BENEFFICE · Project

Smart Plugs and CO2 Rewards That Cut Energy Waste Without Effort

energyPilotedTRL 7

Imagine plugging a small device into your wall socket that figures out exactly which appliance is wasting electricity — your old fridge, that TV on standby, the heater running while nobody's home. Now imagine getting rewarded with a digital currency every time you save energy, and you can spend those credits at real shops. That's what BENEFFICE built: a plug-and-play system that tracks energy per appliance, nudges people toward smarter habits, and pays them in CO2 Credits for cutting fossil fuel use. It was tested with real users across pilot sites in Europe.

By the numbers

consortium partners across Europe

countries represented in the consortium

SMEs involved in development

91%

industry partner ratio in consortium

total project deliverables produced

demo deliverables showing system integration stages

The business problem

What needed solving

Residential energy waste is massive, but consumers have no real incentive to change habits — savings are too small to notice, and there is no easy way to track which appliances waste the most. Utility companies and property managers need tools that engage users long-term, not just during the first week after installation.

The solution

What was built

A complete IoT-based platform consisting of low-cost plug-and-play sensor devices, a mobile app, energy disaggregation algorithms that identify consumption per appliance, personalized savings recommendations, and a digital CO2 credit reward system — all integrated and tested at pilot sites with real users across Europe.

Audience

Who needs this

Energy retailers needing customer engagement and retention toolsProperty management companies looking to reduce building energy costsRetail chains wanting sustainability-driven loyalty programsSmart home device manufacturers seeking energy analytics integrationMunicipal governments running citizen energy efficiency campaigns

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Utilities and Energy Retailers

enterprise

Target: Electricity retailers and utility companies looking to reduce customer churn and meet efficiency mandates

If you are an energy retailer struggling with customer retention and regulatory pressure to reduce consumption — this project developed a plug-and-play IoT platform with a mobile app and CO2 credit reward system that keeps customers engaged while proving measurable energy savings. The system was piloted with real users and iterated based on their feedback across multiple European sites. With 11 consortium partners including 5 SMEs, the technology was designed for commercial integration from the start.

Property Management and Real Estate

mid-size

Target: Property managers and building operators managing residential portfolios

If you are a property manager dealing with rising energy costs across your buildings and tenants who have no incentive to save — this project built an ICT platform with low-cost sensor gateways that disaggregate energy use per appliance and per tenant. The system generates personalized savings paths and rewards residents with digital CO2 Credits for sustained reductions. The final integrated system includes analytics, credit management, and a simplified user experience tested through pilot operations.

Retail and Consumer Brands

enterprise

Target: Retail chains and consumer brands wanting to offer green loyalty programs

If you are a retail brand looking for a sustainability-driven loyalty program that actually works — this project designed business models where third-party market catalysts (retailers, service providers) accept CO2 Credits earned by consumers for proven energy savings. The digital currency creates a new customer acquisition channel with clear social value. The business models were designed, tested, and validated during the project with partnerships across 7 countries.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this system?

The project data does not include specific pricing or deployment costs. The system uses low-cost plug-and-play IoT devices combined with a cloud-based ICT platform, mobile app, and credit management system. Cost would depend on scale — number of devices, users, and integration with existing infrastructure.

Can this scale to thousands or millions of users?

The architecture was designed with scalability in mind — the platform separates backend core, sensor gateway, mobile app, analytics, and credit management into modular components. The final system was evolved based on pilot site feedback. Scaling to mass market would require infrastructure investment but the modular design supports it.

Who owns the IP and can I license it?

The consortium of 11 partners across 7 countries developed the technology under EU Horizon 2020 rules. IP is typically shared among consortium members. The coordinator, European Dynamics Belgium, would be the first point of contact for licensing or partnership discussions.

Has this been tested with real users?

Yes. The deliverables explicitly describe pilot site operation and testing with real users. The final BENEFFICE system evolved based on user feedback and requested functionality. The system went through multiple integration stages from individual components to full pilot deployment.

How does the CO2 credit currency actually work?

CO2 Credits are digital tokens awarded to users for proven, sustained reduction in fossil fuel use. The project designed business models where third-party businesses accept these credits, giving them real-world value. This creates a self-sustaining ecosystem where energy savings translate into spending power.

What regulations does this help with?

The system directly supports EU energy efficiency directives by providing measurable, verifiable energy consumption reductions at the household level. It also supports climate change mitigation goals by tracking and rewarding reduced fossil fuel consumption. Based on available project data, specific regulatory certifications are not mentioned.

Consortium

Who built it

This consortium is heavily industry-driven with 10 out of 11 partners coming from the private sector (91% industry ratio) — unusually high even for Innovation Actions. With 5 SMEs and only 1 university, the focus was clearly on building something commercially viable rather than pure research. The 7-country spread across Western and Northern Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Finland, France) gives good market coverage. The coordinator, European Dynamics Belgium, is a private company (not an SME), suggesting capacity for larger-scale deployment. This consortium composition signals technology that was built for the market from day one.

EUROPEAN DYNAMICS BELGIUMCoordinator · BE
EUROPEAN DYNAMICS ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS SAthirdparty · EL
ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNIONparticipant · EL
VERBUND ENERGY4BUSINESS GMBHparticipant · AT
VAASAETT LTD AB OYparticipant · FI
450participant · FR
GECO GLOBAL APSparticipant · DK

How to reach the team

European Dynamics Belgium (BE) — contact via CORDIS or project website for licensing and partnership inquiries

Order a report on this consortium See EUROPEAN DYNAMICS BELGIUM profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how BENEFFICE technology could fit your energy efficiency or customer engagement strategy? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the project team and prepare a tailored brief for your use case.

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