School · Electric vehicle charging
Electric vehicle charging in school: what the SRI measures
Charging is about three things: how many parking spaces have a charging point, whether charging is managed smartly on grid capacity and price, and whether users get information on availability and consumption.
In short
- 1This page shows how schools score on the electric vehicle charging domain within the Smart Readiness Indicator.
- 2This domain carries a weighting factor of 1 out of 3 for schools and concerns charging points, grid balancing and user information.
- 3At schools this domain plays a smaller role than ventilation and heating, but it does count towards the overall score.
Weight of this domain for this building type
Which services count
| Service | Lowest level | Highest level | Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV Charging Capacity EV-15 · A · 5 levels | Not present | > 50% of parking spaces has recharging point | at least level 1 |
| EV Charging Grid balancing EV-16 · A · 3 levels | Not present (uncontrolled charging) | 2-way controlled charging (e.g. including desired departure time and grid signals for optimization) | at least level 1 |
| EV charging information and connectivity EV-17 · A · 3 levels | No information available | Reporting information on EV charging status to occupant AND automatic identification and authorization of the driver to the charging station (ISO 15118 compliant) | at least level 1 |
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 3 percentage points (from 33 to 36 percent, with all other domains at level 1).
What does electric vehicle charging mean for schools?
The electric vehicle charging domain examines three smart-ready services: charging capacity, grid balancing and information to users. A smart-ready service is a specific function that the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) assesses on a scale of functionality levels, from 0 to 4.
For schools this domain carries 1 of 3 weighting factors. This is less than domains such as heating and ventilation, which typically have the greatest impact on the score at schools.
Nevertheless the domain counts towards the overall SRI score, which is expressed as a percentage and classified into one of seven classes, from below 20 per cent to 90 to 100 per cent.
Which services are assessed?
The first service, charging capacity for electric vehicles, measures how many parking spaces have a charging point. Level 0 means no provision, level 4 means more than 50 per cent of parking spaces have a charging point.
The second service, grid balancing, examines whether charging is managed intelligently. At level 0 charging is unmanaged, at higher levels the system responds to grid signals and desired departure times, possibly with bidirectional charging.
The third service, information and connectivity, concerns feedback to users. The highest level adds automatic driver identification and authorisation, according to the ISO 15118 standard.
Why is this domain relevant for school buildings?
Schools operate fixed timetables and have long holiday periods, so charging points are often used outside school hours. This makes managed charging useful to avoid peaks in electricity consumption.
Many schools work with limited budgets and older installations, often still controlled by simple time clocks. Investments in charging infrastructure are therefore often given lower priority than improvements to ventilation and heating.
Some schools fall under installations above 290 kilowatts, for which building automation may already be required. The SRI itself is voluntary, though the European Commission is developing rules that are expected to change this for certain utility buildings.
What this means for you
- Owner
- As a school owner or governing body it makes sense to first determine whether charging infrastructure fits the building's use, since this domain accounts for only 1 of 3 weighting factors in the overall score. Invest first in ventilation and heating, and view charging points as an addition when budget and parking capacity allow.
- Tenant
- Students, teachers and parents notice this domain mainly if there are charging points on school grounds, for example for staff who drive electric vehicles. A higher functionality level means clearer information about availability and less risk of a charging point being unavailable or faulty.
- Advisor
- When assessing pay attention to the proportion of parking spaces with a charging point and how charging is managed, as this determines the functionality level for each service. Take account of the low weighting factor of this domain at schools, so that advisory priority aligns logically with domains having greater impact on the overall score.
Next step
Want to know where your building stands?