Office · Heating
Heating in office: 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
- 1Offices consume significant energy for heating, lighting, and ventilation, often when spaces are unoccupied.
- 2This page shows how intelligently an office controls its heating, measured by the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI).
- 3The heating domain counts fully for offices: the weighting factor is 3 out of 3.
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 so much weight in offices?
Offices have variable occupancy: busy on Monday morning, empty at weekends, half-full on Friday. A heating system that does not respond to this wastes energy in unoccupied spaces.
The heating domain (H) therefore carries maximum weight for offices: 3 out of 3 points. Every improvement in this domain contributes directly to the building's total SRI score.
Which services does the SRI measure in this domain?
The Smart Readiness Indicator examines multiple smart-ready services within heating. A smart-ready service is a specific intelligent function that a building either provides or does not provide.
- Control of heat distribution per room, ranging from no control to individual adjustment with occupancy detection.
- Control of the heat generator, for example a boiler or heat pump that adjusts to outdoor temperature or demand.
- Prioritisation when a building combines multiple heat sources, such as solar energy alongside a gas boiler.
- Reporting on heating system performance, including fault detection at the highest levels.
- Flexibility and interaction with the electricity grid, enabling the system to respond to external signals.
Each service has functionality levels from 0 to 4. Level 0 means no automated control; level 4 represents the most advanced regulation.
What does this mean for an average office?
Many offices already have a building management system (BMS), but it is not always properly configured. An existing system therefore does not automatically deliver a high score.
Central air handling and heating are often linked in offices. Improvements in ventilation control can therefore also influence the heating score.
Above an installation capacity of 290 kilowatts, building automation has been required since the end of 2024. The Smart Readiness Indicator itself remains voluntary, although a delegated act is expected to come into force by 30 June 2027 making the SRI mandatory for this category of buildings.
How does this domain compare across other member states?
Among member states that conducted an official testing phase, the Czech Republic shows an average score of 20.6 percent across 162 buildings. This figure indicates where many existing buildings currently stand on the heating domain.
What this means for you
- Owner
- Have the existing heating installation assessed for functionality level per smart-ready service, particularly for room-by-room control and heat generator regulation. Because heating carries maximum weight for offices, improvements here deliver the largest gain for the overall Smart Readiness Indicator score.
- Tenant
- Well-controlled heating means less draughts or overheated meeting rooms outside office hours. Tenants notice this mainly through a more stable indoor climate and, indirectly, through lower service costs.
- Advisor
- Verify that the BMS actively controls each smart-ready service, rather than merely being present without configured logic. Pay particular attention to H-2d and H-4, as these services often score low due to the absence of external grid signals or dynamic prioritisation.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?