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January 2025
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) rates the smart readiness of buildings or building units. Member States are now invited to contribute to the optional pilot testing of the SRI.
By Alper Caliskan
Smart technologies will be an essential enabler to decarbonize the building sector, while offering healthier, more efficient, and comfortable living environments.
To embrace this opportunity, Member States are now officially invited to contribute to the optional pilot testing of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), a rating scheme designed to assess our buildings’ capacity to accommodate smart-ready services, which was introduced in the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and its subsequent regulations.
To work hand in hand with and to support this roll-out and testing phase, the European Commission DG Energy has launched its dedicated technical assistance service for testing and implementation of the SRI.
What makes a building smart? The ‘smartness’ of a building refers to its ability to sense, interpret, communicate and actively respond in an efficient manner to changing conditions in relation to:
• the operation of technical building systems,
• the external environment (including energy grids),
• demands from building occupants.
The SRI rates the smart readiness of buildings (or building units) in their capability to perform 3 key functionalities:
• optimize energy efficiency and overall in-use performance,
• adapt their operation to the needs of the occupant
• adapt to signals from the grid (for example energy flexibility).
The SRI methodology is based on 3 key functionalities and 9 technical domains and 7 impact criteria.
The SRI will raise awareness of the benefits promised by smart building technologies, such as building automation and electronic monitoring of building systems including heating, hot water, ventilation, lighting, etc.
Through the implementation of the SRI framework, technological innovation in the construction sector is supported, which creates an incentive for the integration of cutting-edge smart technologies in buildings.
SRI: Further information on the Smart Readiness Indicator can be found on the official website of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy. The SRI is briefly introduced in a three-and-a-half-minute video in English.
EU countries are now in the test phase of the SRI scheme, with the support of the European Commission and the SRI technical support team.
SRI test phase: The smart readiness indicator was adopted by the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive "EPBD" in 2018, and its subsequent regulations (Delegated Regulation and Implementing Regulation) have triggered an optional testing and implementation phase.
The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) of 2024 is setting ambitious requirements for energy efficiency and smartness in buildings across the bloc. This is a significant step towards a decarbonised and digitalised building sector in the EU. The Key Changes include also a delegated act mandating SRI application in large non-residential buildings by June 2027.
Therefore, EU countries and regions may decide to implement the SRI on (part of) their territory, for all buildings or only for certain categories of buildings. The Commission will provide support and guidance to EU countries and regions that undertake a test phase of the SRI. An FAQ will be made available and kept updated.
The SRI working group of the European Lift Association (ELA) has been created in 2020 to monitor the policy initiatives and engage with the SRI Platform team and the Member States.
The ELA working group is composed of both Lifts and Escalators experts and I am the convenor and a member of the SRI Platform team. The goal of the ELA WG is to generate an ELA white paper that provides technical guidelines for possible inclusion of Lifts and Escalators in the SRI methodology.
The key contributors have been defined to highlight the benefits of the Smart Lifts and Escalators for valued SRI: Safety, Accessibility & Inclusiveness, Energy performance and Passenger experience. Once approved by the ELA Board, the ELA white paper will be shared with the key stakeholders including EU policy makers.
The author is Convenor of the European Lift Association (ELA) Smart Readiness Indicator Working Group.
More information: ela-aisbl.eu
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