# Implementing Smart City Technologies to Inspire Change in Consumer Energy Behaviour
## 4 User Consumption Habit Assessment Tool
### Tool Performance  
The mobile tool concept developed within the ITCity project was made to operate as a two-way information source. It intends to provide valuable energy usage information for the end user and parties of interest (generation, transmission and distribution).  
The tool acquires the information of the end-user energy usage based on the utilization of pop-up notifications. These notifications are generated time by time through the mobile tool and contain challenges/questions regarding energy usage. For example, the pop-up question could be \"Is your air-conditioning on?\". This question contributes towards energy consumption assessment of an air-conditioning unit, which in time creates a database of a certain device and through consumption assessment algorithm attempts to predict its energy consumption. Similar operations are carried out for every electrical appliance in the household to assess their energy consumption. Moreover, the generated pop-up notifications also provide challenges to reduce certain device energy consumption and provide energy usage tips, increasing energy use awareness thereby potentially impacting the energy usage. These notifications request human interaction in the form of an answer and based on the answer provided, the answer is valued providing in-game points. Additionally, end user is awarded bonus points, based on how soon from the initial notification pop up the user provides an answer. These points are then collected and represent the in-game environment evolution (see Figure 2).  
The end user or group of user energy usage habits are depicted using the mobile tool environment. Two scenarios are proposed--a fish in an aquarium or trees in a forest; each scenario is visually impacted by the answers given by the end user. The negative habit impact is shown as a negative influence on the environment in the according scenario; Figure 2 depicts the escalated degradation of the fish in an aquarium. This visual depiction provides an energy usage habit representation for the end user, giving indication of change necessity in the case of game environment degradation. Furthermore, positive game environment progression is rewarded with in game achievements, thus increasing user involvement.  
On the other hand, the manager in charge of aggregated data analysis through the collected initial electrical device setup information (power, habits, etc.) and the real-time notification updates regarding the devices, can provide necessary energy usage information for parties of interest (generation, transmission and distribution) as well as to the end user. The aggregated information through an algorithm can provide a simulated estimate of  
Figure 2: Application environment degradation.  
end-user consumption in a certain period (e.g., a month), the expected electricity bill for a certain period, consumption reduction in a set of appliances and its impact on the electricity bill, impact of installation of alternative technologies, such as renewable energy sources and their potential impact on consumption and electricity bill, a set of recommendations to reduce electricity bill, etc.  
The data analysis prepared by the data manager could be automatically generated, providing this information for the end user and increasing the motivation of smarter energy usage based on the monthly electricity cost. Furthermore, the aggregated load information can be useful for utilities in improving grid control functions in cities without or with insufficiently developed smart meter infrastructure. Future work could include demonstration activities, i.e., the tool development in some cities to measure its impact on estimating energy usage.