Municipal and public buildings · Ventilation
Ventilation in municipal and public buildings: what the SRI measures
Ventilation is about demand-controlled ventilation: more air when more people are present or CO2 rises, less when a room is empty. Heat recovery, free cooling with outdoor air and air-quality reporting count as well.
In short
- 1This page shows what the Smart Readiness Indicator means for municipal and public buildings, such as town halls and libraries.
- 2The ventilation domain carries maximum weight for this building type: 3 out of 3 points.
- 3Demand-controlled ventilation, heat recovery, and air quality reporting together determine how smart-ready these buildings score.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supply air flow control at the room level V-1a · A · 5 levels | No ventilation system or manual control | Local Demand Control based on air quality sensors (CO2, VOC, ...) with local flow from/to the zone regulated by dampers | highest level |
| Air flow or pressure control at the air handler level V-1c · 5 levels | No automatic control: Continuously supplies of air flow for a maximum load of all rooms | Automatic flow or pressure control with pressure reset: Load dependent supplies of air flow for the demand of all connected rooms (for variable air volume systems with VFD) | – |
| Heat recovery control: prevention of overheating V-2c · 3 levels | Without overheating control | Modulate or bypass heat recovery based on multiple room temperature sensors or predictive control | – |
| Supply air temperature control at the air handling unit level V-2d · 4 levels | No automatic control | Variable set point with load dependant compensation. A control loop enables to control the supply air temperature. The setpoint is defined as a function of the loads in the room | – |
| Free cooling with mechanical ventilation system V-3 · 4 levels | No automatic control | H,x-directed control: The amount of outside air and recirculation air are modulated during all periods of time to minimize the amount of mechanical cooling. Calculation is performed on the basis of temperatures and humidity (enthalpy) | – |
| Reporting information regarding IAQ V-6 · A · 4 levels | None | Real time monitoring & historical information of IAQ available to occupants + warning on maintenance needs or occupant actions (e.g. window opening) | 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 10 percentage points (from 31 to 41 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
What does the SRI mean for municipal buildings?
The Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) measures how well a building uses smart technology. For municipalities and public institutions, this often involves a portfolio of buildings rather than a single property. Town halls, libraries, community centres and theatres have very different usage patterns.
The SRI is a voluntary tool. The European Commission must adopt a delegated act by 30 June 2027 that is expected to make the SRI mandatory for non-residential buildings with installations above 290 kilowatts. Some buildings in this category may fall within that scope.
Why does ventilation carry such heavy weight?
The ventilation domain receives the highest weighting factor for this building type: 3 out of 3. This is because libraries, theatres and community centres have variable occupancy, sometimes with full rooms and sometimes with empty spaces.
Demand-controlled ventilation adjusts air supply based on occupancy or CO2 levels. This means an empty community centre does not need to refresh the same amount of air as during a busy event.
Which smart-ready services play a role?
- Control of supply air flow at room level, from manual adjustment to local sensor-based control
- Control of air flow or pressure at the air handling unit level
- Control of heat recovery to prevent overheating
- Control of supply air temperature
- Free cooling with mechanical ventilation, including night cooling
- Reporting of air quality information to users
What is the exemplary function of these buildings?
Municipal and public buildings often have reporting obligations and an exemplary role for residents. A higher score on ventilation shows that the organisation takes indoor air quality and energy use seriously.
Subsidy opportunities often make investments in demand-controlled ventilation and heat recovery more feasible than in commercial buildings.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As an owner of municipal buildings, it is worthwhile to review the functionality level currently achieved for ventilation in each building, since this domain carries the most weight in the score. Subsidy opportunities can make the transition to demand-controlled regulation and heat recovery financially more attractive.
- Tenant
- Users of a library, community centre or theatre notice demand-controlled ventilation mainly through a fresh indoor climate, even with varying occupancy. Air quality reporting may be visible through a display or notification when a window should be opened.
- Advisor
- When assessing, pay attention to the widely varying usage patterns within the portfolio, as this affects which level of demand-controlled ventilation is most appropriate. Take account of the reporting obligations and exemplary function of the organisation when formulating improvement recommendations.
Next step
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