The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI): From Buzzword to Measurable Intelligence in European Buildings
For many years, the term smart building has been used across the real estate and energy sectors, yet without a shared understanding of what “smart” actually means. The concept could refer to automation, connectivity, comfort, digital controls or even aesthetics. Without a standardised definition, it remained a vague and subjective label. The European Union has now addressed this gap through the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), the first harmonised framework for assessing a building’s digital and operational intelligence. As the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) enters into force in 2026, SRI is expected to become an increasingly relevant tool for comparing buildings, planning upgrades and understanding long-term operational performance.
What the Smart Readiness Indicator Measures
The SRI evaluates a building’s ability to operate intelligently within three core dimensions: optimising energy performance, adapting to occupants, and responding to grid signals and flexibility needs. These abilities are assessed across nine technical domains, including heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, domestic hot water, electricity, EV-charging, dynamic building envelope and monitoring & control. Each domain is evaluated by scoring the functionality of relevant building services on a scale from 0 (non-smart default) to 4 (fully integrated and automated). The combined results generate an overall SRI score, expressed both as a percentage and a grade from A to G. This structure allows the SRI to capture not only what technologies a building has, but also how intelligently they interact, offering a level of comparability that has not existed before.
Insights From EU Case Studies
Several EU member states have carried out pilot programmes to test the SRI on real buildings. Case studies from Luxembourg, France and Slovenia show the same overall picture: although SRI scores range between 18% to 67%, most buildings start at a relatively low level of digital maturity.
Across the pilots, similar challenges appear again and again: systems that are not connected, limited automation, older ventilation and lighting controls, and very little use of sensors or predictive functions. At the same time, the assessments make it clear that there are well-defined ways to improve. Measures such as room-level HVAC control, automated shading, integrated management platforms, better monitoring and on-site renewables can significantly raise a building’s SRI score.
Together, the EU pilots highlight two things: the digital gap in Europe’s building stock, and the fact that the path to improvement is clear. Smartness increases most when buildings apply digitalisation, better control strategies and more coherent system integration.
What It Takes to Reach SRI Level C
Across the EU case studies, the transition from low to moderate smartness (level C) follows a clear pattern: the most effective improvements come from adding digital controls, increasing automation and ensuring that systems can communicate with each other.
Buildings typically progress by introducing room-level control of heating and cooling, implementing sensor-driven ventilation linked to air quality, automating lighting based on presence and daylight, and bringing separate systems together on a unified management platform. These steps form the foundation for more advanced capabilities such as predictive HVAC control, demand-response functionality, energy storage optimization and adaptive shading, all of which are associated with the higher SRI levels (B–A).
This staged approach makes SRI particularly valuable: it not only measures current smartness, but also defines a structured roadmap for development.
What It Takes to Reach SRI Level C
Across the EU case studies, the transition from low to moderate smartness (level C) follows a clear pattern: the most effective improvements come from adding digital controls, increasing automation and ensuring that systems can communicate with each other.
Buildings typically progress by introducing room-level control of heating and cooling, implementing sensor-driven ventilation linked to air quality, automating lighting based on presence and daylight, and bringing separate systems together on a unified management platform. These steps form the foundation for more advanced capabilities such as predictive HVAC control, demand-response functionality, energy storage optimization and adaptive shading, all of which are associated with the higher SRI levels (B–A).
This staged approach makes SRI particularly valuable: it not only measures current smartness, but also defines a structured roadmap for development.
SRI vs BACS: Understanding the Difference
SRI and BACS play different but complementary roles within the EU’s framework for modern building operation. While they relate to the same objectives, improving digitalisation, efficiency and operational transparency, they serve distinct functions.
The Smart Readiness Indicator is a measurement framework introduced under the EPBD to assess how “smart-ready” a building is. It evaluates capabilities across several technical domains, including heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, electricity, EV-charging, dynamic building envelope and monitoring & control. The result is an overall score and grade that reflect the building’s level of digital maturity and its potential to optimise energy use, adapt to occupants and respond to grid signals.
In contrast, Building Automation and Control Systems (BACS) refer to the technical infrastructure that enables these capabilities. BACS include the automation, sensors, control equipment and software that allow building systems to be monitored, managed and optimised in practice. Under the recast EPBD, many non-residential buildings above certain HVAC capacity thresholds are required to have BACS installed, making them a regulatory requirement rather than an assessment tool.
In essence, SRI describes how smart a building is, while BACS provides the functionality that makes it smart. SRI offers transparency and supports planning by identifying current readiness levels, whereas BACS delivers the operational performance required to achieve those improvements. As EU policy evolves, SRI is expected to play a growing role alongside existing BACS requirements by providing a common framework for evaluating digital competence across the building stock.
Why SRI Matters for the Future of Building Performance
As ESG (environmental, social and governance) requirements and evolving regulatory frameworks shape expectations around building performance, the relevance of digital readiness is increasing. The SRI supports this shift by providing a clearer picture of how buildings operate, how effectively they use energy, and how well they can adapt to changing conditions, all of which are becoming central to long-term asset performance.
While the SRI is not a valuation tool, it offers insights that increasingly influence strategic decision-making. Stakeholders (from building owners and asset managers to facility operators) can use SRI assessments to identify operational gaps, plan upgrades and prioritise investments. In this sense, SRI provides a measurable indication of a building’s operational maturity and its readiness for future expectations around flexibility, transparency and performance optimisation.
Myrspoven’s Perspective
The EU case studies reinforce a clear conclusion: digitalisation and automation are the most influential drivers of smartness. Many of the improvements that raise SRI levels (from advanced control strategies to integrated monitoring) can be achieved without replacing major technical systems. Instead, they rely on smarter use of existing infrastructure through software-driven optimisation.
Myrspoven’s AI technology directly supports several domains within the SRI framework by enhancing HVAC performance, improving indoor comfort, enabling predictive operation and supporting flexibility strategies. As buildings move toward higher SRI levels, intelligent control systems become essential components of efficient, future-ready operations.
Conclusion
As the revised EPBD raises expectations on building performance and operational transparency, digitalisation is becoming central to how buildings are managed, optimised and compared. In this context, the SRI provides a clear framework for understanding building intelligence, covering not only their physical components, but how well they work together. By translating smartness into a measurable characteristic, the SRI gives the industry a clearer way to assess current performance and plan for tomorrow’s requirements. The path forward is increasingly defined by digital capability, and buildings equipped with intelligent, adaptive systems will be better positioned to meet future demands. In the shift towards a more transparent, efficient and responsive building stock, digital readiness is no longer just an advantage; it is becoming a defining feature of the buildings that will lead the industry forward.
About Myrspoven
Myrspoven AB is a pioneering force within energy optimization, dedicated to revolutionizing the way buildings harness and consume energy. With a deep commitment to sustainability, Myrspoven leverages cutting-edge AI technology and innovative solutions to create more efficient buildings, consuming less energy, as well as contributing to more sustainable and stable energy systems.