TRaIning Behaviours towards Energy efficiency: Play it!

Project Information

TRIBE

Grant agreement ID: 649770

DOI

10.3030/649770

Project closed

EC signature date 5 February 2015

Start date 1 March 2015

End date 28 February 2018

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy

Total cost

€ 2 000 032,50

EU contribution

€ 2 000 031,75

Coordinated by

FUNDACION CIRCE CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE RECURSOS Y CONSUMOS ENERGETICOS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - TRIBE (TRaIning Behaviours towards Energy efficiency: Play it!)

Reporting period: 2016-09-01 to 2018-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The European Commission has stated that public buildings should lead the way to improve energy efficiency of buildings, reducing total EU final energy use. However, public building users generally do not have a personal financial incentive to act in an energy efficient manner, since they are not directly involved in the payment of the energy bills. Neither they do have any feedback about the consequences of their behaviour in the energy consumption nor do they have an economic motivation to change it. Barriers to the creation of a general conscience towards energy efficiency improvement do not refer to immature technical solutions, but consists in overcoming non-technical barriers as well as taking advantage of existing solutions, integrating them properly. TRIBE implementation encompasses a holistic solution that proposes a cost-effective ICT deployment complementing the already installed smart metering systems contributing to overcome the socio-cultural barriers associated with the low visibility of energy efficiency. In this context, the overall objective of the TRIBE project is to contribute to a citizens’ behaviour change towards energy efficiency in public buildings, through their engagement in the experience of playing a social game, linked by ICT to real data collected from five pilot buildings hosting around 1,300 regular users (employees, tenants, etc.) and almost 12,000 eventual users (visitors). Within the framework of TRIBE project, ICT monitoring systems have been installed in the five TRIBE pilots giving the possibility of monitor energy and comfort parameters. In addition to the game, a collection of the different tools developed are combined in a solutions pack for TRIBE ad hoc implementation in different public buildings in Europe. The goal is to foster the spread of the public building users’ behaviour change as well as to support the deployment of ICT for energy efficiency among public building owners and operators.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The following exploitable results were released at the end of the project:
• Map of users profiles and main driving factors: i) User profiles with differences in socio-demographic factors, norms and attitudes; ii) Three user types in terms of energy efficient behaviour; ii) Influences of different behaviour factors to change user types.
• Replicable ICT monitoring plan: methodology for design, commissioning and operation of ICT-based monitoring solutions for energy efficiency in public buildings, together with a software for monitoring data collection, storage and transmission, and a web-based interface for monitoring installations management and for data analysis.
• Online library of a set of 250 Energy Efficiency Measures categorised by: i) Economic investment (low-medium and large investment costs); ii) Component of the building involved (envelope, HVAC system, DHW, lighting, electrical devices, etc.). The following aspects are evaluated for each measure: type of building, type of user, type of driver (physical, environmental, social, etc.). As potential exploitation pathways, source of information for decision making and as database for energy simulation tools, decision support tools, building renovation market, etc.
• A simulation engine fulfilling the need for an in-game energy simulation, falling into the category of open software solutions for game development, ensuring the reliability of the data to be fed. It consists of three components: a client-server solution, a library of mathematical and logical tools and user behaviour and electricity simulation.
• TRIBE Pack: set of tools to replicate the project solutions by further public authorities, including: energy audit, virtual pilot’s design, ICTs deployment plan, funding schemes and user engagement campaign.
• TRIBE Game: This social game is linked by ICT to real data collected from 5 pilot buildings from university to public offices and social housing. TRIBE is mobile game available for IOS and Android devices, but also an educational tool aiming to change the players’ behaviour towards more energy efficiency attitudes. In its energy simulation it includes a more indept model of the human aspect of buildings, taking into account such factors as attitudes and comfort.

A wide communication and marketing campaign was carried out in order to promote TRIBE outcomes towards the identified stakeholders.
• Project website (http://tribe-h2020.eu/) and game website (http://www.tribe2020.eu/) with more than 7.500 visitors.
• A strong online marketing campaign: Universal App Campaigns, Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, YouTube). More than 21 M of recipients addressed, with more than 500.000 views and reactions to the publications.
• Events: more than 40 participated; 8 workshops and conferences organised; more than 10 scientific conferences participated; more than 20 workshops and events organised at the pilot buildings, etc.
• Media: more than 50 online news; 10 non-scientific publications, 5 scientific publications; different radio interviews.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The progress beyond the state of the art of TRIBE lies primarily within a better understanding of how different factors, that are relevant for energy efficient behavior, correspond with certain measures that are available to users within the pilots. During TRIBE project, the most important factors for behavior change were analysed, identifying three distinct user groups. Secondly, a methodology to assess the potential energy and CO2 savings, as well as the economic investment and payback associated to the application in the project pilots of the different energy efficiency actions and measures was developed. In parallel, a common methodology replicable at EU level for the design of a cost-effective ICT solution for each of the pilot buildings has been established to assess energy consumptions and energy-related user behaviour in European public buildings. Finally, an hybrid simulation engine was implemented to feed the game with real data and ensuring the reliability of the data coming from the simulations and the real data coming from the ICT systems installed at the pilots.
The energy savings achieved thanks to the implementation of TRIBE Pack are linked to investment costs but also to energy savings, job creation as well as wider socioeconomic impacts. The total energy savings following an uptake of the TRIBE activities at the EU level could lead to a reduction of 12 kt CO2e/year without an impact on the comfort of the building users.
The TRIBE game itself, is expected to contribute to increasing knowledge about energy demand, which is crucial for an energy efficient behaviour in real life. To this end, it is estimated that if the individuals who downloaded the game, implement the energy efficiency measures in buildings different than those where the TRIBE pack was implemented, significant additional energy and cost savings can be reached. At the EU level, these savings could reach 7.2 million € per year.
Both the direct and indirect energy savings achieved through TRIBE are associated with wider economic benefits for countries and the EU as a whole. These benefits include an achievement of a consumer surplus that will generate a higher demand for other goods and services; reduced maintenance and acquisition costs for purchasing new products due to a lower use of appliances; an increased energy security; increased value of properties; and a drop of public spending on social benefits.

General architecture of the monitoring plan

Promotion of the game

TRIBE Pack