The Slovenian PEOPLE team – students of social sciences, their academic mentors and industry mentors – are using people-centred research, development and design approaches to study how technological solutions in buildings influence (or could influence) people’s well-being and health, and how technology could stimulate energy efficient behaviour. As part of their case study, the PEOPLE team are researching the functioning and role of MePIS Energy, an IT solution for energy management in industry, infrastructure facilities and buildings developed by the Slovenian PEOPLE industry partner Metronik. This energy information system is installed in 48 buildings of the University of Ljubljana.

On 23 March 2018, the PEOPLE team attended a training programme organised by PEOPLE coordinator IRI UL at the headquarters of the University of Ljubljana. The training was organised as a course on energy accountancy for the PEOPLE students and university staff dealing with energy management.

Energy accountancy is part of the energy information system and also an important part of the University’s overall energy strategy. It enables individual Faculties and the University to keep track of data on energy use and costs. Analyses of the energy accountancy data and measurements from sensors provide the basis for planning, implementation and monitoring of activities related to energy efficiency and energy saving.

At the training, the PEOPLE team and representatives of nine members of the University of Ljubljana first discussed the relevance of energy management in public buildings and providing a healthy indoor environment, and the basic characteristics and role of the energy information system. In continuation, they tested a number of MePIS system’s functionalities online.

In the final part of the training, the University staff took part in a focus group discussion on energy management in buildings, led by the PEOPLE team. One of the buildings of the University of Ljubljana is namely the Slovenian PEOPLE case study and the participants of the course are dealing with the energy information system most directly. The experiences in management of buildings that they shared in the discussion and the accounts of challenges they face in energy management were therefore particularly relevant for the PEOPLE team’s research and case study.