ECO2 project aims to make consumers aware of their role in energy consumption and improving energy efficiency. One of the objectives of H2020 programme, in fact, consists in involving all European citizens to adopt daily habits that can positively impact on the environment and, consequently, lead the transition process towards energy sustainability. For this reason, H2020 actively supports innovative projects such as ECO2 seeking to empower and motivate energy users, by spreading knowledge on how to consume energy more consciously in their everyday lives.
Due to the pivotal role consumers play in this process, in the last decades they have been persuaded to reduce their energy consumption. At the same time, the number of electric devices increased dramatically inside our homes. Not only must energy providers and the public & private sectors play their role in the transition towards energy sustainability, but the individual energy user needs to contribute as well. And it is here that ECO2 project comes into action!
Implemented as a large-scale e-learning system addressed to European energy users, ECO2 will support them in implementing real actions to save energy and make their houses more energy efficient. It takes the form of the dynamic knowledge-sharing platform on which you are currently navigating: ACT4ECO.
ACT4ECO aims to engage energy consumers interactively either with e-learning tools or a transformative group learning approach. As a tool for both educational purposes and community-building, the platform will motivate energy consumers to explore various solutions in terms of home improvements and implementation of energy-saving best practices. Energy users will have the opportunity to create their own learning path and decide which actions to implement by choosing between the following themes:
- Change the house: limiting the carbon footprint of the house and its appliances.
- Smart consumers: familiarizing users with ICT energy equipment.
- My energy consumption: helping users understanding the connection between their daily habits and their energy consumption.
- No rebound: avoiding the return of bad energy-consumption habits.
- Make your own energy: guiding consumers in evaluating if it is worth investing in small-scale energy generation.
By following the proposed learning paths, users will go from motivation to exploration and finally to action. The adoption of ACT4ECO approach will allow reaching the overall objectives of the ECO2 project, namely:
- Reduce energy costs
- Monitor energy efficiency actions
- Increase awareness and consciousness of efficiency control
- Sharing knowledge in a community, either physical at a local level or online
ECO2 also aims at developing a set of information for users to establish a dialogue with policy-maker and innovators at European level, to contribute in defining future lines of action. The creation of an ECO2 Community will allow the ACT4ECO platform to continue to exist over time, increase awareness and knowledge on energy efficiency issues, and make citizens become responsible and environmentally conscious.