Municipal and public buildings · Monitoring and control
Monitoring and control in municipal and public buildings: what the SRI measures
Monitoring and control is the building's nervous system: the building management system that coordinates installations, detects faults, reports energy use and can respond to occupancy and to grid signals.
In short
- 1This page shows how the Smart Readiness Indicator assesses the Monitoring and control domain for municipal and community buildings.
- 2At town halls, libraries and neighbourhood centres, this domain counts with its maximum weighting of 3 out of 3 in the score.
- 3Seven services, from operating hours management to smart grid integration, together determine how intelligently these buildings are controlled.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run time management of HVAC systems MC-3 · 4 levels | Manual setting | Heating and cooling plant on/off control based on predictive control or grid signals | – |
| Detecting faults of technical building systems and providing support to the diagnosis of these faults MC-4 · 4 levels | No central indication of detected faults and alarms | With central indication of detected faults and alarms for all relevant TBS, including diagnosing functions | – |
| Occupancy detection: connected services MC-9 · 3 levels | None | Centralised occupant detection which feeds in to several TBS such as lighting and heating | – |
| Central reporting of TBS performance and energy use MC-13 · A · 4 levels | None | Central or remote reporting of realtime energy use per energy carrier, combining TBS of all main domains in one interface | highest level |
| Smart Grid Integration MC-25 · A · 3 levels | None - No harmonization between grid and TBS; building is operated independently from the grid load | Coordinated demand side management of multiple TBS | highest level |
| Reporting information regarding demand side management performance and operation MC-28 · 3 levels | None | Reporting information on current, historical and predicted DSM status, including managed energy flows | – |
| Override of DSM control MC-29 · 5 levels | No DSM control | Scheduled override of DSM control and reactivation with optimised control | – |
| Single platform that allows automated control & coordination between TBS + optimization of energy flow based on occupancy, weather and grid signals MC-30 · A · 4 levels | None | Single platform that allows automated control & coordination between TBS + optimization of energy flow based on occupancy, weather and grid signals | 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 20 percentage points (from 26 to 46 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
What is monitoring and control within the SRI?
Monitoring and control is one of nine domains of the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), the European measurement tool for assessing the smart readiness of buildings. The domain describes the building management system: the software and sensors that coordinate building systems, signal faults and track energy consumption.
For municipal and community buildings, this domain counts with its maximum weighting of 3 out of 3 in the overall score. This is because town halls, libraries, neighbourhood centres and theatres often have highly varying operating hours, making central control relatively effective.
Which smart-ready services belong to this domain?
Seven smart-ready services are relevant for this building type. Each service has functionality levels from 0 (no functionality) to a maximum of 3 or 4, depending on the service.
- MC-3 Operating hours management of HVAC systems: from manual adjustment to control based on predictive steering or grid signals.
- MC-4 Fault detection: from no centralised display to diagnostic functions for all technical building systems.
- MC-9 Occupancy detection: from individual applications such as lighting to centralised control of multiple systems.
- MC-13 Centralised reporting of energy consumption: from no reporting to a single interface for all main domains.
- MC-25 Smart grid integration: from no coordination to coordinated demand management across multiple systems.
- MC-28 Demand management reporting: from no reporting to insight into current, historical and predicted status.
- MC-29 Demand management override: from no option to optimised, time-controlled override by the user.
- MC-30 Single platform for automated control: from manual operation to optimisation based on occupancy, weather and grid signals.
Why does this domain count so heavily for these buildings?
Municipalities typically manage a portfolio of buildings rather than a single property. A central building management system enables energy consumption and faults to be tracked at portfolio level, which aligns with the reporting obligation many municipalities already have.
Moreover, these buildings often have an exemplary role towards residents and other organisations. A high score in monitoring and control shows that public buildings actively manage their energy consumption, not just record it.
What this means for you
- Owner
- First map which functionality level each building in the portfolio achieves on the seven services of this domain, as this determines the largest part of the SRI score for this building type. Use the results to identify which investments, such as fault diagnostics or demand management, have the most impact across multiple properties at once.
- Tenant
- Users of a library, neighbourhood centre or town hall will notice a higher level mainly through fewer faults and a more comfortable indoor climate that adapts to occupancy. At a high level, the building can also respond more quickly during busy periods or switch to low-energy operation outside opening hours.
- Advisor
- In your assessment, distinguish between services scored per individual building and the portfolio-wide reporting that municipalities often already establish for their exemplary role. Account for subsidy opportunities specifically targeting building management systems, as these can accelerate the upgrading of multiple services simultaneously.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?