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Energies
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Energy Efficiency and Behavioral Change through ICT
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Energy Efficiency and Behavioral Change through ICT

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "F: Electrical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2022) | Viewed by 12919

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Filipe Soares

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Guest Editor
Institute for Systems and Computing Engineering, Tecnology and Science (INESC TEC), Campus da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: multi-energy systems; integration of DER in power systems and electricity markets; energy efficiency; consumer engagement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Antonio Coelho

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Guest Editor
FEUP Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: computer graphics; digital games; gamification; geospatial systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Arjan van Timmeren

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Guest Editor
Chair Environmental Technology & Design, Dept. Urbanism, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), P.O.box 5043 2600GA Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: energy/food/water nexus; circular economy; urban metabolism; urban climate; use(r) behavior
Dr. Nicolas Wyrsch

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Collaborateur scientifique, Laboratoire de photovoltaïque et couches minces électroniques EPFL STI IMT PV-LAB, MC A2 302 (Bâtiment MC), Rue de la Maladière 71b, CP 526CH-2002 Neuchâtel 2
Interests: particle sensors and imagers; the integration of photovoltaic systems in the electric grid, including storage and building energy management; and PV module energy efficiency and lifetime

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing energy demand poses new carbon-based challenges to our society and the environment. Improvements in energy efficiency are essential to mitigate long-term negative impacts and to refine the energy management strategy following climate change objectives. It is evident that technological developments without stakeholder support are not capable of responding effectively to the challenges that energy systems are facing. Therefore, active facilitation of consumer awareness and engagement in the management of energy consumption and production is required. Aided inclusion of various members of the energy community in the process of behavioral change, such as occupants, building owners, aggregators, energy retailers, and even network operators, can substantially increase the adoption of smart grid technologies. Moreover, it can contribute to the reduction of energy costs and promote more intelligent and more efficient use of energy. Current research is focused on finding efficient methods to assist behavioral change that produce sustainable behaviors and long-lasting results. Particular attention is devoted to the extensive capabilities of information and communication technology (ICT) that can provide an interactive, gamified, and personalized experience along the behavioral change journey. This Special Issue of Energies is dedicated to exploring various approaches to promote, stimulate, and deliver energy efficiency through behavioral change with the aid of ICT.  

Prof. Dr. Filipe Soares
Prof. Antonio Coelho
Prof. Dr. Arjan van Timmeren
Dr. Nicolas Wyrsch
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Behavioral change
  • Consumer profiling
  • Energy consumption
  • Energy efficiency
  • Energy management
  • Energy savings
  • Energy systems
  • Gamification
  • Information and communication technology (ICT)
  • Renewable energy
  • Thermal comfort

