Hospital · Domestic hot water
Domestic hot water in hospital: what the SRI measures
Domestic hot water covers the boiler or storage tank: is water heated on a fixed schedule or based on use, can the system use cheap electricity or solar heat, and is the circulation pump controlled smartly.
In short
- 1This page shows how the Smart Readiness Indicator addresses domestic hot water in hospitals.
- 2Domestic hot water carries maximum weight for this building type, with a score of 3 out of 3.
- 3Hospitals always exceed the 290 kW threshold, which means the SRI is expected to become relevant for these buildings.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control of DHW storage charging (with direct electric heating or integrated electric heat pump) DHW-1a · A · 3 levels | Automatic control on / off | Automatic on/off control, scheduled charging enable and demand-based supply temperature control or multi-sensor storage management | highest level |
| Control of DHW storage charging DHW-1b · A · 3 levels | None | Automatic charging control based on local availability of renewables or information from electricity grid (DR, DSM) | highest level |
| Control of DHW storage charging (with solar collector and supplementary heat generation) DHW-1d · 4 levels | Manual selected control of solar energy or heat generation | Automatic control of solar storage charge (Prio. 1) and supplementary storage charge, demand-oriented supply and return temperature control and multi-sensor storage management | – |
| Sequencing in case of different DHW generators DHW-2b · 5 levels | Priorities only based on running time | Control according to dynamic priority list (based on current AND predicted load, energy efficiency, carbon emissions, capacity of generators AND external signals from grid) | – |
| Report information regarding domestic hot water performance DHW-3 · A · 5 levels | None | Performance evaluation including forecasting and/or benchmarking; also including predictive management and fault detection | highest level |
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 8 percentage points (from 31 to 39 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does domestic hot water count so heavily in a hospital?
A hospital consumes large quantities of hot water continuously, for patient care, hygiene and sterilisation. The domestic hot water domain therefore receives the highest possible weighting within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI): 3 out of 3 points.
This weighting determines how much smart-ready services within this domain contribute to the building's overall SRI score. In hospitals, there is little room to offset a low score in this domain with other domains.
Which smart-ready services play a role?
Within the domestic hot water domain, the SRI assesses multiple functions. First, control of domestic hot water storage charging, both for direct electric heating or an integrated heat pump and for combinations with solar collectors and backup heat generation.
A building management system (BMS) can make the difference here. At the lowest functionality level, there is only automatic on/off control. At higher levels, the system directs charging based on renewable energy availability or electricity network signals, such as demand response.
Additionally, the SRI assesses load sequencing among multiple domestic hot water generators. A hospital often has different sources, such as a heat pump, solar energy or combined heat and power. The highest functionality level controls the sequence based on current and predicted load, efficiency, CO2 emissions and external network signals.
Finally, performance reporting counts: from simple displays of current values to systems that predict faults and benchmark performance.
What does this mean for the score?
Because hospitals structurally exceed 290 kW of HVAC capacity (heating, ventilation and cooling), the SRI is expected to become mandatory for this building type over time. This follows from a delegated act that the European Commission must adopt by 30 June 2027.
Hospitals typically already have an extensive building management system and often also backup power and energy storage. This means the foundation for a high score in the domestic hot water domain is often in place, but the actual score depends on how granular control and reporting are configured.
What this means for you
- Owner
- Have the building management system in your hospital checked for domestic hot water storage control and load sequencing between generators, as this domain carries maximum weight in the SRI score. Investment in demand-driven control and performance reporting delivers relatively high score improvement here, given the scale of your installations.
- Tenant
- As a user of a hospital building, you notice little directly from the SRI score in the domestic hot water domain, but you do experience its effects: constant hot water availability and fewer faults through predictive maintenance. A higher score can also indicate lower energy costs that indirectly influence operating expenses.
- Advisor
- For hospitals, carefully assess which functionality level actually exists for domestic hot water storage charging, particularly whether demand response or network signals are present. Also pay attention to load sequencing among multiple domestic hot water generators, as the difference between level 2 and level 4 is often decisive for the final score in this heavily weighted domain.
Next step
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