Hotel · Heating
Heating in hotel: what the SRI measures
The heating domain looks at how smartly a building controls its heat: per room or centrally, based on occupancy and outdoor temperature, and whether the boiler or heat pump follows demand. Heat storage and fault reporting are part of it too.
In short
- 1This page shows how the heating domain counts toward the Smart Readiness Indicator for hotels.
- 2Heating carries substantial weight: 3 out of 3 possible points, because individual room control and hot water directly affect comfort and energy use.
- 3The score depends on services such as individual room control linked to occupancy, heat source control, and fault reporting.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat emission control H-1a · A · 5 levels | No automatic control | Individual room control with communication and occupancy detection | highest level |
| Emission control for TABS (heating mode) H-1b · 4 levels | No automatic control | Advanced central automatic control with intermittent operation and/or room temperature feedback control | – |
| Storage and shifting of thermal energy H-1c · A · 3 levels | None | HW storage vessels controlled based on external signals (from BACS or grid) | highest level |
| Control of distribution pumps in networks H-1d · 5 levels | No automatic control | Variable speed pump control (external demand signal) | – |
| Thermal Energy Storage (TES) for building heating (excluding TABS) H-1f · 4 levels | Continuous storage operation | Heat storage capable of flexible control through grid signals (e.g. DSM) | – |
| Heat generator control (all except heat pumps) H-2a · A · 3 levels | Constant temperature control | Variable temperature control depending on the load (e.g. depending on supply water temperature set point) | highest level |
| Heat generator control (for heat pumps) H-2b · A · 4 levels | On/Off-control of heat generator | Variable control of heat generator capacity depending on the load AND external signals from grid | highest level |
| Sequencing in case of different heat generators H-2d · 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 heating system performance H-3 · A · 5 levels | None | Central or remote reporting of performance evaluation including forecasting and/or benchmarking; also including predictive management and fault detection | highest level |
| Flexibility and grid interaction H-4 · 5 levels | No automatic control | Optimized control of heating system based on local predictions and grid signals (e.g. through model predictive control) | – |
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 28 percentage points (from 24 to 52 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does heating carry substantial weight in a hotel?
In a hotel, occupancy varies by room and by hour. The reservation system knows exactly when a room is occupied, but the heating installation rarely uses that information. For this reason, the heating domain (H) in the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) for this building type carries the maximum weighting factor of 3 out of 3.
The Smart Readiness Indicator measures how well building systems can communicate, respond to demand, and work with the electricity grid. For hotels, the emphasis is on individual room control and hot water, because guests experience these directly.
Which smart-ready services count?
Within the heating domain, several smart-ready services are assessed, each with its own functionality level from 0 (no automation) to 4 (fully automated and grid-connected). For a hotel, the following services are particularly relevant.
- H-1a Heat emission control: determines whether each room can be controlled individually and whether this is linked to occupancy detection. For hotels this is a key functionality, because guests expect individual control.
- H-1c Thermal energy storage and shifting: relevant for the morning peak in hot water. A storage tank that responds to external signals scores higher than a system without control.
- H-2a and H-2b Heat source control: shows whether the boiler or heat pump moves with actual heat demand instead of running constantly.
- H-3 Performance reporting: indicates whether faults and energy use are made visible, which can limit management costs in large hotel installations.
- H-4 Flexibility and grid interaction: assesses whether the heating system can respond to electricity grid signals, for example for demand response.
What does this mean for the final class?
The scores of all services within a domain are combined into a percentage, which then falls into one of seven classes, from below 20 percent to 90 to 100 percent. Because heating for hotels has the maximum weighting factor, this domain determines a large part of the overall score.
A hotel without individual room control and without linked control of hot water will therefore achieve a lower class, even if other domains score better.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As the owner of a hotel, it is worthwhile to invest in individual room control linked to the reservation system, because this domain carries the heaviest weight in the score. This is particularly relevant for installations above 290 kW, since the Smart Readiness Indicator is expected to become compulsory for this type of utility building in due course.
- Tenant
- A guest will notice a higher score mainly in comfort: the room is already at the desired temperature at check-in and hot water is immediately available at peak times without waiting. With a low score, heating is controlled centrally or with delay, so comfort aligns less well with individual occupancy.
- Advisor
- When assessing, pay attention to the functionality level of H-1a, because individual room control with occupancy detection makes the biggest difference between classes. Also check whether hot water storage (H-1c) and the heat source (H-2a or H-2b) already respond to external or demand-driven signals, as this together with H-1a determines the largest part of the domain score.
Next step
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