In a six-part blog series, InEExS spotlights solutions to help accelerate Europe’s transition to a smart, resilient, competitive and more efficient energy system. Each blog will explore the solutions, technologies and approaches, from energy communities to the role of blockchain in energy management, that can make our homes and buildings smarter and more energy-efficient.
People-Powered Innovation for Smart Energy
The clean energy transition often highlights technology: solar panels, wind turbines, and smart meters. However, behind each device is a person or a community that decides how, when, or whether to use it. The social dimension of the energy transition—public engagement, behaviour change, community involvement—is increasingly recognised as critical. The InEExS project, funded by the EU LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme, addresses this by placing strong emphasis on people-powered innovation: finding ways to involve consumers and local communities actively in the design, rollout, and operation of new energy solutions.
Although rooted in technical pilots, InEExS recognises that the success of energy innovation depends on social acceptance and participation. Whether it is a cooperative in Spain rallying its town around shared energy goals or Greek households learning to operate a new smart controller on their boiler, the project consistently shows that technological solutions must be accompanied by active engagement strategies. InEExS’s experiences serve as replicable examples for municipalities, citizen groups, and businesses interested in supporting citizen-led energy innovation. Rather than relying on slogans or campaigns, InEExS demonstrates tangible benefits such as lower bills, improved comfort, and local job creation. In doing so, it underlines the LIFE programme’s ethos: the clean energy transition is not merely a technical or financial challenge, but a societal one.
Citizens as Energy Actors
The concept of energy communities has gained traction across Europe in recent years, encouraged by the EU’s Clean Energy for All Europeans package. Through legal definitions of Renewable Energy Communities and Citizen Energy Communities, the EU granted citizens the right to generate, consume, share, and sell energy collectively. This represents a major shift from traditional centralised models, where consumers were passive recipients of energy.
Energy communities have shown that involving citizens directly leads to greater public acceptance of new projects and can promote energy justice. Studies have demonstrated that when people have a stake in an energy initiative, resistance declines, and local benefits become more tangible. A Clean Air Task Force report highlights examples such as a low-income neighbourhood in Naples where a community solar project provided electricity at 25% of the usual cost to 20 families, generating positive social impacts and turning residents into advocates for renewable energy.
InEExS builds on this foundation. In Crevillent, Spain, the local cooperative Enercoop uses digital tools to enhance self-consumption of solar energy. With the support of InEExS, members are provided with real-time data about solar production, energy demand, and grid prices. By nudging users towards energy-smart behaviours—such as running appliances during periods of high solar generation—and rewarding them with blockchain-based tokens for their actions, Enercoop fosters both behavioural change and community engagement. The model demonstrates that even citizens without their own rooftop solar installation can participate in and benefit from collective energy initiatives.
Shaping Behaviour through Smart Incentives
The InEExS pilot in Crevillent illustrates that technology must be paired with behavioural interventions to maximise impact. Through a mobile app and public information panels, cooperative members receive up-to-date information on the community’s solar generation and self-consumption levels. Behavioural nudges encourage actions such as using washing machines or heating water when local solar production peaks. These nudges are backed by tokenised incentives: members earn points when they align their consumption with community solar output. These points, recorded on a transparent blockchain ledger, can be redeemed for rewards or simply serve as recognition for being “smart consumers”.
Early results from the pilot show increased solar self-consumption rates, reduced peak strain on the grid, and growing user awareness of energy habits. Participants report not only tangible savings on their energy bills but also a sense of pride in contributing to the community’s sustainability goals. By pooling resources and information, Crevillent demonstrates that collective energy management can make the energy transition more inclusive and equitable.
Acceptance through Trust
In Greece, the InEExS project addresses a different aspect of consumer engagement: upgrading traditional gas boilers with smart controllers to improve efficiency and flexibility. Despite the potential energy savings, such interventions can encounter resistance if users perceive them as intrusive or complicated. The Greek pilot, led by DomX, focuses on minimising disruption and maximising perceived benefits.
Households participating in the pilot had smart controllers installed on their existing boilers, enabling remote monitoring, optimisation of boiler operation, and participation in demand response programmes. Importantly, users retained full control: they could override automated settings at any time, and their comfort preferences were prioritised. Surveys conducted during the pilot showed high levels of user satisfaction, with participants appreciating both the cost savings and the improved safety features offered by the smart system.
By framing the technology as a service enhancement—offering greater comfort, efficiency, and safety—the pilot avoided common barriers to consumer acceptance. Furthermore, by involving users early in the design and installation process, DomX engaged closely with participants, leading to a better understanding and trust of the solution. In turn, this trust enabled deeper engagement and more effective demand-side flexibility.
