EnerGAware · Project

Serious Game That Cuts Social Housing Energy Bills by 15-30%

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Imagine a video game where your character lives in a virtual version of your actual apartment — and the game knows how much energy you're really using at home through your smart meter. You learn to save energy in the game, compete with neighbors, and the savings show up on your real electricity bill. The team built and tested this with social housing tenants, aiming to cut energy use by 15-30%. Think of it like a Fitbit for your home's energy — but wrapped in a game that makes saving energy feel like fun instead of sacrifice.

By the numbers

15-30%

targeted energy consumption and emissions reduction

38 million

European energy customers of partner EDF Energy

EUR 1,963,225

EU contribution to the project

consortium partners across 4 countries

SMEs in the consortium

total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Social housing providers face a dual challenge: tenants struggle with high energy bills and fuel poverty, while traditional awareness campaigns (leaflets, emails, workshops) fail to change behavior. Energy utilities need scalable demand-side management tools but find that most customers ignore generic energy-saving advice. The result is wasted energy, higher costs, and frustrated tenants who don't know how to reduce their consumption in practical terms.

The solution

What was built

The team built a serious game (video game for learning) connected to real smart meters in social housing. They produced an early prototype for validation and a beta version deployed in real pilot conditions. The game lets tenants design a virtual home with an avatar, learn energy-saving measures through gameplay, compete with neighbors via social features, and see their real energy savings reflected in game progression. A total of 16 deliverables were produced across the project.

Audience

Who needs this

Social housing associations managing large tenant portfolios with high energy costsEnergy utilities seeking customer engagement and demand-side management toolsMunicipal governments running energy poverty reduction programsPropTech companies building tenant engagement or smart home platformsESCOs (Energy Service Companies) looking for behavioral change tools to complement retrofit programs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Social housing management

enterprise

Target: Housing associations and municipal housing providers

If you are a social housing provider dealing with high energy costs and tenant fuel poverty — this project developed a serious game connected to real smart meter data that achieved 15-30% energy consumption reduction in a pilot. Tenants learn energy-saving habits through gameplay rather than leaflets nobody reads. With 16 deliverables including a tested beta version, the technology was designed for quick scaling across housing portfolios.

Energy utilities

enterprise

Target: Energy providers with residential customers

If you are an energy utility struggling with demand-side management and customer engagement — this project built a gamified platform that connects to smart meters and turns energy saving into a social competition. EDF Energy, with 38 million European energy customers, was an industrial partner seeking commercial exploitation. The game combines building performance simulation with real consumption data to drive measurable behavior change.

PropTech and smart building software

SME

Target: Companies developing tenant engagement or building management platforms

If you are a PropTech company looking for proven engagement tools for residential buildings — this project created and piloted a serious game with IoT integration, social networking features, and building simulation. The platform was built with a 'quick to market, quick to scale' philosophy. The underlying technology combines smart meter data, avatar-based gameplay, and community features that could be white-labeled or integrated into existing property management systems.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this game in our housing stock?

The project had a total EU contribution of EUR 1,963,225 shared across 7 partners over 3 years. Deployment costs for new adopters would depend on smart meter infrastructure already in place and number of units. Based on available project data, the solution was designed as 'capital light' for quick scaling, but specific per-unit licensing costs are not published.

Can this scale beyond a single housing pilot?

Yes — the project was explicitly designed with scalability in mind. The objective states the solution follows a 'Capital light, Quick to market and Quick to scale' philosophy. EDF Energy, with 38 million European energy customers across Europe, was an industrial partner pursuing commercial exploitation after the pilot.

Who owns the IP and can we license this technology?

The consortium of 7 partners across 4 countries (ES, FR, PT, UK) developed the technology, coordinated by Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya. IP ownership follows EU Horizon 2020 grant rules where each partner owns their contributions. Licensing arrangements would need to be discussed with the consortium, particularly the 3 industrial partners involved.

What evidence is there that this actually reduces energy consumption?

The project targeted 15-30% energy consumption and emissions reduction in a social housing pilot. A beta version was deployed and tested in real conditions with actual tenants, connected to real smart meter data. The game validated energy savings both virtually through building simulation and in reality through measured smart meter readings.

How long does it take to see results after deployment?

The project ran from February 2015 to April 2018, with an early prototype built first for validation, followed by a beta version deployed in real pilot conditions. Based on available project data, the game was designed for immediate engagement through competition and social features, but specific timelines for measurable energy reduction are not detailed in the public data.

Does this require smart meters already installed?

Yes — the solution is linked to actual smart meter data from the user's home. Energy savings in reality are measured through smart meter readings that feed back into game progression. Buildings without smart meter infrastructure would need this installed first, though the game's virtual simulation component can function independently.

Is this compliant with energy regulations and data privacy requirements?

The project operated under EU Horizon 2020 rules and processed real tenant energy data from smart meters. Based on available project data, compliance with data protection regulations would have been a requirement for the pilot deployment. Any new deployment would need to meet current GDPR requirements for processing household energy consumption data.

Consortium

Who built it

The EnerGAware consortium brings together 7 partners from 4 countries (Spain, France, Portugal, UK) with a balanced mix of 3 industrial partners and 3 universities, plus one additional organization. The 43% industry ratio is strong for a research project, signaling real commercial intent. Two SMEs bring agility, while the presence of EDF Energy — a major utility with 38 million European customers — provides a credible path to market. The coordinator, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, is a well-known technical university. For a business buyer, the key signal is that this was not a pure academic exercise: the consortium was structured to move from research to commercial deployment, with EDF Energy explicitly named as the exploitation channel.

UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYACoordinator · ES
FREMEN CORPparticipant · FR
ADVANTIC SISTEMAS Y SERVICIOS SLparticipant · ES
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE ENGENHARIA DO PORTOparticipant · PT
UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTHparticipant · UK
EDF ENERGY R&D UK CENTRE LIMITEDparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

The project was coordinated by Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (Spain). SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the research team.

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how this gamified energy-saving technology could work for your housing portfolio or utility customers? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the EnerGAware team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

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