Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GreenPlay (Game to promote energy efficiency actions)

Teaser

The GreenPlay project aimed to develop a new ICT-based solution to raise awareness on energy efficiency among European citizens, and to strengthen people’s commitment to reduce and improve energy consumption in their daily life. This global aim can has been divided in four...

Summary

The GreenPlay project aimed to develop a new ICT-based solution to raise awareness on energy efficiency among European citizens, and to strengthen people’s commitment to reduce and improve energy consumption in their daily life. This global aim can has been divided in four specific objectives:
•Deepen citizens\' awareness about environmental issues
•Provide people with personalized information related to their energy consumption levels and habits
•Make people integrate the GreenPlay solution in their daily life
•Ensure the sustainability of the new solution

To reach these objectives, the GreenPlay consortium has demonstrated a real-time, web-based energy consumption monitoring platform, combined with a serious game, entitled Apolis Planeta, to foster interest and raise awareness of citizens of all ages, and a smart advice generator that will provide information on energy savings and propose related challenges to the users.

In the frame of the project, a demonstration phase has been be implemented in three European urban areas (in France and Spain) to assess and evaluate the proposed solution in 163 test homes, located in publicly and/or privately-owned buildings, and fulfilling three conditions:
1. Being heated with electricity
2. Having electric hot water
3. Having an internet access

Work performed

An important effort of the project has been put on developing the serious game, Apolis Planeta. Different versions of the game have been tested and reviewed to deliver the most user-friendly game for the end-users during the demonstration. As stated below, nearly 200 test homes have been eqquiped with sensors so that energy consumption data could be measured.

In addition to the monitoring of the energy use occupants were asked to fill an environmental awareness survey before and after the pilot action. The first survey was carried out in 2017 and is not subject of the current document. The second questionnaire has been circulated among occupants in mid-June 2018 to see changes in environmental awareness. Results of this second survey are presented in the current document.
We can conclude that the project objective, to save energy using a serious games initiating behavioural change could be achieved and justified only partly.
Although no energy saving could be justified in heating energy consumption in absolute term, it was proven that users have decreased their indoor air temperature during heating season showing that they made the necessary effort on behavioural side. The decreased temperatures correspond to theoretical energy savings of 1.9% for OPAC to 10.4% in average depending on the location. In spite of that, the mean heating energy consumption did not decrease. It can be explained by the impact of factors other than occupants’ behaviour (such as heat flow from/to neighbouring apartments or changes in meteorological factors other than temperature like wind, solar yield, etc.) that could not be monitored within the frame of the project.
In domestic hot water consumption no notable decreasing or increasing trend could be remarked, the situation was similar before and after starting the pilot action. Certainly some of the users’ consumption has decreased, others’ consumption has increased, but it would have probably been so without any intervention. However, in the environmental awareness survey 22% of French homes and 54% of Spanish homes claimed that they have changed their DHW using habits in a positive way and only 3% of Spanish users thought that their consumption had increased. In most cases they take more often shower than bath compared to the situation before pilot action. Furthermore, 15% of the Spanish homes claimed that they had set lower hot water temperature than earlier.
With regards to other electric consumption no notable decreasing or increasing trend could be remarked either, the situation was similar before and after starting the pilot action. However, the environmental awareness survey showed up some important behavioural improvements particularly for Spanish homes. One positive change to mention is the increased proportion of appliances with energy class A or better for Spain. In 2017 it was 41% only, in 2018 it increased to 64%. When buying a new appliance 97% would buy a class A or better unit in Spain, 4% more than in 2017. Many occupants learned the importance of hidden consumption, because more occupants admitted to be aware of the meaning of hidden consumption.

Final results

More than 150 homes in France and Spain have been involved in the research experiment.

Monitoring of the energy consumption and indoor air temperature was conducted in the participating homes. The monitoring was running from January 2017 till the end of June 2018. Data collection was provided by smart meters to monitor electrical consumption installed in 157 homes for about 1.5 years. The consumption habits of approximately 50 homes were deeply analyzed. Consumption data were registered on a private internet platform, reachable through the eGreen website (www.egreen.fr). Each home had access to view its energy consumption, both real time and historical data.
The sensors ware measuring electricy through amp clamp with an accuracy of metering of 10%.
General, heating and water heater electricity use were monitored.

A large panel of the population has experimented the solution. Thanks to the introduction of side games such as Island&Co, the possibility to reach homes that aren’t equipped with sensors has been assessed.

Impact on conversion rate, dealing mainly with the success of recruiting homes to install sensors, has shown that intense communication campaign is required, including door-to-door activities. Indeed, results in Vigo, where FAIMEVI recruited people thanks tod ifferent actions, has been much more efficient than working with LE COL and OPAC38.

The V3 of Apolis Planeta sticks to people’s real life with mobile phone use and easy-to-understand reporting emails.
Gaming and social interactions are widly spread. The GreenPlay project has sticked to this people’s interest by transforming energy savings as a gaming and social experience.

Energy efficiency has been made entertaining through 3 complementary approach :
- Energy contests based on real consumption monitoring
- Mobile-game Island&Co based on daily-life challenges to earn points
- Fun social Network Apolis Planeta based on daily-life challenges to earn points

The work done within the GreenPlay project has enabled to develop a framework to raise awareness and save energy through change behavior with an innovative approach based on gaming.
Moreover, a flexible “gaming engine” has been developed to address sustainability problems due to peoples’ habits.

eGreen will benefit from all the research kwoledge acquired through the GreenPlay project. It will enable this innovative company to continue developing cutting-edge solutions to save energy through gaming.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.greenplay-project.eu/.