The role of the EPBD and the SRI: How smart-ready buildings address people’s needs and meet tomorrow’s challenges
While buildings account for over 1/3 of EU emissions, linking buildings with smart technologies across Europe achieves multiple goals: reduced energy bills, improved health, lower emissions and protection of the environment. The EPBD Recast, supported by the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), envisions buildings as integrated energy systems — capable of producing, using and storing energy while providing a healthy and comfortable indoor environment through effective HVAC systems and advanced building services. The SRI highlights the benefits of smart building technologies like automation and electronic monitoring of systems (e.g., heating, ventilation and lighting). Its implementation promotes innovation in construction, energy efficiency optimisation, and adaption of building operations to suit the occupant's needs.
Introduction to smart buildings – explaining what, why and how.
The concept of smart buildings broadly exceeds just energy performance and touches upon aspects such as interlinking, reacting to signals and satisfying building occupants' demands. Ultimately, smart buildings are responsive and can adapt operations and processes to fulfil many needs.
Building smartness also has a wider impact on the environment around and within a building. Building smartness is the key to healthier and more comfortable buildings with lower energy use and carbon emissions while facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources into the energy system.
The key to making buildings smart are technologies such as building automation and control systems (BACS) and the evolution of building services into smart-ready services with intelligent functionalities.
Smart-ready technologies can help improve occupants' comfort and buildings' energy consumption.
- Occupancy detection sensors help improve air quality and save energy.
- Providing information to occupants about the energy consumption of each technical building system can stimulate responsible behaviours.
- Fault detection systems can support the effective maintenance of building systems.
- Heating, cooling, and domestic hot water systems can be operated based on signals from the grid to provide flexible services without decreasing occupant comfort.
Policy overview on smart-ready buildings will transform the building sector.
The policy framework for smart-ready buildings supports the European Green Deal, starting in 2017 with the 1st SRI Technical Study, which defined the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) and its methodology. The 2018 revised EPBD introduced SRI as an optional scheme and established BACS inspection requirements. In 2019, the 2nd SRI Technical Study refined the methodology, which lead to the 2020 release of technical guidelines for testing and implementation. The SRI Platform launched in 2021, aimed to provide technical assistance, was followed by non-committal test phases in 2022, which in turn allowed EU Member States to trial the SRI before adoption.
The existing policy framework aims to boost buildings' smart readiness and hence support the European Green Deal. The 2024 EPBD Recast has formalised SRI requirements (Article 15) and inspections (Article 23). This has paved the way for transforming the building sector.
Smart-ready buildings, including building automation control systems and smart technologies in general, will shape future building policies.
By 2024, periodic HVAC inspections will be required for all buildings - at least every 3 years for the effective rated HVAC output >290kW and at least every 5 years for >70kW. New and majorly renovated buildings shall be equipped with recharging points, pre-cabling and ducting. For non-residential buildings with five-car parking spaces and residential buildings with more than three-car parking spaces.
BACS will be mandatory for both non-residential and residential buildings by 2026 and 2027, the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) will move from an optional European standard to a mandatory scheme in order to advance smart and sustainable building practices. Requirements for automatic lighting controls in buildings with effective rated HVAC output will be fully implemented by 2032. And by 2032, buildings owned or occupied by public bodies shall be equipped with pre-cabling and ducting.
Methodology and framework for Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI).
The SRI is a common and standardised European framework to assess building smartness, and it includes a binding legal framework and a flexible technical model that is adaptable to Member States.
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) evaluates buildings based on three key functionalities - energy performance and operation, energy consumption and response to user needs - and is further divided into seven impact criteria - energy efficiency, maintenance and fault prediction, energy flexibility and storage, information to occupants, health, well-being and accessibility, convenience and comfort. These are part of the legal framework and may not be altered by Member States.
SRI is based on assessments of smart-ready services in buildings, including nine technical domains - heating, cooling, domestic hot water, ventilation, lighting, dynamic building envelope, electricity, charging, monitoring and control. It also considers various functionality levels, including functionality levels, scores, ratings and weighting factors.
The calculation considers various functionality levels for each smart-ready service, ranging from 0 (non-smart) to X which indicates maximum smartness. Scores are then attributed to each impact criterion with some weighting factors. Scores are also obtained per technical domain and key functionality level, which results in an overall SRI score and rating for the whole assessed building or building unit.
SRI - Audit procedure, assessment tool and training course.
The engineering profession and smart buildings are rapidly evolving due to technological advancements and regulatory changes across Europe. Demands for engineers with continuing learning to achieve professional experience are rapidly increasing. It is also necessary to bridge the gap between European policies and national implementations to ensure that the latest regulatory and technological updates reach the HVAC markets and bring total value to the practice of building services engineers across Europe.
Delivering a high-quality Smart Readiness Indicator assessment requires systematic auditing of the smart-ready technologies present in a building. The SRI assessment tool can be used, and SRI training is available for experts for qualification and accreditation at www.smart-ready-go.com.
SRI is making the indoor environment visible through a mandatory IEQ monitoring system.
Using the EPBD and SRI to make the indoor climate both visible and valued by everyone, is a step in the right direction but there are still significant gaps to address.
Today, no methodology is defined at the EU level to describe the cost optimality of smartness upgrades, including enhancing or improving indoor environmental quality (IEQ). There are methodologies to monetise energy savings and the flexibility services provided to the grid. However, there is still a clear challenge in standardisation in translating the improvement of indoor environmental quality into economic value across different building categories.
Currently, the SRI framework focuses on assessing smart readiness, and while it includes elements like BACS (Building Automation and Control Systems), IEQ monitoring for non-residential buildings will soon become mandatory. Within the next two years, it will be crucial to establish a methodology and a clear message to communicate the value of IEQ to building owners and occupants. This effort will ensure that IEQ is not merely seen as a regulatory requirement but as an asset that enhances building value and occupant satisfaction.
SRI already makes the indoor climate more visible by prioritising user needs, with its scoring system rewarding buildings that enhance health, well-being, accessibility, comfort and convenience. However, the missing link lies in translating these features into financial terms. While the SRI emphasises responsiveness to user needs and includes indoor climate as one of its three key functionalities, connecting these benefits to economic metrics is still critical. Doing so would ensure that IEQ improvements are not only visible but also demanded and valued by all stakeholders in the building sector.
Reference
This text is based on the Swegon Air Academy webinar: 'Future-proof your expertise: Smart-ready buildings and the EPBD recast' with Pablo Carnero Melero, SRI expert from REHVA and Mikael Börjesson, Competence and Sustainability Director at Swegon Group, as the moderator of the webinar.
