Electro Magnates is a cutting edge carbon-reducing sustainability project at the intersection of computer science, social media and behaviour change. The project’s deliverables are to design, implement, and evaluate a suite of social software applications – including games – to encourage positive behaviour changes in energy consumption. The project will specifically design software interventions to be used by employees and students in educational and public sector work-places and environments in the county of Lincolnshire in the UK.

Personal desktop applications (social widgets) and situated displays will be used to deliver energy feedback to individuals, groups and communities about their own – and others’ – energy usage to foster exchange of performance and to support constructive competition to reduce consumption. The delivered tools and systems will be rigorously evaluated in both a HEI and local authority workplace setting as well as piloted in on-campus student accommodation.

Electro Magnates is funded by the The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) LGM “Leading sustainable development in higher education” initiative and is a joint collaborative effort between the University of Lincoln and Lincolnshire County Council