A mobile gamification app to promote behaviour change on energy consumption of office buildings
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2021-10-01
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A redução das emissões de carbono é um dos tópicos mais prementes na agenda global e a redução do consumo de energia torna-se assim um fator relevante a ter em consideração. Sabese que cerca de 40% do consumo global de energia provém precisamente dos edifícios. Assim a utilização de sistemas de automação que permitam reduzir esse consumo são uma das formas de garantir a sustentabilidade do planeta. Contudo, alguns equipamentos elétricos e espaços, ao nível do consumo energético, dependem muito dos comportamentos individuais dos seus utilizadores. Num edifício de escritórios, as luzes representam cerca de 40% do consumo elétrico e os computadores, impressoras e demais equipamentos eletrónicos cerca de 35%. São vários os estudos que apontam para os comportamentos individuais como sendo responsáveis entre 30% e 40% das emissões anuais de C02. É habitual muitos utilizadores deixarem os seus computadores no escritório ligados durante a hora de almoço, à noite e mesmo aos fins de semana e que esses comportamentos nada eficientes dificilmente são mudados através de sistemas de automação. Assim, impulsionados por este desiderato, a presente tese estudou e propôs uma nova abordagem que permita reduzir o consumo de energia em edifícios de escritório, mudando os comportamentos energeticamente menos eficientes dos seus utilizadores, através de uma aplicação móvel gamificada. Inicialmente foi feito um levantamento do estado da arte em quatro grandes temáticas que se revelaram necessárias a ser estudadas para responder aos objetivos do projeto. Assim, foram estudadas as formas de mudar comportamentos ao nível do consumo energético. Depois foi lançada uma abordagem teórica acerca da gamificação e a sua relação com a mudança comportamental. Posteriormente a forma como deverá ser desenvolvida uma aplicação móvel foi também estudada. Por último, um olhar ao nível das coreografias virtuais e a forma como podem potenciar a aplicação de metodologias em ordem à mudança comportamental foi investigada. Em termos metodológicos toda a investigação foi baseada na metodologia Design Science Research e assim, foram desenhados, desenvolvidos, avaliados três artefactos que resultaram assim numa versão final que foi aplicada no terreno para estudar a sua viabilidade. Assim, durante três meses cerca de 24 utilizadores de um open-space do edifício do INESC TEC no Porto usaram esta aplicação. Os resultados obtidos foram claramente positivos e demonstram que na prática o consumo energético reduziu em cerca de 20%. Por outro lado, através da análise às coreografias virtuais identificadas, se demonstra que essa redução se deveu precisamente à mudança comportamental dos utilizadores presentes no espaço que foi usado nos testes. Foi também evidente que a abordagem metodológica ao nível da obtenção dos melhores mecanismos de gamificação que potenciassem a mudança comportamental se revelou um sucesso. Naturalmente que existiram limitações e aspetos menos conseguidos que abriram assim linhas de investigação que certamente irão merecer cuidado em próximos projetos. Seja dando continuidade à melhoria dos comportamentos ao nível do consumo energético, bem como em outras áreas onde esta abordagem metodológica poderá surtir efeito. Por último, importa também destacar que dado o sucesso do uso das coreografias virtuais se abriram também outros campos de investigação.
The reduction of carbon emissions is one of the most current topics on the world global agenda. The reduction of energy consumption thus becomes a relevant factor to consider. It is known that about 40% of the worldwide energy consumption comes precisely from buildings. Thus, the use of automation systems that reduce this consumption is one way to guarantee the planet's sustainability. However, in terms of energy consumption, some electrical equipment and spaces depend very much on the individual behaviour of their users. In an office building, lights represent about 40% of electrical consumption and computers, printers and other electronic equipment about 35%. Several studies point to individual behaviour as being responsible for between 30% and 40% of annual C02 emissions. For instance, many users leave their computers on at the office during lunchtime, at night and even at weekends. These inefficient behaviours are hardly changed through automation systems. Thus, driven by this desideratum, the present thesis studied and proposed a new approach to reduce energy consumption in office buildings by changing its users' less energy-efficient behaviours through a gamified mobile application. Initially, a survey was made of the state-of-the-art in four major themes that proved necessary to be studied in order to meet the project objectives. Thus, the ways of changing behaviour in terms of energy consumption were studied. A theoretical approach was then launched on gamification and its relationship with behavioural change. Afterwards, the way a mobile application should be developed was also studied. Finally, a look at virtual choreographies and how they can enhance the application of behavioural change methodologies was investigated. In methodological terms, all the research was based on the Design Science Research methodology. Thus, three artefacts were designed, developed and evaluated, resulting in a final version that was applied in the field to study its viability. Thus, about 24 users of an open space of the INESC TEC Porto building used the application for about three months. The results obtained were positive and showed that, in practice, energy consumption was reduced by 20%. On the other hand, analysing the identified virtual choreographies showed that this reduction was precisely due to the behavioural change of the users present in the space used in the field tests. It was also evident that the methodological approach to obtaining the best gamification mechanisms to encourage behavioural change proved successful. There were limitations and less successful approaches that lead to open lines of research that will undoubtedly deserve attention in future projects. Either by continuing to improve behaviours in terms of energy consumption and other areas where this methodological approach can have an effect. Finally, it is also important to highlight that, given the success of the use of virtual choreographies, other fields of research have also opened up.
The reduction of carbon emissions is one of the most current topics on the world global agenda. The reduction of energy consumption thus becomes a relevant factor to consider. It is known that about 40% of the worldwide energy consumption comes precisely from buildings. Thus, the use of automation systems that reduce this consumption is one way to guarantee the planet's sustainability. However, in terms of energy consumption, some electrical equipment and spaces depend very much on the individual behaviour of their users. In an office building, lights represent about 40% of electrical consumption and computers, printers and other electronic equipment about 35%. Several studies point to individual behaviour as being responsible for between 30% and 40% of annual C02 emissions. For instance, many users leave their computers on at the office during lunchtime, at night and even at weekends. These inefficient behaviours are hardly changed through automation systems. Thus, driven by this desideratum, the present thesis studied and proposed a new approach to reduce energy consumption in office buildings by changing its users' less energy-efficient behaviours through a gamified mobile application. Initially, a survey was made of the state-of-the-art in four major themes that proved necessary to be studied in order to meet the project objectives. Thus, the ways of changing behaviour in terms of energy consumption were studied. A theoretical approach was then launched on gamification and its relationship with behavioural change. Afterwards, the way a mobile application should be developed was also studied. Finally, a look at virtual choreographies and how they can enhance the application of behavioural change methodologies was investigated. In methodological terms, all the research was based on the Design Science Research methodology. Thus, three artefacts were designed, developed and evaluated, resulting in a final version that was applied in the field to study its viability. Thus, about 24 users of an open space of the INESC TEC Porto building used the application for about three months. The results obtained were positive and showed that, in practice, energy consumption was reduced by 20%. On the other hand, analysing the identified virtual choreographies showed that this reduction was precisely due to the behavioural change of the users present in the space used in the field tests. It was also evident that the methodological approach to obtaining the best gamification mechanisms to encourage behavioural change proved successful. There were limitations and less successful approaches that lead to open lines of research that will undoubtedly deserve attention in future projects. Either by continuing to improve behaviours in terms of energy consumption and other areas where this methodological approach can have an effect. Finally, it is also important to highlight that, given the success of the use of virtual choreographies, other fields of research have also opened up.
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Tese de Doutoramento em Informática