TRIBE · Project

Serious Game That Cuts Public Building Energy Bills by Changing How People Behave

energyPilotedTRL 7

tribe-h2020.eu

Imagine if you could turn saving energy at work into a phone game — where real sensor data from your office building feeds into the gameplay and you compete with colleagues to cut waste. That's exactly what TRIBE built. They wired up 5 public buildings across Europe with smart sensors, then created a game that shows occupants how their daily habits (leaving lights on, cranking the heating) translate into real energy costs. The target was nearly 25% energy savings just by getting people to change small everyday behaviors, no expensive retrofits needed.

By the numbers

24.8%

Targeted average energy savings in pilot buildings

Pilot buildings tested across Europe

1,300

Regular building users (employees, tenants)

12,000

Eventual users (visitors) reached

750,000

Target number of game players

Consortium partners

Countries represented in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Public buildings waste enormous amounts of energy because of occupant behavior — lights left on, heating misused, equipment running idle — even after expensive hardware upgrades. Traditional awareness campaigns (posters, emails) fail because they're boring and easy to ignore. Building operators need a way to actually change daily habits at scale without policing every occupant.

The solution

What was built

A serious game connected to real-time building sensor data, tested in 5 pilot buildings. The game went through a Release Candidate version with real player testing, then a final live release. Beyond the game itself, the project produced the TRIBE pack: energy audit tools, virtual building models, ICT deployment plans, funding scheme guidance, and user engagement campaign templates — a complete toolkit for replicating the approach in new buildings.

Audience

Who needs this

Commercial property managers with high energy costs and low occupant engagementMunicipal governments operating public buildings under climate mandatesEnergy service companies (ESCOs) looking for software-based efficiency solutionsUniversity and hospital campus managers with large transient populationsCorporate sustainability officers responsible for workplace energy reduction

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Commercial Real Estate & Facility Management

enterprise

Target: Property management firms operating public or commercial buildings

If you are a facility manager struggling with high energy bills despite investing in efficient equipment — this project developed a serious game connected to real building sensors that engages occupants to change daily habits. Tested across 5 pilot buildings with around 1,300 regular users, it targeted 24.8% energy savings without hardware upgrades. The game approach taps into social competition to sustain behavior change over time.

Energy Services & ESCOs

mid-size

Target: Energy service companies offering performance contracts

If you are an energy service company looking for low-cost interventions to add to your portfolio — this project created a ready-to-deploy engagement platform that combines ICT monitoring with gamification. With 5 real building pilots and a target of 24.8% consumption reduction, it provides a software-based tool that complements your hardware solutions. The TRIBE pack includes energy audit templates, ICT deployment plans, and funding scheme guidance.

Public Sector & Municipal Government

enterprise

Target: City councils and public building operators

If you are a municipal government under pressure to cut energy costs and meet climate targets in your public buildings — this project built a plug-and-play engagement toolkit tested with around 12,000 visitors and 1,300 regular occupants across 5 buildings. The TRIBE pack includes audit tools, virtual building models, and user engagement campaigns designed specifically for public building contexts. The targeted savings of 24.8% translate directly into budget relief.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this in our buildings?

The project data does not include specific licensing or deployment costs. However, the solution is primarily software-based (a serious game plus ICT integration), which means costs would mainly be sensor installation and platform setup rather than building retrofits. The TRIBE pack includes a funding scheme merging existing instruments with web-based solutions to help cover deployment.

Can this scale beyond the pilot buildings?

The game was designed to engage more than 750,000 players by project end, reaching far beyond the 5 pilot buildings through social networks. The TRIBE pack was specifically created as a replication toolkit for any public building operator, including energy audit templates, virtual building models, and ICT deployment plans. This suggests the system was built with scale in mind.

What about intellectual property and licensing?

TRIBE was funded as a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon 2020, which typically means results are owned by the consortium partners. The coordinator is CIRCE in Spain. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium — SciTransfer can facilitate that introduction.

How long does it take to see results?

The project ran pilots over a 3-year period (2015-2018) with 5 buildings. Based on available project data, the game went through a Release Candidate testing phase with real players before a final live release, suggesting a structured rollout. The 24.8% energy savings target was set for the pilot duration.

Does this integrate with existing building management systems?

Yes — the game was linked by ICT to real-time data collected from the pilot buildings. The TRIBE pack includes an ICT for energy efficiency deployment plan, suggesting the system was designed to work with existing building infrastructure. The virtual pilot component creates a digital twin matching the real building's image.

Is this proven to work or still experimental?

The game reached a live release version tested by real players in 5 pilot buildings across 4 European countries. With around 1,300 regular users and 12,000 eventual users involved, this went well beyond lab testing. The project is closed (ended 2018), meaning all pilot results are available.

Are there regulatory benefits to using this?

Energy efficiency in public buildings is increasingly mandated by EU directives (EPBD, EED). Based on available project data, the behavior change approach complements mandatory building upgrades and can help meet efficiency targets. The TRIBE pack includes guidance on merging existing funding instruments with the solution.

Consortium

Who built it

The TRIBE consortium brings together 7 partners from 5 countries (Austria, Spain, France, Sweden, Turkey), with a balanced mix of 3 industry partners, 2 universities, and 2 research organizations. The 43% industry ratio is solid for a technology that needs both research depth and real-world deployment capability. The coordinator, CIRCE in Spain, is a well-established energy research center. No SMEs are listed, which means the partners tend to be larger, more established organizations — good for credibility but may mean the technology needs a commercial partner to bring it to market at scale.

FUNDACION CIRCE CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE RECURSOS Y CONSUMOS ENERGETICOSCoordinator · ES
RISE INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE ABparticipant · SE
OZYEGIN UNIVERSITESIparticipant · TR
DELOITTE CONSEIL SASparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITAET GRAZparticipant · AT
ACCIONA CONSTRUCCION SAparticipant · ES
SOCIEDAD MUNICIPAL ZARAGOZA VIVIENDA SLparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

CIRCE (Fundación CIRCE), Zaragoza, Spain — energy research center. SciTransfer can provide a warm introduction to the project coordinator.

Order a report on this consortium See FUNDACION CIRCE CENTRO DE INVESTIGACION DE RECURSOS Y CONSUMOS ENERGETICOS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to deploy gamified energy savings in your buildings? SciTransfer can connect you with the TRIBE team, provide a detailed technology brief, and help negotiate licensing terms. Contact us for a no-obligation initial assessment.

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