The innovative Energa Living Lab project launches in Gdynia
ENERGA Living Lab is the first modern energy sector laboratory in Poland created by and for the people. 300 households in Gdynia will test the newest solutions promoting conscious electricity management and consumption. The recruitment of participants who will initiate the building of an innovative community, will begin on 26 January.
300 households from seven districts of Gdynia (Chwarzno, Redłowo, Wielki Kack, Dąbrowa, Witomino, Śródmieście and Karwiny) with the G11 tariff and using remote reading meters can take part in one of the most innovative energy projects carried out in Poland. Energa Living Lab is a project in which a “living energy lab”, the first one in Poland and one of few in Europe, will be created.
The participants will have an opportunity to not only reduce their electricity bills and learn how to use energy consciously but also test some of the cutting edge solutions. Control over bills, over current and planned consumption of energy will be facilitated by multi-zone Price Programs, which offer different electricity rates over the day and innovative services, such as electricity consumption reports and the Smart Home Grid (Inteligentna Sieć Domowa, ISD), which is a modern electricity management system for the home. The optimization of energy consumption will also contribute ultimately to the improvement of the quality of the environment, through a reduction of CO2 emissions. The testing phase will take 18 months and participation in the project is completely free of charge.
- By creating this laboratory, we aim to teach its participants, customers of the Energa Group, how to rationally manage the consumption of electricity using modern tools and services, which will be broadly available in near future– explains Beata Ostrowska,the spokeswoman for the ENERGA Group –this is the first such project in Poland and one of few in Europe. Therefore, the results of the project in Gdynia will be used for the implementation of similar solutions, not only in Poland.
Energa Living Lab gives its participants an opportunity to reduce their electricity bills: if they manage to reduce their electricity expenses by using the new Price Program, they will receive the difference compared to their regular bill amount. If the bill calculated according to the new prices proves to be higher than the traditional one, no additional cost will be charged.
Moreover, 30 out of the 300 participating households will be selected and furnished with devices generating electricity from renewable sources, e.g. photovoltaic panels.
During the project, its participants will regularly receive guidance to will help them change the current habits related to their electricity consumption and the necessary technical support. Their progress and impressions will be documented on an ongoing basis through interviews and questionnaires. After the project has been completed, the operator will develop summary and technical reports, which will then support the implementation of the Smart Home Grid system.
The ENERGA Living Lab project is co-funded by the European Commission and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management as part of the LIFE+ Instrument and its total budget is over 1 million 360 thousand Euro. Energa Living Lab is covered by the patronage of the President of Gdynia Wojciech Szczurek. You can find more information on the project on its website at www.elivinglab.pl.