Reschool Project
Sabine Alexandre-Klein ( European Science Communication Institute gGmbH)
Summary of the project
The RESCHOOL project supports the creation, growth, and management of energy communities across Europe by focusing on technological innovation and user behaviour. Recognising that the energy sector accounts for 72% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, RESCHOOL aims to accelerate the clean energy transition and contribute to Green Deal objectives by promoting renewable energy adoption and more efficient energy use.
Through pilot sites in Girona (Spain), Athens and Rafina (Greece), Stockholm (Sweden), and Amsterdam (Netherlands), the project empowers communities to actively participate in energy markets, with a particular focus on energy flexibility management and trading, developed in collaboration with sectoral stakeholders. Each pilot is tailored to local needs, addressing specific regional challenges and opportunities.
Innovation
RESCHOOL introduces three citizen-focused engagement actions that combine education, gamification, and digital tools to foster sustainable energy behaviour.
First, the project pioneers intergenerational learning, bringing together students and older generations through supervised activities that promote mutual knowledge exchange on energy efficiency and sustainability. Piloted in Girona, this approach blends education with gamification, fostering cross-generational collaboration and empowering communities to adopt smarter energy habits.
Second, the Energy Community Card Game offers an interactive and educational tool inspired by Top Trumps. Featuring 32 real-life energy communities across Europe, the game highlights key attributes, actions, and strategies for clean energy adoption. Co-created with schools, experts, and community actors, the game promotes strategic thinking, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of the energy transition, especially among younger audiences.
Third, the RESCHOOL Energy App leverages real energy data to influence behavioural change. Designed for energy community members, it combines mission-based challenges and financial rewards to promote energy-saving actions. Its user-friendly interface links individual behaviours to collective outcomes, enhancing engagement and fostering community-wide responsibility. The app is currently being tested in three of the four pilot sites.
Impact
‘RESCHOOL drives impact by empowering citizens and communities to become active participants in the energy transition. Its engagement tools—the intergenerational learning model, Energy Community Card Game, and Energy App—enhance awareness, behavioural change, and community participation.
The intergenerational learning activities in Girona have strengthened energy literacy across age groups, creating a shared understanding of sustainability practices. The card game has introduced students and citizens to real-world energy communities, promoting collective learning and curiosity about clean energy solutions.
The RESCHOOL Energy App, currently tested in three pilot cities, uses real consumption data to encourage daily energy-saving actions, connecting personal choices to community-wide results. This fosters a sense of collective ownership, contributing to decentralised energy systems and behavioural shifts in energy use.
Overall, RESCHOOL supports the development of stronger, more resilient energy communities, contributing to the EU’s climate and energy targets by promoting citizen-led change.
Scalability and replicability
RESCHOOL places citizens at the centre of the energy transition, aiming to make clean energy adoption more inclusive and participatory. Through its four pilots in Spain, Greece, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the project tests diverse citizen engagement strategies that can be replicated across Europe.
The intergenerational learning model, successfully piloted in schools in Girona, leverages the role of schools as community hubs. Children engage with energy-focused materials and share their learning at home, improving household energy awareness. This approach is now being replicated in Greece, with promising expectations based on survey results from Spain.
The Energy Community Card Game, inspired by Top Trumps, is a multilingual educational tool for schools and community events. Featuring real energy communities and six key attributes per card, it encourages dialogue, accessibility, and local engagement. The game is freely available and open to all European energy communities via the RESCHOOL website.
The RESCHOOL Energy App, piloted in Amsterdam, gamifies energy management by connecting to smart meters and assigning users personalised challenges based on grid conditions. Participants earn points and monetary rewards for energy-saving actions. With a scalable, user-friendly design, the app is fully replicable and adaptable to multiple contexts, offering a versatile solution for energy behaviour change and community participation.