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Exploring the Potential of a Gamified Approach to Reduce Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in the Household Sector

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  • Marta Gangolells

    (Group of Construction Research and Innovation (GRIC), Department of Project and Construction Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colom, 11, Ed. TR5, 08222 Terrassa, Spain)

  • Miquel Casals

    (Group of Construction Research and Innovation (GRIC), Department of Project and Construction Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colom, 11, Ed. TR5, 08222 Terrassa, Spain)

  • Marcel Macarulla

    (Group of Construction Research and Innovation (GRIC), Department of Project and Construction Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colom, 11, Ed. TR5, 08222 Terrassa, Spain)

  • Núria Forcada

    (Group of Construction Research and Innovation (GRIC), Department of Project and Construction Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C/Colom, 11, Ed. TR5, 08222 Terrassa, Spain)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the impact of an innovative approach based on gamification to promote reduced energy consumption in social housing. The game was developed and validated under the auspices of the EU-funded project EnerGAware-Energy Game for Awareness of energy efficiency in social housing communities in an affordable housing pilot located in Plymouth (United Kingdom). The results showed that the future exploitation of the game holds important energy- and emissions-saving potential. Assuming that the game is distributed freely by European energy providers to their domestic end-users, the game was found to be able to save more than 48.9 secondary terawatt-hours per year (TWh s ) and 18.8 million tons of CO 2e annually, contributing up to around 8% to the target set for the European buildings sector to keep global warming under 2 °C. The results also showed that the game is highly feasible from the energy point of view, even when we consider the energy consumed upstream, due to its low cumulative energy demand and its potential for household energy reduction. The results of this research provide helpful information for private and public stakeholders, as they contribute to determining the sustainability of promoting energy saving through gaming.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta Gangolells & Miquel Casals & Marcel Macarulla & Núria Forcada, 2021. "Exploring the Potential of a Gamified Approach to Reduce Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in the Household Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3380-:d:519968
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Junjie & Yu, Shiwei & Xiong, Xingyi & Hu, Xing, 2024. "Impacts of ICT penetration shaping nonworking time use on indirect carbon emissions: Evidence from Chinese households," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    2. Pedro J. Zarco-Periñán & Fco Javier Zarco-Soto & Irene M. Zarco-Soto & José L. Martínez-Ramos & Rafael Sánchez-Durán, 2022. "CO 2 Emissions in Buildings: A Synopsis of Current Studies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-10, September.

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