Energy awareness · Digital skills · Youth innovation

An app that tells the city
when electricity is really cheaper.

SmartEnergy Alert is a web & app prototype designed by young people from Adjud and the EU to help citizens decide the best time to use electricity and save money, in a simple and friendly way.

33 young participants

21 from Adjud, Vrancea

12 from EU countries (online)

Live demo

Check the energy mood of the day

Move the slider to simulate any hour and see if electricity is cheap, normal or expensive. When prices become very high, the app sends a push-style alert so people can avoid peak hours.

SmartEnergy Alert · Simulation

Typical day curve for a household in Adjud

Prototype by youth

Current hour

14:00

Cheap energy

Estimated price

0.45 lei / kWh

Green zone · good to use washing machine

0:00 Select an hour of the day 23:00

Recommendation for your home: This is a very good moment to use high-consumption devices such as the washing machine, dishwasher or electric oven.

This is a visual simulation created by participants – values are approximate.

Built in EduHack Adjud 2025 – Digital Skills for Equal Futures

Plan your usage

Estimate your cost from hour X to hour Y

Choose a time interval for using an appliance and see the average price and an estimated cost. This helps families decide when to run devices like washing machines, ovens or heaters.

Start hour (when you turn the appliance on)

End hour (when you turn it off)

Estimated cost for this interval

About the project

What is SmartEnergy Alert?

SmartEnergy Alert is an educational prototype of a mobile and web app created by young people in Adjud, Romania, together with peers from several EU countries. The idea is simple: citizens receive real-time alerts about electricity prices during the day, explained in language that anyone can understand.

The goal is not only to build an app, but to show that youth can read data about their city, understand it and turn it into a useful digital tool for the community.

Real problem from the community

Co-designed by youth

Digital skills + energy awareness

Supports vulnerable families

Youth participation

Created by young people for their own city

The project was developed during EduHack Adjud 2025 by 33 young people: 21 participants from Adjud and the Vrancea region, and 12 participants from several EU countries. They worked together online and onsite to design the concept, test ideas and shape the prototype.

Problem mapping

Local youth from Adjud

Identified real situations where families struggle with high energy bills and moments when they use power-intensive devices.

Data & logic

STEM-oriented participants

Designed a simple rule-based model to classify hours of the day into cheap, normal or expensive and to simulate prices in the demo.

UX & interface

Creative & design team

Sketched screens for the app: home view, price graph, notifications and statistics that are easy to understand for non-technical users.

Testing & feedback

Peers & community

Tested the idea with other students and adults, checking how clear the messages are and how they would use the alerts in real life.

Storytelling

Communication group

Wrote the project story, presentation slides and short messages to explain why the app matters for the city and for vulnerable families.

Coordination

Educators & mentors

Facilitated the process, guided the teams through digital tools and ensured the focus on inclusion, sustainability and local needs.

Hackathon journey

How the program was organised

The SmartEnergy Alert prototype was developed in one intensive educational hackathon day in Adjud, with preparation and follow-up activities online. The event combined teamwork, creativity, data exploration and reflection on energy use and equality.

Opening and context

Presentation of the energy challenge and how digital tools can help communities save and plan better.

Brainstorming & problem stories

Youth collected real stories from their families and neighbours about electricity bills and habits at home.

Idea selection

Teams voted and chose to focus on a clear idea: “show people when it is cheaper to use electricity during the day”.

Prototyping & demo

Participants created first mockups, the animated slider demo and explanations for different user groups.

Presentations & reflection

The youth presented SmartEnergy Alert and discussed how it could be turned into a real app in the future.

Digital skills & basic coding

Data literacy & graph reading

Energy awareness

Teamwork & communication

Problem-solving

European collaboration

Support

Supported by Fundația Orange România

This educational prototype was developed in Adjud within activities supported by Fundația Orange România, through Orange Digital Center and local partners, empowering young people to create digital solutions for their community.