After being tested in three different pilots, in which INESC TEC’s building, ECOplay, the mobile application that helps you save energy, is now available for free download – for all iOS and Android smartphones users.
The application, developed by a European consortium led by INESC TEC, aims to help Portuguese people change certain small daily habits that can make a difference from a financial and environmental point of view.
“At a time when many Portuguese families are teleworking, the energy bills reflect the changes in their habits. This application allows you to learn a little more about energy efficiency in a playful way, while encouraging users to save energy in their daily activities. Moreover, all the electricity that is saved has a positive impact on reducing the consumption of fossil fuels to produce electricity, minimising CO2 emissions and contributing to curb climate change”, said Filipe Joel Soares, senior researcher at INESC TEC, and head of the project.
How does the app work?
In the mobile application, users have access to informative videos and a series of episodes on lighting, heating or appliances, as well as surveys on day-to-day decision-making regarding energy efficient behaviours.
In the most advanced levels of the application, users can find a series of six episodes with elements of science fiction and suspense, where the environmental crisis is the central theme. Depending on the learning progress and the users’ performance, the app will award points and achievements, thus allowing them to progress in the ranking. Throughout the game, users also receive notifications that encourage them to adopt more sustainable behaviours.
The application is available in four languages (Portuguese, German, English and Spanish), in six countries: Portugal, Spain, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and Denmark.
Project FEEdBACk: promoting energy efficiency
The application was developed within the scope of the European project FEEdBACk, whose objective is to develop, integrate and test new technologies related to the energy field, and apply them with the purpose of promoting energy efficiency, through a change in users’ behaviours.
INESC TEC is the leader of the project, which includes eight partners from seven countries: Technische Universiteit Delft (Netherlands), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland), DEXMA Sensors SL (Spain), Limetools LTD (United Kingdom), IN-JET APS (Denmark), Kreis Lippe der Landrat (Germany) and Estudi Ramon Folch i Associats SL (Spain).
Regarding INESC TEC, it has researchers from the Centre for Power and Energy Systems (CPES) and the Centre for Information Systems and Computer Graphics (CSIG), who are responsible for the development of the gamification platform.
This project received a funding of €2.3M, within the scope of European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme – agreement number 768935. The project will end in April 2021.
For more information about the project, please visit https://feedback-project.eu/
The INESC TEC researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC.
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