Providing communities with tools to reduce energy consumption in their homes

Utrecht University researchers Tarek Alskaif and Wilfried van Sark were interviewed ahead of the Smart urban region of the future: VerDuS SURF Conference about their work with EU project PARENT. PARENT aims to provide communities with technology and support to help reduce energy consumption in their homes, and is running a pilot in East Amsterdam.

The video interview with Tarek Alskaif and Wilfried van Sark will be presented on Thursday 29th November at the Smart urban region of the future: VerDuS SURF Conference. Sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the conference will take place in Amersfoort. It covers a range of sustainability domains, including sustainable energy in the built environment.

PARticipatory platform for sustainable ENergy managemenT

PARENT stands for PARticipatory platform for sustainable ENergy managemenT. It aims to provide communities with technology and support to help reduce energy consumption in their homes and to investigate ways in which communities can work towards more sustainable lifestyles. It is an ongoing three year project with pilot studies in Brussels, Amsterdam and Bergen.

An Amsterdam Pilot

Utrecht University together with partner Resourcefully are leading a pilot in Amsterdam called East-Harbour Prosumers Community. Researchers installed energy monitors in 25 households (houses, boats and apartments) to collect electricity consumption and PV (solar panel) production data. To help residential customers reduce their electricity consumption and increase their PV self-sufficiency, they developed an ICT-based platform enhanced by gamification elements. This platform analyzes and visualizes collected data to help residents become more aware and engaged with their energy use.