It has been demonstrated that traditional campaigns to promote energy savings targeted at the domestic sector do not trigger large-scale behavior changes.
The general objective of the “Step by Step” project is to maximize the number of families in a given area who significantly change their behavior at home regarding rational energy consumption. The expected behavior change will not only involve reducing energy consumption but also promoting investment in efficient products and others that may be a priority or of interest to municipalities.
For this reason, the “Step by Step” project will implement a communication strategy based on direct contact with citizens (instead of mass campaigns) and regular follow-up over 20 months to ensure the adoption of good energy practices. To overcome inertia, the strategy uses proven communication techniques. Families will be regularly encouraged to adopt new eco-friendly habits according to their motivation level. Social marketing strategies will be used to promote investment in energy-saving products.
Initially, a team of advisors will visit neighbors in their homes. Each household or family will complete a questionnaire and decide to try, for one month, up to three simple actions to save water, electricity, improve their health, or purchase more sustainable products.
One of the most important challenges of the STEP BY STEP service is to engage each family or household by suggesting simple actions. Therefore, the efforts and results of all participating households are regularly evaluated and communicated back to the households by mail or phone. Organizing collective challenges will further highlight the impact of individual efforts, fostering a sense of community and celebrating the results together.
As the project progresses, participants will be encouraged to share their energy-saving experience (tips and solutions) with other families, promoting the culture of rational energy use. After the initial interview, households will be contacted every six weeks by email or phone to check which actions have been implemented and to propose new ones.
By clicking the following link, you can access a video about the project:
https://vimeo.com/214638964/042e670632
The project targets the domestic sector in 4 European countries and expects participation of a total of 9,000 households or families, 2,000 of them in the Ribera region.
This program has received funding from the European Union and will be implemented with 2,000 families in Alcúdia until March 2018. Another 8,000 families from Italy, Belgium, and Poland are also involved in the project, with an ambitious goal to save 12 GWh annually in total.
The official project website is:
http://www.stepbystep2020.eu/
