Smart buildings need smart consumers: the meet-in-the middle approach towards sustainable management of energy sources

Sustainable management of energy resources is a challenge which our society faces at economic, environmental and political levels. Smart homes are central in recent technology; however, the smart buildings concept cannot stand on its own. Smart buildings need 'smart consumers', i.e. citizens who interact towards intelligent use of energy. Creating tools to enable citizens to become 'smart consumers' is one crucial factor for energy efficiency and rationalisation of energy and should be combined with promoting smart home initiatives. The paper presents a social-oriented 'meet-in-the-middle' scheme towards smart energy consumption in buildings and a roadmap to efficiently create tools for 'smart consumers'. The wider penetration of ICT tools will facilitate opportunities for citizens' empowerment to collaborate and promote better informed decision-making.