Background The environment and health problems associated with the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere are one of the main concerns of the EU. Atmospheric pollution is the primary cause of environment-related disease in Europe and is the principal cause of global climate change. European environmental regulations and strategies are dedicated to combating climate change and to meeting international objectives for reducing GHG emissions (such as the Kyoto agreement). Heating and lighting in buildings consumes more than 40% of the total energy used in the EU. To meet the objective of a 20% reduction in GHG emissions in the EU by 2020, it is therefore essential to promote policies that maximise the energy efficiency of buildings. ‘Domotics’ is a term used to describe home automation or the automation of household appliances. It is an emerging technology that uses automated or semi-automated control of features such as lighting, heating and ventilation systems in the home. Its intelligent use can also improve the efficiency of energy consumption of these household features. Objectives The main objective of DOMOTIC project was to demonstrate and quantify the CO2 emissions reduction potential of using domotics and inmotics in buildings with high occupancy levels. The project also aimed to narrow the gap between the regulations applicable to installations and the technologies that are available on the market. The project planned to introduce three models of the latest generation of house automation into three demonstration buildings –an education centre, a university building and a museum. Through these pilot studies, the project aimed to demonstrate the benefits and feasibility of domotics. The project would thus define and disseminate models for domotic control and regulation that serve as benchmarks for certain types of buildings. This would contribute to the objectives of the 2002/91/CE Directive on energy performance of buildings and annex III of the Directive 2006/32/CE on energy end-use efficiency and efficiency services. The project expected to: Validate three good building governance models based on domotic applications; and Achieve energy savings of up to 50% for air conditioning and 80% for lighting, compared to conventional facilities. For the three pilot buildings, this would equate to total annual savings of over 750 000 Kw of electricity and over 40 000 m3 of natural gas. Such savings would result in a reduction in GHG emissions of 400 tonnes. Results The DOMOTIC project showed how CO2 emissions can be reduced by using smart technologies such as Domotics and Inmotics in high-occupancy buildings that consume large amounts of energy. The project introduced three models of the latest generation of house automation into three demonstration buildings: a training centre (FSV) more than 20 years old located in Zaragoza; a new university (USJ) located in Villanueva de Gállego (Zaragoza); and a museum/interpretative centre (PRAE) located in Valladolid. These buildings were chosen to provide a range in terms of year of construction and structure type. Isolated home devices, such as motion detectors, were used in all three building, while action systems and integrated control of lighting, heating and HVAC (KNX Standard in FSV and USJ) were also used. A building management system (BMS) for consumption control and management, and renewable energy production systems (Sedical and DEXCell) operate on the PRAE premises. In the experimental period, and in the whole project, a reduction of 43.65% in electricity consumption and 39.71% in diesel consumption (912 MWh of electricity and of natural gas) was achieved, generating savings of more than €275 000. In terms of primary energy, the project prevented the consumption of 297.14 toe (tonnes of oil equivalent) and the emission of 1 090 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Taking into account the replacement of fossil fuel with renewable energy (solar thermal and biomass) at the PRAE premises, the consumption of 427.39 toe and the emission of 1 511 t of CO2 was avoided. This equates to savings of €365 000. On average, the three actions undertaken were shown to have the potential for reducing energy consumption by 41.3% (2 140 MWh). Moreover, all actions resulted in savings in electricity consumption of more than 40%. The performance of lighting in FSV was particularly notable. It was shown that, by combining a change of the lighting system with an integrated regulation through KNX, savings of over 50% (52.25%) can be achieved. It was also demonstrated that, even without a change of the lighting system, carrying out a thorough control of consumption at the highest possible level of disaggregation through BMS and acting on the detected critical points can generate savings of more than 40% (USJ: 44.33% and FPN: 42.37%). This potential of BMS taken to reduce fossil fuel or even biomass consumption (referred to as savings in “equivalent fuel”) was shown by the nearly 50% savings achieved by FPN in the PRAE premises (49.22%). However, it is difficult to achieve similar savings in older buildings due to the amount of investment needed to optimise efficiency. It is sometimes necessary to carry out a full renovation of the whole system. Nevertheless, in the FSV building (the older one) the power consumption was reduced by 20.38% through the application of the implemented KNX control system, which takes into account the outdoor and indoor temperature in order to regulate the flow and return water temperature from the boiler room. Of the total avoided emissions (1 511 tonnes of CO2), 72.14% came directly from the reduction in energy consumption achieved by applying home automation solutions; the remaining 27.86% came from using renewable energy generated in the PRAE premises in Valladolid. Overall, the implemented home automation solutions have led to a 63.9% annual improvement in terms of energy efficiency and use of renewable energies, an emissions reduction of 680 t CO2/year, an economic benefit of €162 000/year, and an average return on investment of 4 years. The replication potential of the project is quite high due to the technological maturity of the implanted devices and their availability on the market, the modularity of systems, equipment and components used, the versatility and adaptability of the three models tested, the excellent cost/benefit ratios and the short payback periods, and the significant environmental benefits. Furthermore, the beneficiaries signed an agreement with the Archdiocese of Zaragoza for the effective transfer of the models validated during the project to two singular buildings in Zaragoza: the Diocesan Museum of Zaragoza and La Magdalena Parish Church. Finally, the project beneficiaries estimated that during the After-LIFE period 1-3 jobs would be created to carry out the maintenance activities of the domotic systems/devices. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).