ENERGISE is an innovative pan-European research initiative set up to achieve a greater scientific understanding of the social and cultural influences on energy consumption. Led by NUI Galway, and funded under the EU Horizon 2020 programme for three years (2016-2019), ENERGISE develops, tests and assesses options for a bottom-up transformation of energy use in households and communities across Europe. ENERGISE is the European Network for Research, Good Practice and Innovation for Sustainable Energy. The research team at NUI Galway are currently looking to identify interesting initiatives for reducing energy consumption in households and communities across Ireland and Europe, inviting people to contact them about their ideas and projects. ENERGISE uses cutting edge research techniques (e.g. Living Labs) to directly observe existing energy cultures in a real-world setting and to test both household and community-level initiatives to reduce energy consumption. ENERGISE is a comprehensive review and classification of household and community energy initiatives from 30 European countries and provides the foundation for the development of two prototype ‘ENERGISE Living Labs’ designed to capture influences on individual and collective energy consumption. Data collection before, during and after the implementation of 16 Living Labs in eight partner countries will be instrumental in contributing to the design and assessment of future energy consumption initiatives across Europe. Across Europe, there are many people and organisations that take steps towards more sustainable, low-energy living and this initiative would like to showcase and learn from as many different sources as possible. The ENERGISE team would like to hear and learn from:

• Those involved in a project that seeks to change the way people use and consume energy; and/or
• Those promoting energy efficiency and lower energy consumption in households, for example an NGO, an energy agency, a business, a group of neighbours or a social club.

Dr Frances Fahy, head of the School of Geography at NUI Galway and lead investigator on the ENERGISE project, hopes that members of local community groups will get involved and let the NUI Galway team know about the many energy initiatives that are taking place all around the country. “Individual energy consumption is a function of who we are and where we come from, as well as the social and cultural contexts in which we live,” she said. “We're really keen to hear from groups who are involved in any scale of activities that impact or try to influence the way people use and consume energy.” Projects that get selected as part of the research may contribute to European policy-making on reducing energy consumption. The projects may also be shared across the 30 European countries through a database the ENERGISE team are creating on their website, and gain international recognition through scientific reports and policy papers. The ENERGISE consortium includes ten research partners (universities, research institutes, enterprises and NGOs) from Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Slovenia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. To participate send your contact details and basic information about your project, or a project you are aware of to: eimear.heaslip@nuigalway.ie or phone Dr Frances Fahy at 091 492315. For further information about the project visit: http://www.energise-project.eu.