How to develop the
Think Energy Online Hub
Table of Content
1.Introduction
2.Homepage
3.Interactive Features
4.Think Energy Tips and Resource pages
5.Think Energy Ambassadors page
6.Live Energy Screen
7.Conclusion
1.Introduction
This document provides some guidelines on the functionalities of the Think Energy Online Hub and helps BuildSmart project partners to develop a local version in their own language and/or on their own website.
The Think Energy Online Hub is an integral part of the Think Energy campaign, which seeks to achieve significant energy reductions through behavioural change. As part of this end user programme, extensive training materials were developed to help train Think Energy Ambassadors in a building. A key communications tool for the campaign is the Think Energy Online Hub, which features important energy saving tips for both the home and the workplace and allows the campaign organisers to upload latest training seminars and events.
Please note that Codema’s Design Specifications for the Think Energy Online Hub can be found in the Think Energy Resource Catalogue. A training manual on the content management system is also available upon request.
2.Homepage
Codemadeveloped the Think Energy Online Hub as a sub-section on their homepage to ensure association with the campaign and take advantage of existing visitors to the website. The homepage uses large images to make the site look user-friendly. These can be arranged in any possible order and pictures, titles and links can be changed via the content management system (CMS)Expression Engine. Please visit
3.Interactive Features
To reduce the text on the website and allow end-users to fully engage with the website, Codema developed an interactive page with photographs of areas in the pilot-building where energy could be saved. This was split up into five sliders which would display energy saving tips when clicking onto the blue stars.
Within the Expression Engine CMS, the campaign organisers have the opportunity to change the photographs, position of stars and descriptions of energy saving tips to suit their needs.
This allows full customisation for the BuildSmart partners to customise their own behavioural change campaigns for hotels, residential buildings and other commercial buildings.
Please visit the below links for an example:
4.Think Energy Tips and Resource pages
To provide an overview of seasonal energy saving tips which may not be directly related to the building’s energy use, a webpage was developed to feature energy saving tips including a tip of the month. Additional training material for the end-user were made available in the Resource section of the Think Energy Online Hub. This would allow the employees or residents to download energy checklists, watch videos or play energy-related games.
5.Think Energy Ambassadors page
An important section of the Think Energy Online Hub is the webpage which features the Think Energy Ambassadors, who fellow employees/residents can directly relate to. The Ambassadors provide their personal energy saving tips or statements of why they are part of the energy training programme and receive additional recognition through this public space.
Each section of this webpage is editable via the CMS and a contact form can be customised to allow other residents/employees to sign up to the Think Energy Ambassador Programme.
6.Live Energy Screen
In order to monitor energy use of the pilot-building and show progress on energy savings, the live energy screen was embedded into the Think Energy Online Hub. The Live Energy Screen was physically installed in the foyer of the Civic Offices building, whoever given the large size of the building, not all employees would walk through the foyer on a daily basis. By embedding the Live Energy Screen into the website, more employees would gain access to the energy data and engage with it. It also allowed the campaign organisers to promote the screen via a weblink and feature it on other computers at events.
7.Conclusion
The Think Energy Online Hub was an important communications tool for the Think Energy campaign, allowing the campaign organisers to easily manage and update content via the Expression Engine CMS. The interactive aspects of the hub as well as the Ambassadors page meant that website visitors would engage with the site for longer periods of time.
The Think Energy Online Hub can be easily adapted to different building types such as hotels, residential buildings and other commercial buildings; embedding it into existing websites with high visitor numbers. It also allows campaign organisers to amend energy saving tips depending on their climate zone.