Designing with Users, not for Them
Another key lesson from InEExS is the importance of co-creation. Successful energy solutions are rarely imposed top-down; rather, they emerge through dialogue with users. In Crevillent, Enercoop’s members were involved though workshops and validation meetings in shaping the design of the smart solar app and the rules for token rewards. In the Nordic pilots led by Hiven, users of electric vehicle smart chargers and smart heating controls participated in refining algorithms to better match real-world routines.
The demos ensured that technologies aligned with everyday practices by involving users from the early stages, thereby boosting acceptance and effectiveness. Co-creation also helped tailor communications, interfaces, and incentives to different user groups, recognising that motivations vary widely—from financial savings and environmental values to community belonging.
The InEExS pilots demonstrate that consumers are diverse. Some are motivated by savings, others by environmental concerns, and others by convenience or community identity. Energy solutions must accommodate this diversity rather than assume a single profile of the “rational energy consumer”.
Supporting Citizen-Centred Energy Policy
Citizen engagement is increasingly reflected in EU policy. The Energy Efficiency Directive, the Electricity Market Directive, and the Renewable Energy Directive all promote active consumer participation and demand-side measures. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive encourages building owners to involve users in optimising energy performance.
InEExS pilots illustrate how these policies can be implemented on the ground. For instance, Berlin’s pay-for-performance Energy Performance Contract links tenant behaviour to measured energy outcomes, using apps and blockchain to ensure transparent monitoring and verification. Spanish cooperative members earn tokenised rewards for self-consumption, a model that could contribute to energy efficiency obligations under Article 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).
The LIFE programme’s support for InEExS reflects a broader European recognition that achieving climate and energy targets requires citizen engagement—not merely as consumers, but as active participants, decision-makers, and co-creators of energy solutions.
Lessons for Replication
The InEExS experience offers several lessons for scaling up people-powered innovation.
First, trusted intermediaries are vital. Cooperatives, housing associations, local energy agencies, and municipalities can act as bridges between new technologies and citizens. Their credibility helps overcome scepticism and accelerates adoption.
Second, transparency builds trust. Providing users with clear, accessible information on their energy use and the impact of their actions is essential. Blockchain-based ledgers, real-time data apps, and user-friendly dashboards help make energy flows visible and trustworthy.
Third, incentives matter. While financial rewards are important, social recognition, convenience, and environmental values also play a role. Effective programmes combine different types of incentives to appeal to diverse motivations.
Fourth, engagement must be sustained. Initial participation is important, but ongoing communication, feedback, and opportunities for learning help deepen and maintain engagement over time.
Finally, integration is key. People-powered energy initiatives work best when linked to broader energy services, such as efficiency retrofits, renewable generation, and demand-side flexibility. Integrated service models, as demonstrated in other parts of InEExS, create additional value for participants and increase project viability.
To facilitate replication, InEExS partners are developing replicator materials, including capacity-building videos, engagement toolkits, and policy recommendations. These materials aim to help other communities, municipalities, and energy providers design and implement citizen-centred energy initiatives.
A Promising Outlook
The clean energy transition is not solely a matter of deploying more technology. It requires rethinking the relationship between energy systems and society. The InEExS project shows that people-powered innovation—engaging communities and consumers as active participants—is essential for building a sustainable, equitable energy future.
From Crevillent’s cooperative members optimising solar use, to Greek households enhancing their boilers, to Berlin tenants participating in performance-based contracts, the project demonstrates that when people are given information, tools, and incentives, they respond. Citizens are not obstacles to the energy transition; they are its driving force.
The experiences of InEExS partners provide a blueprint for others across Europe. With the right mix of technology, policy support, trust-building, and co-creation, citizen-driven energy innovation can be scaled up, helping Europe achieve its energy and climate goals while delivering tangible benefits to communities.
Read more about the InEExS business cases:
Energy efficiency and flexibility services for legacy natural gas boilers (Greece)
Improved self-consumption of DER in Energy Cooperatives (Crevillent, Spain)
Recommendations for innovative energy contracts with Pay4Performance guarantees (Berlin, Germany)
Smart energy management for EV chargers and electricity- based HVAC appliances (Sweden)
Discover more articles of the blog posts series:
Breaking Energy Silos
Maximising solar self-consumption Smart homes, smarter grids Blockchain for smarter energy use in buildings
Unlocking the power of data
