51Âþ»­

Software that makes energy saving fun by turning it into an online student competition has won its inventors an international award.

The EcoVisum dashboard lets students see at a glance if their halls of residence are using more or less energy than their counterparts, creating competition and raising awareness of environmental actions.

It won the Class Digital Innovation Award at the Best In Class Awards 2019 – a global competition to recognise and promote initiatives that make a difference to students’ lives.

51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) academics Graeme Stuart and Dave Everitt developed the dashboard through their 51Âþ»­ spin-out company EcoVisum, based at the Innovation Centre.

They have worked together on several software projects related to energy management software and examined ways to increase social engagement around this issue. The dashboard is available on smartphones, web and public display screens.

Dave said: “After six years of development, it's really great to have this work recognised as genuine digital innovation."

One of their latest projects has been taken up by the National Union of Students. Its Energy Dashboard is designed to engage students in energy-saving initiatives by tracking the consumption in their halls. Dynamically-updated 'leaderboards' of energy usage is connected to each hall or student residence.

The energy dashboard is now used in 142 halls across 14 universities in six countries across Europe from Lithuania to Cyprus, as part of the EU-funded programme SAVES2.

The Best in Class award was presented in Berlin. The Digital Innovation prize is awarded to a project that implements new technology, increases student and staff engagement and enhances student living.”

The Class Awards were judged independently by a panel of experts: - Rosemary Feenan, Executive Vice President Research, QuadReal Property Group - Paolo Petrocelli, Co-Founder & President, Italian Youth Association for UNESCO - Paloma Lisboa, Director of Student Residences, King’s College London - Amy Baker, CEO, The PIE News - Kevin Redman, Founder & CEO, Property Recruitment Company.