This study addresses the optimization of heating systems for university building clusters in severe cold regions, focusing on their functional complexity, temporal usage patterns, and spatial heterogeneity. The actual university heating project in Harbin was chosen as a case study, breaking through the limitations of previous studies focusing on residential or commercial buildings. The research systematically investigates heating load variations during operational periods. It proposes three regulation strategies: constant supply water temperature with constant temperature difference regulation, variable supply water temperature with constant temperature difference regulation, and variable supply water temperature with constant temperature difference regulation combined with time-division and zone-based heating for partial buildings. The energy-saving potential of the three schemes is analyzed in depth by comparison. The results demonstrate that, compared to the constant temperature water supply and constant temperature difference regulation scheme, the other two schemes achieved energy-saving rates of 17.1% and 34.8%, respectively. In the time dimension, these schemes match the time period of energy use in universities, and in the spatial dimension, they can realize the differentiated heat supply in the functional zoning of the building clusters. This study provides a reference for optimizing the regulation of heating systems in severe cold areas.