Apartment building · Electricity
Electricity in apartment building: what the SRI measures
This domain covers the building's electricity management: batteries, solar panels, shifting consumption to cheap hours, reporting to users and responding to grid signals. It is the core of energy flexibility.
In short
- 1This page shows how the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) assesses the Electricity domain in apartment complexes.
- 2This domain carries significant weight, comprising two of the three key functionalities, and covers solar panels, battery storage and charging points in parking garages.
- 3In residential buildings, decision-making typically rests with the owners association, which can slow down or accelerate the rollout of smart functions.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting information regarding local electricity generation E-2 · A · 5 levels | None | Performance evaluation including forecasting and/or benchmarking; also including predictive management and fault detection | level 2 or higher |
| Storage of (locally generated) electricity E-3 · A · 5 levels | None | On site storage of energy (e.g. electric battery or thermal storage) with controller optimising the use of locally generated electricity and possibility to feed back into the grid | level 2 or higher |
| Optimizing self-consumption of locally generated electricity E-4 · 4 levels | None | Automated management of local electricity consumption based on current and predicted energy needs and renewable energy availability | – |
| Control of combined heat and power plant (CHP) E-5 · 3 levels | CHP control based on scheduled runtime management and/or current heat energy demand | CHP runtime control influenced by the fluctuating availability of RES and grid signals; dynamic charging and runtime control to optimise self-consumption of renewables | – |
| Support of (micro)grid operation modes E-8 · 4 levels | None | Automated management of (building-level) electricity consumption and supply, with potential to continue limited off-grid operation (island mode) | – |
| Reporting information regarding energy storage E-11 · A · 5 levels | None | Performance evaluation including forecasting and/or benchmarking; also including predictive management and fault detection | level 2 or higher |
| Reporting information regarding electricity consumption E-12 · A · 5 levels | None | Real-time feedback or benchmarking on appliance level with automated personalized recommendations | level 2 or higher |
Worked example
If everything in this domain is at level 0, the domain contributes nothing. At the highest level for all services, the indicative total score for this building type rises by about 10 percentage points (from 32 to 42 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
What does the Electricity domain measure in an apartment complex?
The Electricity domain (E) covers the building's power management. It examines solar panels, batteries, shifting energy use to cheaper hours and the ability to respond to signals from the electricity grid.
In an apartment complex, this almost always involves shared installations. Think of solar panels on the roof, a collective battery, or charging points in the parking garage. The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) assesses how well these installations are equipped with control and feedback.
For this building type, this domain carries significant weight in the overall score: two of the three key functionalities. This is because residential buildings often lack other domains with high functionality levels, such as heating or lighting in individual units.
Which smart-ready services play a role?
Seven services are relevant to this domain. Local electricity generation reporting (E-2) shows whether residents gain insight into solar panel output, from simple current values to predictive management.
Electricity storage (E-3) assesses whether a battery is present and whether it responds to grid signals or optimises its own consumption. Own consumption optimisation (E-4) examines automated management of appliances based on solar energy availability.
Support for microgrid operating modes (E-8) represents a higher ambition level for most apartment complexes. Electricity consumption reporting (E-12) is often the first step: from building-level consumption to feedback per appliance.
What does this mean for charging points?
Charging points in the parking garage do not fall under this domain separately, but are closely linked to it. Smart charging management works better when the building already has insight into its own generation and consumption through services E-2 and E-12.
Why is decision-making through the owners association relevant?
Investments in batteries, solar panels or smart charging points require collective decision-making. An owners association must agree before a building can score on these services.
This explains why functionality levels in apartment complexes often fall short of those in utility buildings. An SRI assessment makes visible which steps are feasible within the owners association's decision-making process.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As an owner or owners association board member, it is useful to know which functionality level is achievable before you invest in solar panels, battery storage or charging points. A higher score in this domain can increase the value and appeal of the complex, even though the Smart Readiness Indicator is voluntary.
- Tenant
- As a resident, you will primarily notice this domain in the reporting you receive on jointly generated solar energy or the building's consumption. At a higher level, you receive real-time insight or even personal recommendations about your energy use.
- Advisor
- When assessing, pay attention to the distinction between individual and collective installations, as this determines which level is realistically scoreable per service. Also account for the owners association's decision-making cycle, as this often determines the pace of improvement rather than technology alone.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?