Already governments, environmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and businesses are on the way to meeting Benjamin Sovacool's call for energy research to be more socially oriented (Nature 511, 529–530; 2014). The annual Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference, this year to be held in December, reviews their achievements and ongoing research activities.

Examples of social energy practices include smartphone apps that allow remote control of domestic thermostats and can even track carbon emissions. The US Energy Star programme and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating systems ensure that buildings are energy-efficient and environmentally sound. Other energy-efficiency initiatives include Japan's Top Runner and the UK Energy Saving Trust.

The US company Opower, which serves 32 million households and businesses, enables consumers to compare their energy usage. Car manufacturers, with help from researchers at the University of California, Davis, are studying drivers' behaviour with a view to creating a display that indicates how to cut fuel consumption. And US start-up companies such as Zipcar, Uber and Lyft are changing consumer relationships with their vehicles by enabling car sharing.

Developing countries are also on the front line of new business models for clean and sustainable energy. The 'en.lighten' initiative, led by the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Environment Program and industry partners, is accelerating conversion to energy-efficient lighting. In India, the think tank TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) is leading efforts to provide solar lighting for poor communities and tackling gender issues that might prevent it from being widely accepted. And in Africa, mobile-phone payment systems are making it easier for kerosene consumers to switch to solar energy.