Dr Edward Owens, from Heriot-Watt's School of the Built Environment, hosted a community engagement presentation at the Findhorn Community on Sunday 6 January. The event was attended by more than 50 Findhorn residents who were keen to learn more about the ORIGIN research project, which will be demonstrated in Findhorn throughout 2014 and 2015.
The ORIGIN project
The ORIGIN research project, led by Dr Owens from the Institute of Infrastructure and Environment, is being funded by the European Commission and will be piloted over three years in Findhorn and in eco-villages in Portugal and Italy.
Dr Owens will be working with researchers from the University of Strathclyde, as well as Universities in Germany, Spain and Portugal, to develop a community scale energy management system.
The Findhorn Community
Initially the system will be demonstrated at around 75 homes and public buildings at the Findhorn Community in Moray. They will benefit from the new system, as well as another 100 homes and public buildings across the two eco-villages in Portugal and Italy.
Information from the hub will be transmitted through devices such as tablets or smart phones allowing residents greater control over their energy use, which could result in savings of up to 40 per cent on their electricity bills.
The ORIGIN project has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement n° 314742.