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 388 KiB  
Article
Using Virtual Choreographies to Identify Office Users’ Behaviors to Target Behavior Change Based on Their Potential to Impact Energy Consumption
by Fernando Cassola, Leonel Morgado, António Coelho, Hugo Paredes, António Barbosa, Helga Tavares and Filipe Soares
Energies 2022, 15(12), 4354; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15124354 - 14 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2952
Abstract
Reducing office buildings’ energy consumption can contribute significantly towards carbon reduction commitments since it represents ∼40% of total energy consumption. Major components of this are lighting, electrical equipment, heating, and central cooling systems. Solid evidence demonstrates that individual occupants’ behaviors impact these energy [...] Read more.
Reducing office buildings’ energy consumption can contribute significantly towards carbon reduction commitments since it represents ∼40% of total energy consumption. Major components of this are lighting, electrical equipment, heating, and central cooling systems. Solid evidence demonstrates that individual occupants’ behaviors impact these energy consumption components. In this work, we propose the methodology of using virtual choreographies to identify and prioritize behavior-change interventions for office users based on the potential impact of specific behaviors on energy consumption. We studied the energy-related office behaviors of individuals by combining three sources of data: direct observations, electricity meters, and computer logs. Data show that there are behaviors with significant consumption impact but with little potential for behavioral change, while other behaviors have substantial potential for lowering energy consumption via behavioral change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency and Behavioral Change through ICT)
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15 pages, 849 KiB  
Article
Implementing Smart City Technologies to Inspire Change in Consumer Energy Behaviour
by Anna Mutule, Marcos Domingues, Fernando Ulloa-Vásquez, Dante Carrizo, Luis García-Santander, Ana-Maria Dumitrescu, Diego Issicaba and Lucas Melo
Energies 2021, 14(14), 4310; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14144310 - 17 Jul 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3464
Abstract
One of the main challenges in smart city models is consumer behaviour, namely guiding the efforts to promote optimal use of energy in the dynamics of the developing cities, through lower energy consumption without impact on the comfort level. This relates to all [...] Read more.
One of the main challenges in smart city models is consumer behaviour, namely guiding the efforts to promote optimal use of energy in the dynamics of the developing cities, through lower energy consumption without impact on the comfort level. This relates to all energy vectors and can be done through different means. The uptake stage of smart metering and information and communication technologies (ICT) varies in different countries, creating the need for tailored innovative approaches in motivating behavioural change. This paper presents the work carried out within the joint research project ITCity (an ICT platform for sustainable energy ecosystem in smart cities) between the European Union and Latin American Countries. Cooperation of energy researchers and experts in ICT and application developers facilitates adoption of a multipurpose interdisciplinary approach. This work aims at providing the smart city and energy research and innovation community broader understanding of factors influencing adoption of energy efficiency technologies. Different ways of guiding optimal energy use are addressed elaborating on the building blocks for a smart city which consider load patterns based on high resolution, high reporting rate measurements, extensive consumer surveys, available communication solution analysis and end-user interaction with the ICT tool based on gamification principles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency and Behavioral Change through ICT)
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23 pages, 2078 KiB  
Article
Real-World Implementation of an ICT-Based Platform to Promote Energy Efficiency
by Marina Dorokhova, Fernando Ribeiro, António Barbosa, João Viana, Filipe Soares and Nicolas Wyrsch
Energies 2021, 14(9), 2416; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092416 - 23 Apr 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2125
Abstract
The energy efficiency requirements of most energy-consuming sectors have increased recently in response to climate change. For buildings, this means targeting both facility managers and building users with the aim of identifying potential energy savings and encouraging more energy-responsible behaviors. The Information and [...] Read more.
The energy efficiency requirements of most energy-consuming sectors have increased recently in response to climate change. For buildings, this means targeting both facility managers and building users with the aim of identifying potential energy savings and encouraging more energy-responsible behaviors. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform developed in Horizon 2020 FEEdBACk project intends to fulfill these goals by enabling the optimization of energy consumption, generation, and storage and control of flexible devices without compromising comfort levels and indoor air quality parameters. This work aims to demonstrate the real-world implementation and functionality of the ICT platform composed of Load Disaggregation, Net Load Forecast, Occupancy Forecast, Automation Manager, and Behavior Predictor applications. Particularly, the results obtained by individual applications during the test phase are presented alongside the specific metrics used to evaluate their performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency and Behavioral Change through ICT)
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43 pages, 5226 KiB  
Article
FEEdBACk: An ICT-Based Platform to Increase Energy Efficiency through Buildings’ Consumer Engagement
by Filipe Soares, André Madureira, Andreu Pagès, António Barbosa, António Coelho, Fernando Cassola, Fernando Ribeiro, João Viana, José Andrade, Marina Dorokhova, Nélson Morais, Nicolas Wyrsch and Trine Sørensen
Energies 2021, 14(6), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14061524 - 10 Mar 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3262
Abstract
Energy efficiency in buildings can be enhanced by several actions: encouraging users to comprehend and then adopt more energy-efficient behaviors; aiding building managers in maximizing energy savings; and using automation to optimize energy consumption, generation, and storage of controllable and flexible devices without [...] Read more.
Energy efficiency in buildings can be enhanced by several actions: encouraging users to comprehend and then adopt more energy-efficient behaviors; aiding building managers in maximizing energy savings; and using automation to optimize energy consumption, generation, and storage of controllable and flexible devices without compromising comfort levels and indoor air-quality parameters. This paper proposes an integrated Information and communications technology (ICT) based platform addressing all these factors. The gamification platform is embedded in the ICT platform along with an interactive energy management system, which aids interested stakeholders in optimizing “when and at which rate” energy should be buffered and consumed, with several advantages, such as reducing peak load, maximizing local renewable energy consumption, and delivering more efficient use of the resources available in individual buildings or blocks of buildings. This system also interacts with an automation manager and a users’ behavior predictor application. The work was developed in the Horizon 2020 FEEdBACk (Fostering Energy Efficiency and BehAvioral Change through ICT) project. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Energy Efficiency and Behavioral Change through ICT)
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