RACES was a LIFE+ project to raise awareness con climate change and energy savings. One of its main aim was to test if and how communication efforts towards a specific group of people could lead changes in behaviors. To measure this changes one of the main actions of the project was the “Carbon Budget” (CB) which involved almost 250 families in a long monitoring of CO2 emissions generated by family’s energy consuming behaviors. Main objective of the CB was to evaluate “if” and “how much” the participation in the project was a real trigger for participants “effort” in changing behaviours, compared to own previous consumption standards.

1. The Races project
Evaluating communication efforts and urban climate
constraints for energy savings
Valentina Grasso, Alfonso Crisci, Francesco Vaccari
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON URBAN CLIMATE AND HISTORY OF METEOROLOGY
25 - 26 February 2013 - Florence, Palazzo Medici Riccardi

2. Races project
“Raising awareness on climate and energy savings”
Funded: LIFE + Period: 01/01/2009 – 30/04/2011
5 cities: Florence, Modena, Trento, Potenza, Bari
Leader: Florence Municipality
Partners: CNR – Ibimet; Modena Municipality;
Fondazione E. Mach (TN); EURO-NET;
Bari University
Communication and
Aim awareness raising on
 Schools
Families
calimte change and  Public
energy savings at stakeholders
local level.
Inform and engage!

3. The urban dimension of climate chenge
• Communicate
climate change
topics
• “City” as the perfect
local dimension
• Inform and engage

4. carbon budget monitoring - contest
http://www.liferaces.eu - http://community.liferaces.eu
who 250 families
Heating
what Electric power
Mobility
November 2009 –
when October 2010
Florence, Trento,
where Modena, Bari, Potenza
Self-reading of meters
how and self reporting on
web platform

5. participants
Volounteers participating in the carbon
budget
Starting group: 316 families
Active participants: 247 families
Valid results: 185 families
Users
City BA FI MO PZ TN Total
Unvalid 7 21 10 20 4 62
Valids 17 135 11 6 16 185
Total 24 156 21 26 20 247

6. Florence participants
Families starting: 180
Families completing: 156

7. data collected
Structural data energy use
• Family:
components n.° and age • Baseline 2008:
power; heating; km driven.
• Household:
– House type (building, cottage,..)
– Construction year
– Area (center, suburbs) Monitoring period:
– Floor
– Rooms; square meters; height 8-12 months
– N. window Requested a minimum 3 self-
– Dishwasher / air conditioner reading of:
• Mobility: • Power (kWh)
– Type of car/moto; fuels; engine
size; access to public transport • Heating
• Km driven

8. the “climate” factor
Histogram of Relative importance of agents having impacts on
each CB energy sector considered

9. Evaulating the “effort”
Rewarding EFFORT and not EFFICACY
Normalization:
• Power:
• EFFORT: average reduction % consumption days;
compared to 2008 in the 3 areas. family components;
square meters;
• Heating:
•NET REDUCTION: reduction % consumption days;
compared to 2008 normalized for family components;
monitoring days. square meters;
HDD-heating degree days.
•FINAL REDUCTION: absolute • Mobility:
reduction gained as CO2 Kg. consumption days;
fam. components;
Rainy days

10. effort index - “yes, we can”

11. efficacy: energy savers

12. results scheme
Savings
Effort Monitorin Power Heating Mobility 2008 CB Kg CO2
City
% g days sector sector sector Kg CO2 CO2 savings
%
Potenza +30% +46% 323 -28% -56% +131% 8.677 10.546 +1.869
Bari -25% -31% 280 -56% -12% 0% 4.962 2.657 - 2.305
Florence -17% -1% 323 -34% -10% 11% 7.739 7.110 - 629
Modena -13% -10% 326 -16% -24% -2% 9.197 6.688 - 2.509
Trento -13% 0% 345 -10% -7% -37% 9.592 8.712 - 880
Median
value -15% -2% 323 -47% -14% -2% 7.247 6.335 - 912

13. best players
Families engaged in monthly monitoring gained the best results
Effort Savings Power sector Heating sector Mobility sector
index* * effort * effort * effort *
First
-44% -26% -68% -33% -45%
50
1- 100 -32% -15% -57% -22% -24%
1 - 150 -19% -8% -53% -17% -8%
1 - 174 -17% -5% -48% -14% -3%
*calculated as median value on selected sample

14. To be or not to be ENGAGED

15. final remarks
• Feedbacks are very useful to
engage in energy
conservation practices
the more frequent the monitoring,
greater the savings
• Engaging citizens give
access to “data”
• Communication activities
project can help research -
“Collaborative science”
approach

16. Thank you!
Valentina Grasso
v.grasso@ibimet.cnr.it
@valenitna
Data available on
https://github.com/alfcrisci/races_analitics