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[Display omitted] • The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on energy consumption in university buildings was assessed. • Eighty-three academic buildings of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - Barcelona Tech (UPC) were analysed. • Avoided energy consumption amounted to over 4.3 GWh in one year. • Vacant academic buildings still used 46.9% of their typical energy consumption. • Libraries (−74.2%) and teaching buildings (−68.1%) experienced the highest energy reductions during the strict lockdown. Exceptional pandemic lockdown measures enabled singular experiments such as analysing the energy consumption of vacant buildings. This paper assesses the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the energy use of academic buildings. For this purpose, weather-adjusted energy use was compared before and during the lockdown, including different levels of lockdown restrictions. Results obtained for the 83 academic buildings of Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - Barcelona Tech (UPC) reveal that the avoided energy consumption amounted to over 4.3 GWh during the post-pandemic year. However, the results indicate that academic buildings were still using approximately 46.9% of their typical energy consumption during strict lockdown. This revelation emphasizes the high environmental burden of buildings, regardless of whether they are occupied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]