Goals and plan of the study

The key purpose of the proposed project CLIMATE BONUS is to assess the possibilities and effectiveness of a bonus system for households, which incites them to consume in such a way that greenhouse gas (GHG) emission are reduced and incites retailers to offer a product portfolio that advances the choice for low GHG solutions by households. In order to enable a properly functioning and credible bonus system the development of the underlying information system is indispensable.

In due course the proposed project serves other purposes as well. The development of the underlying information and knowledge system is expected to enable future elaborations for the purposes of e.g. climate policy monitoring, public health policies, etc. The information system in its own right constitutes an innovation with prospects for export potential.

The project should provide the following output (project plan can be downloaded from here):

• A data acquisition and co-ordination strategy and a data quality assurance strategy
• A demonstration version of the intended information system (a mock-up)
• A test of the usability and feasibility of the system from a consumer and from a retailer perspective
• An evaluation of the intended system’s economic and environmental impacts (a sort of social cost-benefit analysis)
• An overview of prerequisites for the development of an actual system (while clearly recognising its different constituent parts) and recommendations for the various partners and interest groups

The project consists of 6 work packages plus a generic management task. These work packages are (1) inventory, (2) dialogue (recurrent), (3) emission data collection strategy and integrity, (4) data and information system outline, (5) piloting with users, (6) evaluation of economic and environmental effects. The time table blow summarises the scheduling of work and events.

Legend: R = report; IR = interim report; D = dialogue workshop; s = seminar; m = media event; or = steering group meeting