Reducing the energy footprint of software through users’ behavioral changes – BEHAVE

The rise of the energy consumption of software systems requires the need to monitor, optimize and reduce their ecological impact. The role of users is often neglected in the energy optimization equation. In particular, end users are rarely given information or feedback about the energy consumption of their usage of software, and they have little to no knowledge to how effectively reduce their energy and ecological software footprint. We argue that the next major shift in software energy reductions cannot be fully achieved without involving human actors, and in particular end users.
BEHAVE! is a fundamental and applied research project that aims to study the role of end users in software energy reductions, and drive users’ behavioral changes to achieve that goal.
We aim to build knowledge around users behaviors in regard to software energy, through quantitative and qualitative in-depth field studies. We also aim to build an autonomous approach using artificial intelligence, that drives long-term behavioral change through green feedback and recommendation tools. And finally, we aim to disseminate guides and tools for users to identify the energy cost of software and the best alternative solutions.