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Basics · As of July 2026

What is the Smart Readiness Indicator?

The SRI is an assessment framework of the European Union for the “smart readiness” of buildings. It measures how well a building can adapt its operation to the needs of its users, use energy efficiently and respond to signals from the electricity grid — the result is a percentage value based on an EU-wide uniform methodology.

01

Where the SRI comes from

The SRI was introduced with the amendment of the EU Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2018 (Directive (EU) 2018/844, Article 8 and Annex Ia). The EU Commission laid down the specific assessment methodology at the end of 2020 in two legal acts: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/2155 defines the SRI and the common calculation method, and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2156 governs the arrangements for implementation — including the voluntary test phase in which member states may participate. In the 2024 recast of the EPBD (Directive (EU) 2024/1275, Article 15 “Smart readiness of buildings”) the SRI was confirmed and given a concrete roadmap — see in detail the page State of regulation.

02

The three key functionalities

The SRI assesses building technology by what it delivers for three overarching goals:

1 Energy efficiency in operation Can the building optimise its energy use itself, detect losses and adapt operation to actual demand?
2 Response to occupant needs Does the building adapt to people: indoor climate, lighting, information and control for the occupants?
3 Energy flexibility and grid interaction Can the building respond to signals from the electricity grid, shift loads, integrate storage and generation?
03

DOMAINS, IMPACTS, SERVICES, FUNCTIONALITY LEVELS

The assessment runs along nine technical domains: heating, cooling, domestic hot water, ventilation, lighting, dynamic building envelope, electricity, electric mobility (charging points) and monitoring and control. Each domain contains defined services — up to 54 in total, such as “control of heat emission” or “detection of faults in technical systems”. For each service relevant to the building a functionality level from 0 (not smart / manual) to 4 (highly automated, connected, predictive) is determined. The levels are weighted across seven impact criteria (including energy efficiency, comfort, health and well-being, information for users, energy flexibility) and combined into domain, functionality and overall scores.

9 domains Heating, ventilation, lighting …
up to 54 services defined per domain
Level 0–4 per relevant service
Weighting across 7 impact criteria
Overall SRI score in %
From single service to overall score: how the SRI score is composed.

The weighting is done across seven impact criteria (impacts). They describe what a smart service contributes to — from energy efficiency to informing users:

1
Energy efficiency How much the building technology reduces energy consumption during ongoing operation.
2
Energy flexibility and storage The ability to adapt energy draw and feed-in to the grid and to store energy temporarily.
3
Comfort Contribution to pleasant indoor conditions such as temperature, lighting and air quality.
4
Convenience How much the technology simplifies and automates operation for users and operators.
5
Health, well-being and accessibility Impact on health, well-being and the accessibility of the building for all users.
6
Maintenance and fault prediction Detecting and predicting faults to avoid outages and unnecessary energy losses.
7
Information for building occupants Providing information that enables more conscious behaviour and targeted control.
04

Method A and Method B

Method A Simplified assessment Reduced service catalogue (about half of the services) — intended for smaller or technically simpler buildings and as an entry point, in part also feasible as a self-assessment.
Method B Detailed assessment Full service catalogue through a qualified on-site inspection — intended for larger non-residential buildings with complex technology.

Which method is admissible for what is defined by the member states as part of their implementation.

05

How levels become a score

A simplified example: in the heating domain, heat emission is controlled automatically per room individually (level 2 of 4 for this service), while generation follows outdoor temperature (level 1). Both services contribute — with different weights — to impact criteria such as energy efficiency and comfort. This produces a degree of fulfilment per domain: points achieved relative to the maximum possible for the building.

The maximum value depends on the services actually relevant to the building – a building without cooling is not penalised for missing cooling services. The SRI therefore assesses how intelligent a building is within its technical possibilities, and not the mere amount of installed technology.
Exceptions are cases in which a member state mandates the compulsory inclusion and assessment of a particular domain.

Would you like to follow the logic on your own building? In BAIOSS you carry out a complete SRI assessment by method A and B. Calculate SRI with BAIOSS ↗
06

Why rely on the SRI?

The SRI offers a standardised assessment model for the “smartness” or “smart readiness” of buildings — above all with regard to building technology. The uniform assessment methodology makes it easier to compare buildings, to make well-founded investment decisions and to implement smart technologies broadly and purposefully in the building sector.

Comparability A uniform methodology makes buildings and entire portfolios comparable across sites and national borders.
Basis for decisions The degree of fulfilment per domain shows where investments in digitalisation have the greatest leverage.
Preparation Those who know their own starting position are prepared for a possible obligation for large non-residential buildings from 2027.

Is the SRI the same in every country? The methodology is defined uniformly across the EU so that results are comparable. How and to what extent the SRI is used is, however, decided by the member states — see the page State of regulation.