Hotel · Electricity
Electricity in hotel: 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 for a hotel.
- 2It covers seven services, such as electricity storage and reporting to users, that together demonstrate how smartly the building manages power consumption.
- 3In the weighting for a hotel, this domain accounts for 1 of 3 parts, alongside domains such as heating and domestic hot water.
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 | at least level 1 |
| 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 | at least level 1 |
| 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 | at least level 1 |
| Reporting information regarding electricity consumption E-12 · A · 5 levels | None | Real-time feedback or benchmarking on appliance level with automated personalized recommendations | at least level 1 |
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 4 percentage points (from 33 to 37 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does electricity count in a hotel?
A hotel has varying occupancy per room and per hour. Demand for hot water peaks in the morning, while guests expect individual control of their rooms. This makes the electricity management more complex than in a building with a fixed usage pattern.
The Electricity domain (E) within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) assesses whether a building can respond to this. It covers batteries, solar panels, shifting consumption to off-peak hours, and responding to signals from the electricity grid.
Which smart-ready services are assessed?
For a hotel, seven smart-ready services within this domain are tested. Each service has functionality levels from 0 to 4, where a higher level means more automation and prediction.
- E-2: reporting on local electricity generation, for example from solar panels.
- E-3: storage of locally generated electricity, such as a battery.
- E-4: optimisation of self-consumption of that generated electricity.
- E-5: control of a combined heat and power installation, if present.
- E-8: support for microgrid or grid-connected modes.
- E-11: reporting on energy storage.
- E-12: reporting on the building's electricity consumption.
These services together determine whether the building actively manages its own generation, storage and grid interaction, or whether the installation only provides basic functions.
What does charging electric vehicles mean for this score?
Charging points for electric vehicles are increasingly expected by hotel guests. Although charging infrastructure falls under a different domain of the Smart Readiness Indicator, its use is linked to the services in this electricity domain.
A building that can align charging behaviour with the availability of locally generated power scores higher on services such as E-4 and E-8. This requires a building management system that coordinates consumption and generation.
How much weight does this domain carry for a hotel?
Within the overall score of a hotel, the Electricity domain accounts for 1 of 3 weighting parts. This is less than domains directly related to heating, cooling and domestic hot water.
The reason lies in the nature of a hotel: room control linked to check-in and hot water demand typically account for a larger share of energy consumption than electricity management itself.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As the owner of a hotel, it is useful to know which services in this domain are already present, for example electricity consumption reporting or storage availability. This helps estimate improvement potential, especially with regard to the expected requirement for building automation above 290 kW and the delegated act that is expected to make the Smart Readiness Indicator compulsory for larger utility buildings from 2027 onwards.
- Tenant
- A hotel guest notices little of this domain directly, but benefits indirectly from more stable power supply and, at higher levels, from charging points aligned with available electricity. A well-performing system can also contribute to lower energy costs that translate into the room price.
- Advisor
- When assessing, it is important to verify that generation, storage and consumption are actually linked to control based on current or forecast data, not merely loose measurement. Also pay attention to the interaction with electric vehicle charging infrastructure, as it affects the performance of services such as E-4 and E-8.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?