ICT-enabled energy efficiency – a lens onto practices of other sectors

Abstract

Purpose – The potential and opportunity offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enable Energy Efficient (EE) viable operations has been thoroughly laboured with respect to sustainability goals. Often the issue is not a lack of technological options, but rather an issue in understanding what choices will lead to the greatest impact. This paper summarises the outcome of a research work undertaken within Roadmap Enabling Vision and Strategy for ICT-enabled EE (REViSITE), an EU-funded project tasked with investigating migration pathways from current state of the art to a common vision for ICT-enabled EE with respect to four energy intensive sectors (energy grids, built environment, manufacturing and lighting). In this paper the focus is particularly on the built environment and how it might benefit from other sectors. Design/methodology/approach – The REViSITE methodology/framework combined Life Cycle thinking, an adapted capability Maturity Framework and the REViSITE-developed SMARTT taxonomy for the development of a multi-disciplinary Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) which suggests research trajectories based on Research and Technology Development (RTD) topics. These priorities or pathways are presented in terms of short, medium and long-term delivery. Findings – Development of a multi-disciplinary SRA and the corresponding Implementation Action Plan (IAP) offering specific recommendations for research development in the area of ICT-enabled EE among other recommended actions, which are reported in other publications. Originality/value – At a basic level the value of the research is that it offers the potential to augment existing domain knowledge by offering a lens onto the ICT4EE practices of other sectors.