Municipal and public buildings · Heating
Heating in municipal and public buildings: 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 Smart Readiness Indicator assesses the heating domain for municipal and public-sector buildings.
- 2For this building type, heating carries full weight: three out of three points.
- 3The services cover space control, heat generation, pump control, storage and reporting, each with its own functionality levels.
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 such heavy weight in municipal buildings?
Town halls, libraries, community centres and theatres have widely varying occupancy patterns. A library is open daily; a theatre mainly in the evenings. Smart heating control helps ensure spaces are heated only when actually in use.
This is why the heating domain (H) within the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) receives maximum weighting for this building type: three out of three points. This means the score in this domain carries significant weight in the overall result.
Which services fall under the heating domain?
The heating domain comprises multiple smart-ready services, each with functionality levels ranging from 0 to 4. Together they determine how well a building automatically manages its heat demand.
- H-1a Heat emission control: from no control to individual space control with occupancy detection.
- H-1b Emission control for thermally activated building systems (TABS), such as concrete core activation.
- H-1c and H-1f Thermal energy storage, whether or not controlled by external signals.
- H-1d Control of distribution pumps in the piping network.
- H-2a and H-2b Heat generator control, separately for boilers and for heat pumps.
- H-2d Sequencing when multiple heat generators are present.
- H-3 Reporting on heating system performance.
- H-4 Flexibility and interaction with the electricity grid.
For a portfolio with multiple building types, not every service applies everywhere. A theatre without a heat pump, for example, does not score on H-2b.
What does this mean for a portfolio approach?
Municipalities typically manage not a single building but a portfolio of properties with demonstrative function and reporting obligations. The SRI can be completed per building, but results are also comparable at portfolio level.
Subsidy schemes often target improvements in this domain, such as individual space control or performance reporting. This makes the heating domain a logical starting point for improving the sustainability of public-sector buildings.
What this means for you
- Owner
- Map the functionality level currently achieved for heating services in each building in your portfolio, since this domain carries full weight here. This creates a priority list for investments that improve both the SRI score and energy consumption.
- Tenant
- Users of a community centre or library mainly notice whether rooms reach the right temperature when they are in use, and are not unnecessarily heated at other times. Better control per space, as found at higher levels of H-1a, provides more comfort with less waste.
- Advisor
- When assessing, distinguish between services that apply everywhere and those that only apply to specific installations, such as heat pumps (H-2b) or concrete core activation (H-1b). Also check whether reporting on faults and performance (H-3) is already in place, as this is often overlooked in older municipal buildings.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?