Citizens participate in circular economy by tracking energy consumption
About this good practice
Reiot is a smart property condition monitoring service that allows residents to measure living conditions such as air quality or energy consumption of the household. Monitoring personal consumption often motivates to take corrective measures and reducing consumption while saving both money and the environment. Users see the correlation, between adjusting the heating systems so that the energy consumption goes down noticeably. Noticing the use of electricity that goes into the fridge and sauna as well as other household appliances as a toaster, stove, and coffeemaker helps to understand the household’s carbon footprint. Thus, Reiot service is involving citizens in the circular economy.
Reiot is a part of the Lahti Energia (energy company) environmental conscious services family. So far, the focus group of Reiot includes municipalities, different landowners with several properties, and housing companies like apartment buildings, and terraced houses. With the Askel project the research question follows: might this service be suited for small housing, detached houses, and possibly for secondary residences?
As households account for about 66 per cent of Finland’s consumption-based emissions, It´s crucial to develop sustainable alternatives. Askel – Co-developing services for sustainable living project develops environmentally responsible services for resident communities to help citizens move towards a low-carbon lifestyle.
Resources needed
The Reiot service for individual consumers was developed and tested during the Askel project together with two different resident communities.
Askel project is funded by ERDF with a total budget of 100,000€.
Evidence of success
Energy tracking service at home helps citizens to minimize their carbon footprint and motivates them to live more sustainably. One user noticed 15-20% less electricity consumption, with the help of Reiot. Thus, with the use of Reiot, citizens can contribute to the circular economy and use energy sensibly while lowering their carbon footprint.
Potential for learning or transfer
To meet the need for new sustainable services it is important to involve both customers and companies in the planning process, like Lahti Energia with the Reiot service.
The service development was carried out by an interactive service design process that started with an initial survey and interviews with residents of the Anttilanmäki-Kittelä area. After that, a workshop was organized for the residents and the companies with the aim to develop resident-oriented customer journeys for the services in question. Based on the workshop, the companies were able to start developing services with a better understanding of customers’ needs. With customer journey map companies were able to track the critical points for development. To ensure the direction of further development, the services concepts were tested with the resident communities.
Furthermore, Askel carried out a social media Bingo challenge to lower energy consumption and promote a circular economy.
Further information
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Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
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