Abstract

DAREED aims at delivering an ICT service platform (and some specific tools) to foster energy efficiency and low carbon activities at neighbourhood, city and district level. Project results will be validated via pilots in three (3) different countries and contexts, thus granting the possibility to generalise results and ensuring replicability throughout Europe and beyond.The key success factor for effective energy efficiency initiatives at community level is to involve all the stakeholders who have active role in decision making and provide them the right information at the right time to take informed decisions; to this extent, user engagement through social networks can foster participation and energy consumption awareness. Stakeholders (i.e. citizens, household landlords, public spaces managers and urban planners) need tools and information to understand and assess alternatives to traditional consumptions patterns and inertial behaviours leading to high consumption levels. Energy providers need information and tools to implement business models oriented to energy service proposition oriented to a sustainable consumption model.There is need to go beyond acting on energy consumptions under direct control to understand ex-ante savings that can be achieved through energy efficiency related measures, management tools, and new services and implement them along with the related cost/benefit ratio. Although regulations about buildings, infrastructures and public spaces are fostering the implementation of important energy efficiency measures, a major driver for the change are the actual economic saving for users obtained from energy efficiency based business models. The service-oriented approach of the platform will allow easy adoption, overcoming technological, financial and knowledge barriers. The involvement of service providers, especially energy ones, ICT companies and public administrations will facilitate the development of the product and its wide acceptability