Smart grids make current energy networks more intelligent and accessible; new ways of producing energy will soon make citizens not only energy users but also energy producers. The CIVIS project explores the potential of social networks and communities to significantly reduce energy use and carbon emissions. We'll enable this by developing business models for the resulting energy value system and support it with the necessary ICT.More specifically CIVIS will implement a distributed ICT system to 1) manage communities' energy needs, 2) negotiate individual and collective energy service agreements and contracts, 3) raise awareness about the environmental impacts of collective energy use, and 4) allocate energy production resources more efficiently.The project will focus on two pilot neighborhoods located in Trento and Stockholm in close collaboration with energy companies, citizen groups and local administrations. Project partners will test and evaluate the technology, clarify business potential and estimate the impact of envisioned deployment on a European scale.