Projekt SEACAR: Smart Energy Assistant for Cost and Carbon Reduction
active 7 months, 1 week agoThe transition to a CO2-neutral Europe is a major challenge for society, business and politics. In addition to the actual production of energy from renewable sources, it must also be distributed effectively and, above all, used efficiently.
In addition to companies, the public sector and private households are particularly important users. Although there are a number of ways of analysing and reducing one’s own energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions, this usually involves a considerable amount of time and money. They also require a certain technical affinity on the part of the user.
The SEACAR project aims to fill this gap. Users will be made aware of their energy consumption. The aim is to motivate them to use energy sustainably, with the side effect of saving electricity costs.
The project builds on the “latest” developments in the BSR regarding dynamic electricity tariffs and smart electricity meters. In Scandinavian countries such as Sweden and Finland, for example, the majority of households already use a dynamic tariff. In contrast, dynamic electricity tariffs are not yet widespread in the Baltic States. They are also a relatively new phenomenon in Germany, although the number of providers is steadily increasing. Smart metering will be mandatory in all households from 2032. The fact that all countries in the BSR have already addressed this issue or will do so in the near future opens up opportunities for cross-border cooperation and mutual learning.
The project will develop a Smart Energy Assistant based on existing tools. This will enable users to analyse their energy consumption, associated costs and carbon footprint. It will also help them to reduce it. The idea is to create a low-barrier application that is both web-based and mobile. The data and information gathered will be presented in a way that is understandable and relevant to the target audience.
The project emphasises that the application is accessible to every household, regardless of technical requirements or prior knowledge. Additional educational offers, such as information on national and European climate protection measures, funding programmes and technical solutions, will help users to deepen their understanding of the topic. An extension to businesses and local authorities is also conceivable and easy to implement.
In the EU context, the SEACAR project makes an important contribution to the EU’s climate change objectives and supports the energy transition in Europe. By working together with experts from the energy, grid and IT sectors, the project aims to find cross-border solutions and ways to harmonise national regulations with EU climate targets.
