Office · Cooling
Cooling in office: what the SRI measures
Cooling mirrors heating: control per room, prevent heating and cooling from fighting each other, store cold when electricity is cheap, and let the chiller follow actual demand.
In short
- 1This page shows how effectively an office manages cooling, measured through the Smart Readiness Indicator.
- 2In offices, the cooling domain carries maximum weight, because climate systems place a significant load on energy bills.
- 3The table shows for each smart-ready service which functionality level a building achieves, from no automated control to fully grid-responsive operation.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooling emission control C-1a · A · 5 levels | No automatic control | Individual room control with communication and occupancy detection | highest level |
| Emission control for TABS (cooling mode) C-1b · 4 levels | No automatic control | Advanced central automatic control with intermittent operation and/or room temperature feedback control | – |
| Control of distribution network chilled water temperature (supply or return) C-1c · 3 levels | Constant temperature control | Demand based control | – |
| Control of distribution pumps in networks C-1d · 5 levels | No automatic control | Variable speed pump control (external demand signal) | – |
| Interlock: avoiding simultaneous heating and cooling in the same room C-1f · 3 levels | No interlock | Total interlock (control system ensures no simultaneous heating and cooling can take place) | – |
| Control of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) operation C-1g · 4 levels | Continuous storage operation | Cold storage capable of flexible control through grid signals (e.g. DSM) | – |
| Generator control for cooling C-2a · A · 4 levels | On/Off-control of cooling production | Variable control of cooling production capacity depending on the load AND external signals from grid | highest level |
| Sequencing of different cooling generators C-2b · 5 levels | Priorities only based on running times | Sequencing based on dynamic priority list, including external signals from grid | – |
| Report information regarding cooling system performance C-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 C-4 · A · 5 levels | No automatic control | Optimized control of cooling system based on local predictions and grid signals (e.g. through model predictive control) | 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 16 percentage points (from 30 to 46 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
Why does cooling carry so much weight in an office?
Offices have varying occupancy by hour and by day. Meeting rooms fill and empty, while cooling often runs at full capacity.
Therefore, the cooling domain in this building type carries maximum weight of three out of three in the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) score. The SRI is a voluntary European tool that measures how well building automation and digital technology support a building.
Which smart-ready services are in this domain?
The cooling domain consists of multiple smart-ready services. Each service describes a specific control task, with functionality levels from 0 to 4.
- Control of cooling output per room, with or without communication to the building management system (BMS)
- Output control for thermally active building elements (TABS) in cooling mode
- Temperature control of the chilled water network and control of distribution pumps
- Interlock, which prevents heating and cooling from operating simultaneously in the same room
- Control of thermal energy storage and of the chiller itself
- Load sequencing among multiple chillers
- Reporting of performance and flexibility to the electricity grid
A higher level typically means less manual intervention and better alignment with actual demand.
What does interlock mean in practice?
Without interlock, heating and cooling can work against each other in the same room. This wastes energy without anyone noticing.
Complete interlock ensures the control system makes this technically impossible, not just through setpoints but through hard-wired control.
How does this relate to European rules?
Building automation has been mandatory for offices with a climate system over 290 kilowatts since the end of 2024. This type of office often falls under this requirement.
The SRI itself remains voluntary until the European Commission adopts a delegated act by 30 June 2027 at the latest. That act is expected to make the SRI mandatory for utility buildings above the same 290 kilowatt threshold.
What this means for you
- Owner
- Have the existing cooling system and building management system reviewed against the services in this domain, because the technology is often already present but poorly tuned. A higher functionality level for interlock and load sequencing often delivers quick savings without major investment.
- Tenant
- An office with well-tuned cooling feels more stable: fewer cold or warm spots, even as occupancy varies. You notice this mainly in comfort, not in technology you need to operate yourself.
- Advisor
- When assessing, verify that interlock is genuinely enforced at the technical level, not just regulated through setpoints. Pay extra attention to the reporting function, because without historical data and benchmarking, predictive management remains out of reach.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?