why CampusEnergy2026?
GWU demonstrates how urban institutions can successfully advance low-carbon electrification, emissions reductions, and energy resilience without compromising space, operational, or community needs.
Gallaudet University: Building an Inclusive, Sustainable, and Resilient Campus
As the leading university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, Gallaudet University places inclusive and community-centric design at the forefront of campus modernization.
With the 2025 installation of a microgrid comprising 1.7 MW of solar panels, a 1.2 MW/2.6 MWh battery system, and a 4.5 MW combined heat and power (CHP) system that supports electricity, steam, hot water, and cooling, Gallaudet now generates the majority of its daily electricity demand onsite. This onsite generation enables the campus to remain responsive to critical needs even during grid outages, while centralized thermal energy ensures consistent comfort across academic and residential buildings.
Gallaudet’s ongoing initiatives include:
1. Renewing infrastructure to improve capacity, reduce energy consumption, and support future growth in the Sixth Street corridor
2. Implement system control improvements to optimize efficiency and reduce operational complexity
3. Align campus master planning with accessibility and community well-being standards
Why CampusEnergy2026?
Gallaudet provides a distinctive perspective on designing energy systems that serve evolving campus populations with diverse accessibility and facility needs.
A Blueprint for the Energy Transition
Washington, D.C., is a pioneering city for district energy, home to some of the nation’s earliest centralized heating and cooling networks. As energy managers and city leaders contend with space constraints, extreme weather events, and growing grid outages, district energy systems, microgrids, and thermal networks provide flexible pathways to maintain continuity while advancing decarbonization.
Situated at the intersection of climate policy leadership, dense urban infrastructure, and clean energy innovation, CampusEnergy2026 will offer a rich learning environment highlighting district energy’s dual role in cultivating campus resilience and advancing citywide decarbonization.
Through actionable case studies, technical sessions, and immersive site tours, attendees will gain a true "key to the city”—with firsthand insight into scalable, cost-effective systems driving real-world change across the nation’s leading campuses.
To register for CampusEnergy 2026, visit: https://www.districtenergy.org/campusenergy2026/home.
#News#MemberNewsIDEA#Content#DistrictEnergy#GeorgetownUniversity#gallaudet#GeorgeWashingtonUniversity#campusenergy2026